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May 14-21, 2012. My maternal grandfather, Jakob Suksdorf, was an Estonian seaman, captain of many ships that crossed sea and ocean. In September 1944, the Second World War was coming to an end. Nazi Germany retreated from Estonia, as they did across Europe; Soviet Russia advanced the tiny, northermost Baltic state, as they did throughout Europe. Jakob captained the vessel that ferried our mother's family, many friends and strangers, from Estonia to Sweden during the chaos. Five years later, in 1949, he was captain of a small boat that crossed the Atlantic, leaving Sweden bound for Canada. It was one of 10 similarly sized vessels to do so between 1948 and 1950. My grandparents, Jakob and Laine Suksdorf, like many Estonian refugees in Sweden, felt Soviet Russia was too close. There was an economic factor as well, but mainly they lived in fear of the occupier's reach. To commemorate these crossings, and my grandfather's centennial this year, 2012, I'll post 49 Notes on this site before his birthday in October. Sean Flinn |
