Having gotten my hands on the Tall-Ship news no 131 edition, dated 1/2025, there is a new article of Anny von Hamburg by Peer Schmidt-Walther. I have translated the German article below in English.
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Under sail through the Archipelagic Sea
Two enthusiasts and the indomitable charm of an old lady by Peer Schmidt-Walther
The romantic little town of Ekenäs in southern Finland has been her home since 2024. He's referring to the three-masted ship ANNY VON HAMBURG. Why, as a ship flying the Finnish flag, does she have a German name? A legitimate question. Only one person can answer it now: Juha Pokka. Not only is he the captain of the historic schooner, he also rediscovered her and, together with his friend and captain Jan Rautavaara, restored her in a shipyard on the island of Suomenlinna, off Helsinki. She's moored at the pier in the Finnish Archipelago Sea, awaiting guests who would like to experience the ANNY flair up close for a day or two.
We sit together over coffee in the elegant mess hall, the former cargo hold. A cozy maritime atmosphere surrounds: fine wood wherever you look, everything bathed in warm lamplight. Many photos, books, paintings, memorabilia. Juha, the radiant, daredevil type of a true Nordic sailor, is in his element when he talks about the ship. Before you grab the halyards and sheets to hoist the sails, you have to know what kind of planks you're sailing on. Truly moving!!
Between the Baltic Sea and the Caribbean
Her biography is indeed impressive. "Whoever saw her for the first time fell in love with her," Juha begins his talk, as the fellow sailors listen. "That's how it was over 110 years ago, and we still succumb to her beautiful spell today."
She was built in 1914 at the renowned C. Lühring shipyard in Hammelwarden on the Lower Weser. Seven more sister ships followed. The steel cargo ship's first major voyage went to St. Petersburg and ended there. When the First World War broke out, ANNY was summarily confiscated by Russia and subsequently served as a barge for the Tsar's naval cadets.
It wasn't until 1925 that she returned to Germany as a barge hulk. She was converted back into a cargo ship at Ernst Harms' Wilhelmsburg shipyard and renamed HANNA. After the war, the schooner changed hands several times and eventually became a motor ship. She received a reduced rigging and a 120 hp two-stroke engine from the Hanseatic Works in Bergedorf.
In 1936, shipowner Max Both acquired the motor schooner and renamed her KURT BOTH, keeping her home port in Hamburg. The KURT BOTH was used for tramping to Scandinavia.
In 1940, the three-masted ship was converted into a one-and-a-half-masted ship with a new, 150 hp four-stroke engine from Deutsche Werke AG in Kiel. During World War II, the sailing ship transported cement from Bremen to Heligoland, as the North Sea island was being converted into a fortress.
In 1950, the KURT BOTH was lengthened by eight meters at the Fritz Frank shipyard in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg. After the bowsprit was removed in 1952 by Hugo Peters in Wewelsfleth/ Stör, the schooner was finally converted into a motor vessel. After almost 32 years, the ship was struck from the Hamburg shipping register in 1957. She was sold for 230,000 DM to Oscar Abrahamsson & Sons in Sweden, for whom she sailed as RINGÖ.
In 1963, the Finn Paul Grönquist acquired it, who then operated it for another 16 years as a coastal ship for sand and gravel transport along the Finnish coast between Helsinki and Porvoo.
Pictures:
Left: ANNY VON HAMBURG under full sail in the Baltic Sea
Right: View from the bowsprit under sail
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In 1980, Jörn Deistler, Managing Director of Germania Schiffahrt, Hamburg, discovered the ship in the port of Karlskrona. The former gaff-rigged schooner was partially burned out and looked completely different. Based on old blueprints from the Lühring shipyard, a faithful restoration was carried out, and the schooner was given back its original name, Anny, with the addition of VON HAMBURG. But first, it was reflagged: to England (1985) and Antigua (1989). Afterward, the ship sailed as a cruiser through the Aegean and Mediterranean in the summer, and around the Canary Islands in the winter, and also traveled in the Caribbean. She was always present at Kiel Week and Hanse Sail as a Sail Training Ship (STS).
Just a rusty scrap metal
Finally, in 1997-98, she was completely overhauled in Wilhelmshaven and sailed for Thien & Heyenga until 2004 under the Portuguese flag, with Madeira as her base. Home port. From then on, the Hanse-Koggewerft e.V. association took over the helm. The ship then reappeared in the Hamburg ship register. After shipowner Hermann Buss transferred the ANNY to Leer (East Frisia) in 2007, she bobbed in Leer's leisure harbor for about eight years.
In September 2018, the 119-year-old three-masted schooner was acquired by entrepreneur Hans Georg Näder. He wanted to have her restored again and then operated by the shipping company project "Timbercoast," which he supported and which is committed to transporting cargo in a climate-friendly way using sailing ships. The cargo sailing ship AVONTUR is currently the shipping company's only ship. He now wanted to use the ANNY as a cargo sailing ship again. This required a very close examination of the ship's hull. However, an initial ultrasound examination of the hull revealed a very poor condition, with the exception of the rigging, which urgently needed an overhaul. The foremast was nothing but scrap, and everything beneath the teak deck was rusting away.
Two crazy rescuers
But rescue was at hand once again. By then, Anny had been moored in Hamburg-Finkenwerder for months. And once again, it was Finns who had fallen in love with the beautiful sailing ship: Jan Rautawaara and Juha Pokka. The purchase price is being kept secret: "First of all, all reserves are gone," is all we can learn.
After the daunting backstory, now two crazy people? Jan laughs: "Not at all, because we have a clear economic concept." The two seafaring friends have known each other for 30 years and until recently also owned the 54-year-old coastal motor vessel JEANNY, which was used for grain transport between Fehmarn, Rostock, and Hamburg and had previously been overhauled at a Harburg shipyard. Neither are unrealistic dreamers, but rather dreaming businessmen. They bring decades of sea experience, craftsmanship, and knowledge of old, small ships. "We did a lot of things ourselves," explains Jan, who, like his friend Juha, has previously captained all kinds of large and small vessels: whether freighters, sailing ships, or cruise ships. But he was also drawn back to the German North Sea coast for emotional reasons. His dream ship "ANNY" was constantly on his mind, as he had admired her since childhood in Finland. In 1997, he even captained her on charter trips with guests along the North Sea coast.
SEA CLOUD in miniature
The last hour of rescue had struck for the two ship lovers since the purchase. Their motto: "Sailing is not just a destination, but also a journey." In February 2023, they moved the sailing ship with great potential "under her own keel" to the local museum harbor in Wischhafen, "because it's cheaper than Hamburg." Some work was carried out there. Finally, Anny sailed on her own keel and under engine power to Helsinki in May 2023, where the masts were re-rigged in September. At the Suomenlinna shipyard, located on the fortress island off Helsinki, final works was carried out and the ship's class was restored. Afterward, the sails were hoisted.
Pictures:
Top, as kümo KURT BOTH, she was on the timbertrade
Bottom, Anny with the new masts
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Day charter trips with up to 30 guests through the archipelago waters will be undertaken from Helsinki, Ekenäs, Turku, and Mariehamn, but overnight stays are limited to ten," Jan reveals, revealing the first step into passenger cruising. Their ultimate goal is to create a miniature SEA CLOUD as an expedition sailing ship with a unique private yacht atmosphere and high-class service.
Further cruising areas for this somewhat different sailing ship will then include the German Baltic coast, Denmark, Norway, Svalbard, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean – emission-free, of course," as Jan Rautawaara emphasizes. "We want our guests to experience the timeless glamour of classic yachting."
Pictures:
Top, the new owners are happy
Bottom, mastless in Hamburg-Finkenwerder December 2022
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You can book trips on the ANNY VON HAMBURG through Jan's company, NESS - Nordic Expedition Sailing Society (www.ness.fi): Day charters, weekend trips, or even seven-day cruise sailing trips, depending on the customer's wishes. Each multi-day trip is individually planned and tailored to the customer's wishes.
Set sail!
"Let's go then..." Juha casually gives the command for the departure maneuver. The 38-meter-long, seven-meter-wide, and 2.40-meter-draft snow-white sailboat slowly pulls away from the pier in Ekenäs, Tammisaari in Finland. The five-meter-long jib boom swings heavily into the harbor bay. Juha has a lot of cranking to do at the open-air helm until Anny is on the planned course. The day guests are still sitting relaxed on the hatch, waiting for the decisive command: "Set sail!", while gray rocky outcrops, flocks, glide along seemingly dangerously close to the channel dotted with red and green spar buoys. Sometimes the northern wall of coniferous forest narrows the narrow path even more, so that you think you can touch the branches.
Behind a rocky passage, the bay opens up. The islands with their colorful holiday homes, called "mökkis", recede. Finally, the long-awaited command! Juha's crew demonstrates where to release and haul in which lines, until everyone pitches in. The heavy canvas from the jib, schooner, and main boom, to which the three gaff sails are lashed, slowly comes off. "The jib and topsails will come later," explains Juha, when we have more wind. Protected by the islands and forests, this will take a while.
Picture: View from the mainmast to the deck during the Kiel Canal crossing.
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A delicious aroma wafts onto the deck from the galley skylight... "After work, you should eat well," Juha suggests, hinting at maritime delights. In a large pot, traditional Nordic salmon soup simmers with plenty of fish, potatoes, cream, and dill. "Delicious!" everyone says, hungrily emptying their plates while the sailcloth rattles and flutters above their heads. Juha has long since turned off the 280-hp Deutz diesel engine. Now only the archipelago gurgles along the side of the ship. "We're making progress, not quickly, but," says fellow passenger Lena, "much more leisurely." She lies down on a coil of rope and gazes fascinated at the mast, sail, and cloud sky above her: "Blue and white like the Finnish national colors," she thinks. Meanwhile, ANNY VON HAMBURG has reached the Gulf of Finland. The fresh wind has increased, the schooner is listing slightly, it's heeling and gaining speed. "That's how I like it," says Juha happily, keeping his ship on course with a firm hand. Until the turning maneuver comes and the jib boom swings back towards Ekenäs.
The guest crew would love to stay longer because they've developed an appetite for sailing. "You're welcome to stay," laughs Juha, "but you'll have to wait a little longer until the next multi-day trip, which is already well booked."
Pictures:
Top, the maritime-themed lounge area below deck
Center, view into one of the uniquely designed cabins
Bottom, Gunilla in the galley
Note: The Finnish schooner ANNY VON HAMBURG will participate in the Hanse Sail 2025 in Rostock. Tours and two day trips per day from August 7th to 10th are planned and can be booked at the Hanse Sail office. (www.hansesail.com)
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