Elvi

On September 17, 1946, the Elvi, skippered by Captain Voldemar Veskimeister, left Göteborg, Sweden, bound for Cape Town, South Africa. The passengers included 12 men and six women—12 Estonians, three Swedes, a Latvian, a Dane, and a Dutchman. A German named Peter Riedel, a former assistant to the military attaché at the German Embassy in Stockholm, joined under a false Swedish name. Reportedly, Riedel had escaped from prison while awaiting extradition to the Allies. 

Jüri Kaudla, an Estonian who later organized the voyage of the Dagmar to South Africa, bought the boat in early 1946, according to news reports. The Elvi weighed between 18 and 25 tons, was about 50 feet long (15.2 meters), 18 feet (5.5 meters) wide, and had a 50-HP engine. 

The Elvi stopped in Denmark, the Netherlands, Dover in England, Biarritz in France, and Coruña in Spain. A reporter visited the boat in Coruña and a crew member who spoke a little Spanish explained that the group was able to pay for their provisions because well-known artists on board gave concerts along the way, including at the Coruña casino. The Elvi planned to sail south along the coast, stopping at the ports of Vigo, Lisbon, Cadiz, Casablanca, and Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, on its way to Cape Town, South Africa. 

The Elvi was not allowed to dock in Lisbon, Portugal, but the crew was able to buy fresh water. Water supplies for the engine also forced the Elvi to stop at Safi in the French colony of Morocco. The boat was detained there for four days and the passengers were taken to a police station where everyone, except for the Swedes, was harshly interrogated. The Estonians were treated especially badly and four of the men, including the captain and Mr. Riedel, were taken to Casablanca. The rest of the refugees followed them by sea on the Elvi and were forced to live on board for six weeks until their food supplies ran out. Finally, they were given living and working permits, and allowed to leave with the boat.

Nine of the passengers decided to continue sailing to Las Palmas. After the Elvi departed, all the detainees, except Mr. Riedel, were released. He escaped to Venezuela and ended up settling in the United States. Some of the refugees returned to Sweden, but others continued to South America and South Africa. Three of the Estonians reached Cape Town on the Dagmar. By then, the Elvi was worn out and was sold as a wreck in 1947 to a pharmacist in Las Palmas. It sank after an explosion in the engine room caused a fire on the ship. 

Known crew and passengers: 

• Captain Voldemar Veskimeister
• Peter Nilssen
• Karlis Kruminš
• Helge Rosvaenge
• Peter Riedel