A Sailors Life, more than a century!
Sail Logger Oban was built in 1905 in Emden for fishing herring and was named Marie. In those days many loggers were built in Emden. Nowadays there are only three of them left. When she was built the Marie had no engine. Her fishing AE number was 95 and she mainly sailed long voyages to the Dogger Bank.
From 1929 she sailed with cargo on the Baltic Sea from Marstal to Aerø in Denmark. She was now equipped with an engine (two-stroke Hanseat). Her name was changed to Ruth and it was extended two meters in 1935.
What whiskey has to do with the Oban…
In 1970 the ship was named Sea Explorer. Meanwhile, she had a diesel engine with 250 hp. In 1984 she was sold to the Dutch and was named Elektra. This changed her into a charter with practical fisherman gear. At first she sailed primarily in the North Sea and around the Channel Islands. In 2000, after the birth of their second child, the current skippers Olaf Broekstra and Jolan Kanters needed a bigger and fast ship. They bought the Elektra in 2000 and gave her the name Oban. The names of their children Bo and Nanouk, a pirate nest in Scotland and a good bottle of genuine Single Malt Whisky inspired them to do so. And like a bottle of fine whiskey, sailing on the Oban makes you feel good … and you’ll want to experience it more often…
