The repaired and refloated Askoy II was inaugurated on May 4 by Maddly Bamy - the partner of original owner, Belgian superstar singer and actor Jacques Brel.
Almost 30 years after it was swallowed up by Northland’s Ripiro Beach, and 14 years since it was hauled from its sandy grave, the Askoy II has been successfully repaired and refloated on the other side of the world.
But as the men behind the salvage operation of the historic Belgian-built boat discovered, the restoration project would not be straightforward and would hit some more rough waters along the way.
The Askoy II was tossed onto the sand, about 2km south of Baylys Beach, on the night of July 7, 1994, as it battled a huge storm.
The solo yachtsman at the helm when the boat hit the beach, Lindsay Wright, credited the vessel’s solid, steel construction for saving his life when the Northern Advocate spoke to him on the beach that day.
And it’s thanks to the efforts of two Belgian brothers, Staf and Peter Wittevrongel, that the Askoy II finally emerged from the sand. Their work has been rewarded with the Askoy II being relaunched on May 4 after extensive repairs in Belgium.
Staf Wittevrongel, who made new sails for the ketch when Brel owned it, was on the beach in 2007 to see the efforts of the foundation he helped set up - Save The Askoy Foundation - come to fruition.
‘’The idea came together three years ago when we came here to have a look at her. We went home and started the foundation and with the help of people like Noel Hilliam it’s now a reality,’’ he said at the time.
Piet Wittevrongel said this week he was pleased that the historic boat was back in the water, but it had not been smooth sailing getting her to this point.
He said the Askoy II arrived in May 2008 in Antwerp, then went by the sea to Ostend.
‘‘She would be restored in a Maritime Site (but) they went bankrupt and the only thing they did was sandblasting the boat outside,’’ Wittevrongel said.
In 2010 she went on a truck back to a shipyard near Antwerp, (Nieuwe Scheldewerven Rupelmonde) where they spent four years on all the metallic work until in 2014 they also went bankrupt.
Then, in 2015 the ship was released and put on a barge and went by canal to Zeebrugge.
‘’We received from the harbour authorities from Zeebrugge a warehouse for free until now where the restoration was finished with volunteers and companies for free.’’
In 2023 the Askoy II came out of the warehouse and on April 9 this year she was launched in the water just in front of the warehouse. On April 18, her masts were put on and on May 3 she left the inner port to the Royal Sailing Yacht Club in Zeebrugge where she will stay.
Finally on May 4 she was inaugurated by Maddly Bamy who was the partner of original owner, Brel.
Mike Dinsdale is the editor of the Northland Age who also covers general news for the Advocate. He has worked in Northland for almost 34 years and loves the region.