Boats

The Östervåg fishing boat.

ÖSTERVÅG

Östervåg oli neljas viikingipaat, mis Kanadasse jõudis. Ta saabus Halifaxi 22. augustil 1948, vaid kaks päeva pärast Capryt. Kapten Evald Past oli 1924. aastal lõpetanud Tallinna Merekooli esimese lennu.  Enne teist maailmasõda oli ta Eestis tuntud mereajaloo uurija. 1944. aastal põgenes ta perega Rootsi ja töötas kuni 1947. aastani sealsetel laevadel. 

  1. aastal panid Past ja neli teist eestlast rahad kokku ja ostsid 55 000 Rootsi krooni eest laeva Östervåg. See oli 1890. aastal Inglismaal Grimsbys ehitatud 62-tonnine kalalaev. Laev oli 21,5 meetrit pikk ja 6 meetrit lai ning tal oli kahesilindriline 135-hobujõuline mootor. Östervåg oli sama tüüpi Põhjamere traallaev nagu mõni päev varem Rootsist Uddevallast USA-sse teele asunud viikingipaat      Prolific.

Kapten Pastile kuulus Östervågi sajast osakust 29, Toivo Neemrele 20, Jaan Järvele 18, Helmer Mäsakule 18 ja Lembit Jänesele 15 osakut. Pasti juhtimisel hakati laeva reisiks ette valmistama Göteborgist põhjas asuvas Rönnängi sadamas.

  1. aasta 28. juuli õhtul kella üheksa paiku asus Östervåg lähedalasuvast Marstrandi sadamast teele pärast seda, kui Rootsi toll oli laeva ametlikult välja vormistanud. Pardal oli 75 põgenikku, neist 15 lapsed. 71 reisijat olid eestlased, lisaks oli pardal kolm poolakat ja üks karjalane. 18. augustil Kanada ajalehes Halifax Mail ilmunud artikli kohaselt kasutas meeskond Šotimaale navigeerimiseks „kronomeetrit, kompassi ja vanamoodsat sekstanti“. 

The Halifax Herald, another paper, published interviews with Captain Past during and after the journey. On August 3, during the stop in Scotland, he announced, “There are many Estonian refugees anxious to go to Canada from Sweden. It is too hot there near Russia.” After reaching Canada, he said, “We saw the Russians once and we saw the Germans once, and we fled our homes because we knew when the Germans left, the Russians would come again and that would be bad. We know the Russians.” 

Captain Past had planned the journey carefully. Concerned about Soviet warships patrolling the English Channel and hearing stories about kidnapped refugees, he developed two routes: An official one that went through the English Channel and the one he actually used that went through Scotland, with a stop in Stornoway. Since the Astrid had docked there only a few days earlier, the townspeople and mayor were familiar with the refugees’ plight and welcomed them, providing help and food. 

In Stornoway, there was a fortunate coincidence that later made it easier for the refugees to obtain visas in Canada. Alexander E. Kerr, president of Dalhousie University in Halifax, was on vacation nearby and heard about the Viking boat and its plans to sail to Canada. He visited the Östervåg and asked how he could help. Past’s only request was for aid in obtaining permission to land in Halifax, which Kerr successfully arranged. 

As the Östervåg prepared to leave, a British naval inspector boarded and ruled the boat was unseaworthy to cross the Atlantic with so many passengers on board. He permitted it to leave the harbor only if Past sailed it back to Sweden. Past agreed but once the ship left Stornoway on August 5, he turned the ship’s bow west and crossed the Atlantic. 

Captain Past’s original plan was to sail directly to Halifax, but one male passenger hadn’t eaten for eight days due to severe seasickness, so on August 17 the ship pulled into Saint John harbor, which was closer. The Östervåg had crossed the Atlantic in just 12 days, despite sailing into headwinds at the end. The passenger recovered and the ship resumed sailing the next day, reaching Halifax on August 22. The entire ocean voyage had taken just 25 days. 

After disembarking, the refugees spent two months in an immigration building where background checks and medical examinations were carried out. On October 15, 1948, the passengers of the Astrid, Atlanta, Capry, and Östervåg, which had all landed during a 10-day period, were allowed to enter Canada legally. 

Before they left Halifax, the Östervåg and Capry’s passengers organized a farewell party for more than 300 guests. Afterward, most of the Estonian refugees settled in Toronto, where an émigré community was growing rapidly.

Known crew and passengers:

  • Captain Evald Past 
  • Toivo Neemre
  • Jaan Järv
  • Helmer Mäsak
  • Lembit Jänes