''Kajama'' is a three-masted former cargo schooner, that currently operates on

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border ...

as a cruise ship.

Ship history

The ship was built at Nobiskrug shipyard in

Rendsburg Rendsburg ( da, Rendsborg, also ''Rensborg'', nds, Rendsborg, also ''Rensborg'') is a town on the River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) of Rendsburg-Ecke ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and launched on July 26, 1930, under the name ''Wilfried''. Captain Wilhelm Wilckens was her owner and master and he operated from the homeport of

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

from 1930 until 1960. The ''Wilfried'' had 11 sister ships and belonged to the type "Ich verdiene" ("I earn"). In 1960 she was purchased by Captain Andreas Kohler Asmussen of Egersund, Denmark. Asmussen renamed the ship ''Kajama'' after his two sons and his wife Kaywe, Jan and Maria. The ship continued to work under sail until the mid-1970s, at which time the Asmussens converted her to a strictly motor-driven vessel. In the spring of 1998 Captain Asmussen suffered a fatal cardiac arrest while at the helm. As he was the only crew on watch at the time the ship went up on a beach near

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal pop ...

, Sweden. Drydocking determined that little damage had been suffered. Throughout the years from 1930 until 1998 ''Kajama'' traded general cargo. Her voyages went as far south as

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in Northwest Spain, throughout western

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, and

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

, and above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway. In January 1999 she was purchased by Great Lakes Schooner Company of

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada. After preparation for sea she steamed to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Azores and on to Toronto. ''Kajama'' underwent a major overhaul and restoration to her original profile in just over ten months. She is now operating on Lake Ontario, based in

Toronto Harbour Toronto Harbour or Toronto Bay is a bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a natural harbour, protected from Lake Ontario waves by the Toronto Islands. Today, the harbour is used primarily for recreational b ...

. The boat is used for public daysails, educational programs and corporate events.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kajama 1930 ships Schooners Ships built in Rendsburg Merchant ships of Germany Great Lakes ships Sailing ships of Canada