Askoy II refloated in Belgium 30 years after being wrecked on Northland beach

The repaired and refloated Askoy II was inaugurated on May 4 by Maddly Bamy - the partner of original owner, Belgian superstar singer and actor Jacques Brel.

Almost 30 years after it was swallowed up by Northland’s Ripiro Beach, and 14 years since it was hauled from its sandy grave, the Askoy II has been successfully repaired and refloated on the other side of the world.

About 150 ships have been wrecked on the 100km-long Ripiro Beach on the Kaipara’s west coast, but for the first time, a shipwreck is finally back in the water after being salvaged.

But as the men behind the salvage operation of the historic Belgian-built boat discovered, the restoration project would not be straightforward and would hit some more rough waters along the way.

The Askoy II was tossed onto the sand, about 2km south of Baylys Beach, on the night of July 7, 1994, as it battled a huge storm.

The solo yachtsman at the helm when the boat hit the beach, Lindsay Wright, credited the vessel’s solid, steel construction for saving his life when the Northern Advocate spoke to him on the beach that day.

Wright, and the Advocate, was on the beach again in December, 2007, when the vessel was hauled out of the sand - with more than three tonnes of sand needing to be removed to get her out - and sent back to Belgium for the restoration.

That was an emotional day for Wright, who had not stopped thinking about his ‘dream boat’ since that fateful night off Kaipara’s stormy west coast.

The wreck of the former luxury ketch Askoy II, when it ran aground at Baylys Beach on July 7, 1994. Photo / Tania Newman

He’s delighted he won’t be ‘the last owner who took her to her grave’ and that the Askoy II was to be fully restored.

The 18-metre ketch is an icon in Belgium, having been owned by superstar singer and actor Jacques Brel - the French-speaking equivalent of Elvis Presley at the height of his fame - and another well known Belgian, Hugo Van Kuyk.

And it’s thanks to the efforts of two Belgian brothers, Staf and Peter Wittevrongel, that the Askoy II finally emerged from the sand. Their work has been rewarded with the Askoy II being relaunched on May 4 after extensive repairs in Belgium.

The Askoy II was rescued from its sandy grave on Ripiro Beach in December, 2007. Photo / John Stone

Staf Wittevrongel, who made new sails for the ketch when Brel owned it, was on the beach in 2007 to see the efforts of the foundation he helped set up - Save The Askoy Foundation - come to fruition.

He said at the time the entire operation to recover the Askoy II and ship it to Belgium for restoration would likely cost more than US$1 million (NZ$1.64m), but it was money well spent on preserving an important part of Belgian maritime history.

‘’The idea came together three years ago when we came here to have a look at her. We went home and started the foundation and with the help of people like Noel Hilliam it’s now a reality,’’ he said at the time.

After an extensive restoration, 30 years after being wrecked on a Northland beach, the Askoy II is in Belgium ready for her next adventure.

Piet Wittevrongel said this week he was pleased that the historic boat was back in the water, but it had not been smooth sailing getting her to this point.

He said the Askoy II arrived in May 2008 in Antwerp, then went by the sea to Ostend.

‘‘She would be restored in a Maritime Site (but) they went bankrupt and the only thing they did was sandblasting the boat outside,’’ Wittevrongel said.

The Askoy II goes back into the water after an extensive restoration project in Belgium.

In 2010 she went on a truck back to a shipyard near Antwerp, (Nieuwe Scheldewerven Rupelmonde) where they spent four years on all the metallic work until in 2014 they also went bankrupt.

Then, in 2015 the ship was released and put on a barge and went by canal to Zeebrugge.

‘’We received from the harbour authorities from Zeebrugge a warehouse for free until now where the restoration was finished with volunteers and companies for free.’’

The Askoy II’s damaged hull - caused when she beached on Northland’s rugged west coast in 1997 - needed to be repaired before she could be refloated.

In 2023 the Askoy II came out of the warehouse and on April 9 this year she was launched in the water just in front of the warehouse. On April 18, her masts were put on and on May 3 she left the inner port to the Royal Sailing Yacht Club in Zeebrugge where she will stay.

Finally on May 4 she was inaugurated by Maddly Bamy who was the partner of original owner, Brel.

Mike Dinsdale is the editor of the Northland Age who also covers general news for the Advocate. He has worked in Northland for almost 34 years and loves the region.