ANN-MARI

The boat left Göteborg on August 1, 1948, with 44 people on board. There were 36 Estonians and six Finns, four of whom were experienced sailors. Crew included engineers Aleksander Tomson, an Estonian, and Laaksonen, a Finn. There were nine children. 

Despite stormy weather in the North Sea, the Ann-Mari reached Dover quickly on August 5. The Ilmarine, another Viking boat on its way to Argentina, was in port, and Juhan Truu, a pastor on the Ann-Mari, held an Estonian service at a Methodist church for both groups of passengers. On August 11, the Ann-Mari continued its journey, ran into two storms but successfully crossed the Bay of Biscay and then headed south down the Spanish-Portuguese coast. Since the boat had used more fuel than expected, the refugees sailed into Porto de Leixões in Portugal, where they waited several days to obtain a diesel fuel purchase permit. From there, they continued to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.

As the weather improved, so did the mood of the refugees. In the evenings, passengers gathered on deck to sing. The boat accidentally went 200 nautical miles off course, but thanks to an attentive watchman, it reached Las Palmas safely. After stopping for five days, the Ann-Mari began sailing to Freetown in west Africa. At one point during the long journey, a sudden storm ripped the boat’s sails to shreds, but the crew was able to hoist a backup set. Parts of the engine also melted from overheating after the night watch crew fell asleep one evening, but it was successfully repaired. 

Upon reaching Freetown, the refugees had to wait 20 days before obtaining permission to enter the port. While they waited, local boys swam around the boat, exchanging clothing for bananas and oranges for the children on board. The group had run out of money, but the Red Cross and the Bishop of Sweden provided some financial assistance, and Gustav Langemann sold his stamp collection to raise cash. 

Subsequent stops along the west African coast included São Tomé island and the port of Lobito, where the ship picked up supplies, fuel, and oil, and then headed for Cape Town. By then, the Ann-Mari had begun to leak badly, so the destination was changed to Lüderitz, German South West Africa (Namibia today), where the boat docked on December 8, 1948. 

The journey from Göteborg to Lüderitz had taken four months and eight days. 

Elmar Tammiste, the former Estonian ambassador to South Africa, helped the refugees after they landed. Three weeks later, they received permission to travel to Cape Town. 

The fate of the Ann-Mari is unclear. In her memoir, Alice Tomson recalled that Mr. Tammiste bought the ship, but Meie Tee magazine reported that it remained anchored at Lüderitz until 1950, when storms drove the boat offshore and wrecked it.