Kajama

Kajama is a three-masted former cargo schooner, that currently operates on Lake Ontario as a cruise ship.

Kajama in Toronto, 2007
History
Canada
Name	Wilfried (1930-1960) Kajama (1960-present)
Operator	Kapt. W. Wilckens, Hamburg (1930-1960) Kapt. A. K. Asmussen, Egernsund (1960-1999) Great Lakes Schooner Co., Toronto (1999-present)
Port of registry	Toronto
Builder	Nobiskrug, Rendsburg, Germany
Launched	26 July 1930
Identification	IMO number: 5389578 Call sign: VO7103 MMSI number: 316005305[1]
Status	in active service, as of 2022[ref]
General characteristics [2]
Type	Cargo schooner
Tonnage	263 GT 174 NT 447 DWT
Length	50 m (164 ft 1 in) o/a
Beam	7 m (23 ft 0 in)
Draft	2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
Depth	3.6 m (11 ft 10 in)
Propulsion	1 × 454 hp (339 kW) Caterpillar C18 diesel engine
Capacity	225 passengers

Ship history

Wilfried in the Kiel Canal

The ship was built at Nobiskrug shipyard in Rendsburg, Germany and launched on July 26, 1930,^[3] under the name Wilfried.^[4] Captain Wilhelm Wilckens was her owner and master and he operated from the homeport of Hamburg from 1930 until 1960.^[3] The Wilfried had 11 sister ships and belonged to the type "Ich verdiene" ("I earn"). In 1960 she was purchased^[3] by Captain Andreas Kohler Asmussen^[4] of Egersund, Denmark. Asmussen renamed the ship Kajama after his two sons and his wife Kaywe, Jan and Maria.^[3]

The ship continued to work under sail until the mid-1970s, at which time the Asmussens converted her to a strictly motor-driven vessel. In the spring of 1998 Captain Asmussen suffered a fatal cardiac arrest while at the helm. As he was the only crew on watch at the time the ship went up on a beach near Malmö, Sweden. Drydocking determined that little damage had been suffered.

Throughout the years from 1930 until 1998 Kajama traded general cargo. Her voyages went as far south as Bilbao in Northwest Spain, throughout western Europe, and Scandinavia, and above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway.^[3]

In January 1999 she was purchased by Great Lakes Schooner Company of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. After preparation for sea she steamed to England, Azores and on to Toronto. Kajama underwent a major overhaul and restoration to her original profile in just over ten months.^[3] She is now operating on Lake Ontario, based in Toronto Harbour. The boat is used for public daysails,^[5] educational programs and corporate events.

Gallery

• 
  Kajama on Lake Ontario in 2023
• 
  Kajama at Harbourfront, Toronto, 2008
• 
  Kajama at Harbourfront, Toronto in 2019