Timeline
1910 Built in the Netherlands as a steel sail logger under the name of ‘Energie VL 181′, for Zuid-Hollandsche Noordzeevisserij Hollandia, Vlaardingen, Netherlands.
1917 Sold to S. de Haan, Vlaardingen.
1926 Sold to Cornelis van Toor, Vlaardingen and renamed Johanna Jacoba VL 181.
1928 Last use as a fishing vessel and laid up.
10.10.1933 Sold by NV van Toor’s Visserij Mij., Vlaardingen to ?. Boom, Amsterdam and converted to motor logger, but laid up.
07.1936 Sold to Einer Nygaard, Århus, Denmark, and converted to a cargo vessel. She was renamed Helge, registered as having 99 GRT and with the callsign OYQG and Homeport Odense, Denmark.
1937 New engine installed, Alpha 2s2c 120hp.
1943 Sold to A/S Danema (E. Nygaard and S. A. V. Wendt), Risskov, homeport: Odense.
01.1956 Collided with norwegian Kong Trygve in dense fog just outside Langesund, reached the port of Langesund, but sank at the mooring, refloated and repaired, back in service, mainly carrying fertilizer from Herøya, Norway, to Danish ports.
1968 In Kolding, used as stonefisher Helge STF 1213.
01.1979 Sold to shipwright Michael S. Kiersgaard, Trønse, near Svendborg, renamed Bergliot Synnøve, and converted to a sailing vessel.
1981 Having been converted to a 2-masted schooner she was used for charter cruises in Danish waters and her new name Midsummer. The ownership company was Maritime Restoring of Sailing Vessels Co. (manager Michael S. Kiersgaard), Irish Town, Gibraltar, homeport Gibraltar, later doing charter cruises in the Med, using Venezia, Italy, as base port
1995 sold to the swiss trust Midsummer Shipping S.A., Lugano, Switzerland
2001 major refit completed, owners Schooner Midsummer Ltd. homeport Douglas, Isle of Man, callsign MVZR6, 91 GT
2002 in Veerhaven, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2008 Sailing charters off the East African coast and dry-docked.
2011. Dry-docked.
2014 Run aground off the coast of Zanzibar, refloated, towed to a dry dock in eastern Africa, repaired, but arrested due to unpaid shipyard bills and crew wages. Subsequently abandoned by her owners and ownership moved to the salvage company and the shipyard.
2016 Laid up in Mombassa, Kenya.
03.2022 After an advertising campaign by ClassicYachtInfo which created a great deal of interest Royal Marine Drew Korek took the challenge to save Midsummer and get her sailing again.
05.2022 Rig removed
Planning on sea trials in October, 2023.
A link to the Midsummer and what they have been up to(October, 2023).
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1otg16uwvIG69IvoJWBVdPL7q3KKa3mlz/view?usp=drive_link
