Estonia’s largest surviving historic motor sailer faces collapse

Alar, Estonia’s largest surviving historic motor sailer, could collapse within three years if no action is taken, a digital survey has found. The nearly 90-year-old vessel is in poor condition at Sõru harbour on Hiiumaa, and the Hiiu municipality must find funding to preserve it, ERR reported.

“I understood today from the surveyor that we probably have up to three winters,” said Hiiumaa mayor Hergo Tasuja.

Surveyor Andres Uueni said laser beams passed through the vessel from several directions, and the inspection also indicated the presence of wood-boring pests. The hull is beginning to spread apart, he said, while the stern is in particularly poor condition. The survey also produced a small 3D model of Alar.

The vessel has been at Sõru harbour for more than 25 years, watching ferries travel between Hiiumaa and Saaremaa several times a day. Alar was built on Hiiumaa, near the coast at Õngu, and has symbolic value for local residents. After decades at sea, it returned to Saaremaa in 1998.

Kalev Kotkas, who initiated Alar’s return to Hiiumaa in 1998, said it was not too late to preserve the vessel as an important symbol of Estonian maritime history. He suggested finding a wealthy investor, improving its appearance and carrying out essential engineering work to keep the hull from spreading apart.

Sõru Museum director Eve Ellermäe said the Hiiumaa municipal council should decide whether to proceed because Alar is municipal property. Tasuja said the obstacle was not a lack of willingness, but choices about where to direct investment funds.

Alar was built between 1937 and 1939. Its shipbuilders came from Saaremaa, and the original hull was reportedly made from timber from the island.