The Isle Of Farquhar emanates a certain power, even magic. You feel it when you go on board. This ship has many stories. It may sound crazy, but you really feel it,” says Philippe Boullé ( lawyer).
Isle of Farquhar in Victoria Harbour with Trois Frères mountain in the background
The Schooner Isle of Farquhar was named after the Farquhar Atoll, one the outlying island groups of the Seychelles Archipelego which was in turn named in honor of Robert Townsend Farquhar in 1824. The Isle of Farquhar was one of the four schooners that were used as cargo ship in the 1970’s by the Seychelles. The other three were the “Argo” what was rebuilt in 1982 by a parastatal company; The “Mylene”, which fell to pieces on the mud just North of Victoria, and the “Arne” which was eventually used as a target and sunk by the local defense force.
The Isle of Farquhar has had some incredible history in the waters of Seychelles and is famous for having weathered 14 cyclones. Unfortunately, its working life came to an end in 1974 when it was moored at Les Mamelles, on Mahé Island, and left to rust away slowly.
The Isle of Farquhar moored at Les Mamelles, Mahé Island
I have tried to compile as much information about the vessel as possible and apologise for any inconsistencies, if any.
The Isle of Farquhar has had many name changes. Its original name was “De Zeemeeuw” (Seagull). It was built for Pieter Jonker, Hoogezand (Netherlands). Below are some technical details relating to the vessel:
Construction Dates
| Shipbuilder: | Firm EJ Smit & Zoon , Hoogezand, Groningen, Netherlands |
| Launch Date: | 1909-03-24 |
| Delivery Date: | 1909-06-15 |
Identification Data
| Construction year: | 1909 |
| Classification Register: | Germanischer Lloyd (GL) |
| IMO number: | 5164992 |
| Wet. Official Number: | 7229 GRON 1909 |
| Category: | Cargo vessel |
| Propulsion: | Sailing Vessel |
| Type: | Schooner |
| Masts: | Three masts |
| Material Hull: | Steel |
Technical Data
| Gross Tonnage: | 181.00 Gross tonnage |
| Net Tonnage: | 148.15 Net tonnage |
| Deadweight: | 250.00 tonnes deadweight (1000 kg) |
| Length 1: | 35.78 Meters Length overall (Loa) |
| Length 2: | 32.28 Meters Length between perpendiculars (Lbp) |
| Beam: | 7.07 Meters Breadth, moulded |
| Depth: | 3.29 Meters Depth, moulded |
| Draught: | 2.88 Meters Draft, maximum |
Engine Changes
The vessel was initially propelled by sails only. It was only after it was shipwrecked and rebuilt in 1916, that an engine was installed. It was a 2 cyl. Björneborg diesel:70 hp. The vessell was remotorised 1929 with a 2cyl. 85 Hp Avancemotor, Stockholm Type (x) which was replaced in 1939 by a 2 cyl. Avance diesel:100 hp. In 1946 it received another new engine which was 5 cyl. Fairbanks diesel:240 hp.
When the Le Revenant, another local schooner, was broken up in 1962 after over thirty years’ service in the Seychelles, her 160hp Blackstone diesel engine was transferred to the Isle of Farquhar to replace the Fairbanks Morse diesel installed by earlier owners. Curiously the result was a reduction rather than an increase in speed.
Summary of the ships History and Ownership
| Date/Name Ship | 1909-05-21 De Zeemeeuw |
| Manager: | Pieter Jonker, Hoogezand, Groningen, Netherlands |
| Owner: | Pieter Jonker, Hoogezand, Groningen, Netherlands |
| Homeport / Flag: | Hoogezand / Netherlands |
| Callsign: | QDCK |
De Zeemeeuw still being built
| Date/Name Ship | 1916-00-00 De Zeemeeuw |
| Manager: | NV Maatschappij Vrachtvaart , Middelburg, Zeeland, Netherlands |
| Owner: | NV Maatschappij Vrachtvaart , Middelburg, Zeeland, Netherlands |
| Flag: | Middelburg / Netherlands |
| Callsign: | QDCK |
Kyllikki
| Date/Name Ship | 1917-00-00 KYLLIKKI |
| Manager: | John Nurminen, Rauma, Finland |
| Owner: | John Nurminen & Karl Lindén, Rauma, Finland |
| Homeport / Flag: | Rauma / Finland |
| Callsign: | VDSF |
KYLLIKKI, Rauma Finland
| Date/Name Ship | 1919-11-22 LINNEA |
| Manager: | Nils Påhlsson, Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Owner: | Nils Påhlsson, Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Homeport / Flag: | Sweden |
| Callsign: | KCNB |
| Additional information: | Transferred to Råå in 04-2020. |
| Date/Name Ship | 1929-07-12 LINNEA |
| Manager: | Wiktor Efraim Jönsson et al ., Stockholm, Sweden |
| Owner: | Rederiaktiebolaget Hven , Stockholm, Sweden |
| Homeport / Flag: | Stockholm/Sweden |
| Callsign: | KCNB |
| Date/Name Ship | 1931 LINNEA |
| Manager: | Rederi A/B Ven, Helsingborg, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Owner: | Rederi A/B Ven, Helsingborg, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Homeport / Flag: | Stockholm/Sweden |
| Date/Name Ship | 1937-03-11 THELMA |
| Manager: | P/R Emil Pettersson, Skärhamn, Sweden |
| Owner: | P/R Emil Pettersson, Skärhamn, Sweden |
| Homeport / Flag: | Skarhamn / Sweden |
| Callsign: | SHEM |
| Additional information: | Capt. OP Johansson |
Thelma ( square rigging removed)
| Date/Name Ship | 1938-09-20 THELMA |
| Manager: | Raphael Fishing Co., Port Louis, Mauritius |
| Owner: | Raphael Fishing Co., Port Louis, Mauritius |
| Homeport / Flag: | Port Louis / Mauritius |
| Callsign: | VRWP |
| Date/Name Ship | 1942-00-00 LA PERLE |
| Manager: | Raphael Fishing Co., Port Louis, Mauritius |
| Owner: | Raphael Fishing Co., Port Louis, Mauritius |
| Shareholder: | |
| Homeport / Flag: | Port Louis / Mauritius |
| Callsign: | VRWP |
| Date/Name Ship | 1962-00-00 ISLE OF FARQUHAR |
| Manager: | Michel P. Moulinié, Victoria, Seychelles |
| Owner: | Michel P. Moulinié, Victoria, Seychelles |
| Homeport / Flag: | Victoria / Seychelles |
| Callsign: | ZCQG |
La Perle 1
After changing hands, and name, between Swedish and Finnish owners, Thelma made its way to the Indian Ocean, where in 1939, it was bought by The Raphaël Fishing Company Ltd, a Mauritian fishing company incorporated on 7 July 1927 in Port Louis, Mauritius. It is the second oldest commercial company in Mauritius, after Mauritius Commercial Bank (1828).
La Perle 1
In 1942, Thelma was renamed as ‘La Perle 1’ after one of the islands of Saint-Brandon: “La Perle” which is one of the westernmost islets of the archipelago. It operated as a fishing vessel on the banks of St. Brandon.
Below is an extract from“ Couacaud, 1967” …
“The Banks fishery appears to have started in the eighteenth century. The vessels engaged in the inter-island trade in the early period of this fishery caught fish mainly for self consumption and salting. Salted fish was exported to Mauritius on a commercial basis from St. Brandon as from 1927 by the Raphael Fishing Co., named after one of the many small islands of the St. Brandon group. The first vessel to have been used for the exploitation of fish stocks on the banks was « La Perle 1 » (ex « Thelma »). She was operated during the war (in 1939) around the St Brandon group of islands.”
In 1950 La Perle 1 was fitted with refrigeration equipment and was used as a mother-ship for fishing Thumbprint Emperor (Batardé) ‘Lethrinus harak’ sold frozen as ‘Poisson La Perle“, and dories in Mauritian waters. The frozen fish was stored and transferred at -5°C to Mauritius. The Thumbprint Emperor that she brought to Mauritius was locally called ‘La Perle fish’. Was the “La Perle fish” so called because of La Perle, the boat? This puzzle has still not been resolved!
The Seychelles Link
In 1962 La Perle 1 was sold to the Moulinié family, who for ten years before Seychelles independence in 1976, managed the far southern island of Farquhar which, with Desroches and Aldabra, had been hived off from Seychelles in 1965 to form (with the Chagos Archipelego, alienated from Mauritius) The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)
La Perle 1 was renamed Isle of Farquhar, and like the Revenant and Diolinda before her, was bigger than the others and on the foreign-going, as distinct from ‘coastal’, register. She therefore plied further afield: besides transporting supplies and produce from Farquhar, the Chagos, which the Moulinies also managed for BIOT until 1972, and the Mauritian island of Agalega, which they leased, she was used to carry guano to Mauritius from the deposit on the southern islet of St Pierre, which they owned.
The Diego Garcia Evacuation Link
Apart from maintaining a three-weekly service between the islands of the Seychelles and Diego Garcia, Chagos Islands and Mauritius, the Isle of Farquhar played an important role in the history of Diego Garcia. On October 15, 1971, it carried the last of the Plantation workers off the island of Diego Garcia and into exile.
What is the BIOT?
In 1965, the United Kingdom split the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius and the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches from the Seychelles to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). The purpose was to allow the construction of military facilities for the mutual benefit of the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
On 23 June 1976, Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches were returned to the Seychelles which became independent as a republic on 29 June 1976; the islands now form part of the Outer Islands district of the Seychelles.
To establish the military base all chagossians had to be forcibly removed and the forced removal of Chagossians from the Chagos Archipelago occurred between 1968 and 1973. The Chagossians, then numbering about 2,000 people, were expelled by the UK government to Mauritius and Seychelles, even from the outlying islands far away from the military base on Diego Garcia which is the largest and most southerly island.
During the islanders’ forced resettlement, it is estimated that around 1,500 of the Chagossians ended up in Mauritius and 500 in Seychelles.
The end
The Isle of Farquhar was hulked around 1974, when the Moulinié sold the lease on Agalega and gave up, on the island’s reversion to Seychelles with Desroches and Aldabra, the management of Farquhar. It was kept floating in Victoria harbour awaiting for the next phase in its life.
Isle of Farquhar hulked in Victoria harbour
The Philippe Boullé Connection- The Restoration Attempt
The Isle of Farquhar was later moved next to the Basketball court at Les Mamelles and was earmarked to be demolished in 2004. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MENR) felt that it was an eyesore and unsafe for people and children who travel through and play in the area. It was then purchased by Mr. Phillipe Boullé to prevent it from being demolished because he has a personal historical connection with the schooner. He has sailed in the schooner many times and even survived a cyclone while on a trip. It was intended to transform the “wreck” into a national monument.
Extract from SNA
Below is and extract from the Seychelles News Agency (SNA)
“ The request to take on the restoration work was sent to the MENR on October 8, prompted by news coverage of the proposed dismantling.
From the environment authorities the proposal was forwarded to the Seychelles Investment Bureau (SIB) which requested a detailed project memorandum before giving the project the green light on February 16.
The project memorandum submitted by Mr Boulle states that, “after the vessel has been fully restored it is intended to open the vessel to the public for a fee and, subject to approval from the relevant authorities….to serve refreshments and light meals on deck.”
Split into three phases, the restoration project is slated to take between three to four years to complete, with the first two stages, finished in the first year and the more extensive third stage due to last two to three years.
Phase one of the project will see work undertaken to make the wreck safe, most notably through straightening the slumping middle mast and securing the other two. Following this an aesthetics overhaul will be carried out in phase two, with the vessel sand blasted and repainted and the holes in the hull patched up.
After this the lengthier third phase will begin with restoration work conducted throughout the vessel on everything from the rigging to the hull ribs.
Mr Boulle said that he has spoken to a number of people who sailed on the Isle of Farquhar and that there is a lot of interest amongst them and other local and foreign mariners in the project.
And while he initiated the project, Mr. Boulle said that a number of other people are also involved, such as SBC’s Pat Mathiot, charged with international research.
Residents of Les Mamelles welcomed news of the vessel’s restoration.
Reminiscing about playing on the boat as a child, one man said that it should stay where it is after the renovation work is completed.
“It’s our monument, it represents us,” he said.”
The Restaurant Development
Restaurant Plan courtesy Chris Aendenboom
The wreck was then sold to the Aendenboon family to be turned into a restaurant with a capacity for 32 people. The approval to operate the restaurant was granted in 1978. The restaurant operated for a short time and changes in the business environment in the Seychelles at that time forced the owner to abandon the project and return overseas.
A small Restaurant Advertisement
Since then, the Isle of Farquhar fell in a state of disrepair and sadly was left to rust away.
Was the Isle of Farquhar a true schooner?
Was the Isle of Farquhar built as a true schooner? Probably not. It is believed that it was built as a schooner bark and converted to a true schooner a few years later. Technically a barquentine or schooner barque (alternatively “barkentine” or “schooner bark”) is a sailing vessel with three or more masts with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts. A schooner has fore-and-aft rigs on all masts.
Ship Major Events
During my research to produce this post, I came across a few events relating to the vessel that I have decided to transcribe below for interest’s sake:
Ownership Declaration.
1909-05-21:
“I, the undersigned Pieter Jonker, skipper domiciled in Hoogezand, declare that the steel schooner ship called “Zeemeeuw”, having a deck and three masts, a net size of 148.15 tons of 2.83 cubic meters and being sailed by the undersigned skipper, belongs to me, that I am Dutch, who lives here in this country and that the said ship, which was built at the Welgelegen shipyard in Westerbroek, municipality of Hoogezand, is not equipped for war, nor will it be equipped for war through my actions or toleration, contrary to the neutrality of the State, and that the management of everything required for the maintenance of the ship, the equipment and the victualization or chartering of it is carried out in Hoogezand.”
P. Jonker. Hoogezand, May 21, 1909
The shipwreck 13.10. 1916
“Capt. ED Muinck,( Amsterdam) September 25, sailed from Rotterdam to Gevle (full load of coal). October 10, they arrived in the Stockholm Scheren without any special incidents. At Simpnass Klubben they anchored at 6.30 am on the 11th and they left again, with the intention of catching up Swartklubben. The wind was moving to the NE, so they decided to go outside. In the afternoon the wind picked up with high seas, making it impossible to turn around and they adjourned to the Finnish coast.
On the morning of the 12th, the tower of Enskär was sighted. More sail was set, but because it was not possible to continue sailing, it was decided to look for a top behind the island of Enskär. At 12:00 the tower was rounded and a pilot came aboard at 1 p.m. anchored in 12 fathoms of water behind the BB anchor with 45 fathom chain half a mile from the tower in bearing W-North. The sea was calm and according to the pilot there was good anchorage. The pilot remained on board, they could not understand him, he spoke a foreign language. In the evening the weather cleared with a NW wind and the entire crew went to bed, no watch was kept.
At 1:00 a.m. they were awakened by a wind noise, the ship was drifting, while the wind had increased from the SSW with heavy rain and high swells. The helmsman dropped the starboard anchor, but the Zeemeeuw drifted off a rocky island, bumped heavily and remained stuck with starboard to shore about WSW ahead.
The ship continued to bump and suffered a leak. They pumped and kept up with the water. The wind was moving to the NW, causing the bow to lose weight slightly. At 5 a.m. the ship was refloated and drifted off the rocks with her anchors scratching until at 100 fathoms the anchors held. The ship was in a dangerous position and a call was made for help. The rudder turned out to be completely disabled. With the help of a tugboat and people to help pump, the ship was towed to Raumö, where they arrived on October 14. After investigation, the “Zeemeeuw” was banned on the advice of experts who came from the Netherlands.
It was shipped to Rauma where the wreck was abandoned. It was sold to Björneborgs Mek. Verkstad AB in Pori, who rebuilt it and fitted it with an engine. Then sold to John Nurminen and Karl Lindén in Rauma and renamed “Kyllikki”.”
Mr Phillip Boullé- comments extracted from SNA…
“Boullé told SNA that “it is the only ship that has sailed the Indian Ocean which has its name pegged in the international registry of historic ships. It also has a picture of it in the Swedish maritime museum.”
“I made my last voyage on the ship, and it was caught up in a vehement cyclone for two days,” Boullé said. He added that “I remember the fateful day, the giant waves were rolling unstoppably, the captain had to abandon ship, and all passengers were readying themselves to jump overboard. It was a miracle that the boat did not sink along with its passengers.”
Curious as to why the Isle of Farquhar did not sink, Boullé did some research.
“Usually when there is a cyclone, it is the broken masts that sink the boat, but this one stayed solid because the boat was entirely made of steel. Then again, if you look at the ship, it has incredible features, set for the roughest seas. The ship was built in the Netherlands, which was at that time dominating the marine sector,” he said.
Untold Mutiny
Mr. Julien Durup relates, in his article of the Wanetta, an incident involving Captain Delafontaine who masterminded an untold ‘mutiny on the Isle of Farquhar’ against Captain Edward Hoareau alias tig (tiger). Captain Delafontaine who was then First Mate, took command in a cyclone and safely sailed the Isle of Farquhar to Mauritius. The mutiny was instigated by the crew and passengers as they locked tig in his cabin after his many failed attempts to enter the harbour of Port Louis. Among the initiators was Philippe Boullé, and another interesting passenger was Pastor Caleb Bru a Mauritian who was constantly reading his Bible and did not take part in the mutiny.
The last few voyages of Isle of Farquhar remind us of the famous saying of Desiderius Erasmus “In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king” because tig was nearly blind and Delafontaine had Parkinson’s disease. En route tig would hold the sextant and Delafontaine looked through it.
Post Editor’s Dream Project
I am attempting to make my own model of the Isle of Farquhar, photo below, so that, when the time comes, I can take to the ocean and let the wind take me back to the Islands that I miss so much!
My model of the Isle of Farquhar- work in progress
Sources
P. A.B. Thomson (1998) SEYCHELLES SCHOONERS: A RETROSPECT, The Mariner’s Mirror, 84:3, 316-321
History of Seychelles Facebook
Seychelles Nation
Seychelles News Agency
Stichting Maritiem-Historische Database
Aendenboom Family
Julien Durup
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