Vessel’s long and thrilling history told

THE long and varied life of a Scandinavian vessel that now calls Tasmania home will be the subject of the next lunchtime talk arranged by the Maritime Museum of Tasmania.

Yukon is a pole masted, gaff rigged ketch measuring 17 metres on the deck, with a beam of 4.7 metres. Originally named Elly, it was built in 1930 at Hjorne and Jacobsen’s shipyard in Fredrikshavn, north of Jutland, Denmark.

Oak on oak, ketch rigged with a 67 hp auxiliary Tuxham motor, it is a member of the first generation of Danish fishing trawlers that were built with an engine.

Yukon fished commercially up to 1974, apart from being commandeered by the German navy during World War II. In 1951, it got its current name as a result of a fishing family that struck it lucky in the goldfields of Alaska on the banks of the Yukon River.

From 1974 to 1997, Yukon sailed as a pleasure boat and became well known in various regattas around Denmark be- fore being discovered and recovered by David Nash and Ea Lassen, sunk in a harbour near Copenhagen.

From 1997 to 2004, the vessel underwent a major restoration, with a new engine, electrics and systems. After sailing charters in Scandinavia for five years, Yukon came to Australia in 2010.

Today it is based at Franklin and its crew offer a range of sailing cruises around Tasmania. The talk on August 7 will look at Yukon’s history, the massive restoration effort and its new life in Tasmania.

The talk in the Royal Society Room at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in Davey St will start at 12 noon.