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Old 12-09-2008, 14:31   #1
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Canadian Yacht Made from Concrete - Formerly the 'Concretia'

The Concretia was built for the Canadian Dept of Marine (now Coast Guard) as a lighthouse supply vessel, sold in 1935, and lay as a hulk in
Kingston harbour until sold again in 1979, refloated and converted to a
sailing yacht now believed to be in the Caribbean.

Does anyone know of this yacht today?

Thank you.
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Old 12-09-2008, 14:37   #2
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Concretia

Type: Lighthouse supply and buoy vessel, ferro-concrete, screw
Built: 1918 Montreal Shipbuilders
Length: 126 Beam: 22 Draft: 10
Tonnage: 320
Machinery: Steam compound
Horsepower: 24 NHP
Disposal: Sold 1935, Sunk to form wharf at Kingston
Remarks: Experimental wartime construction



That's all I was ever able to find on the Concretia. Most from Tom Appletons book Usque-Ad-Mare which I put online about 10 years ago....

Canadian Coast Guard - USQUE AD MARE

From the ship registry at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston....

Concretia (1179) 126x22x10 Owned by Dominion Government. Buoy tender, hull made of concrete as wartime experiment. Rebuilt barge 1935. Abandoned 1952 Kingston; hull reconditioned 1980 and converted to barquentine "Onaygorah".

NewspaperARCHIVE.com - Search old newspaper articles online


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Old 18-09-2008, 12:52   #3
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Onaygorah barquentine type research vesse

The Onaygorah left from Kingston, Ontario, Canada, in 1982 with an eleven member crew to conduct marine research in the South Pacific, particularly around the Fiji Islands area, commencing in 1986.

Does anyone please know what ever happened to this vessel?

Thank you.
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Old 18-09-2008, 12:57   #4
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Barquentine type research vessel

Can you please send me the complete text of the newspaper article on the Anaygorah you so kindly found in the Oswego paper?

Thank you.
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Old 18-09-2008, 13:52   #5
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http://fultonhistory.com/Process%20s...20-%200586.pdf
This is the start of the voyage. Still researching the rest.
Concretia and Onaygorah are the same vessel.
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Old 25-09-2008, 08:04   #6
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Crew and ship Lost?

I heard a rumour the Anaygorah went down with her 11 person crew in the South Pacific during a storm? Do you know if that is true?

Do you know who bought the vessel and refitted it in Kingston, Ontario, for the marine biology research expedition to the Fiji Islands?

Thank you.
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Old 25-09-2008, 08:45   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by morans View Post
Can you please send me the complete text of the newspaper article on the Anaygorah you so kindly found in the Oswego paper?

Thank you.
I think you have to pay for it via a subscription.
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Old 17-01-2009, 14:18   #8
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I crewed on Onaygorah/Concretia

I'll upload a picture ASAP but I crewed on the Onaygorah during her last summer of sea trials while she was in Kingston... I was a member at CFB Kingston and one of my instructors was MCPL Paul Coughlin who I believe had money invested in the refitting of Onaygorah. The Capatian's/Owners name was Paco and I have a picture of him somewhere too that I should be able to get my hands on. Anyone with info or wants to talk contact me at harpermurphy@yahoo.com name is Jeff Irving if thats rings a bell!!!!!!
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Old 17-01-2009, 19:28   #9
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Pictures of Onaygorah

Here are the two pictures I have of her.... one is during sea trials and a sail deployment the other is at berth with Captain Paco with the cigarette in his mouth.... anyone with infor please email me at harpermurphy@yahoo.com Jeff Irving
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Old 29-08-2009, 19:14   #10
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Concretia

I am writing a book about the Concretia. May I use your photo (the one without Paco) in my book please.

Thank you.
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Old 27-01-2010, 08:39   #11
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sorry morans for taking so long of course you can and if ya want email me direct i might have some more --- havent checked in for a while
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Old 27-01-2010, 08:55   #12
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This boat (ship) was docked as a floating bar in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic with Paco as the bar tender in the mid-1980's. Boats would come into Puerto Plata and med moor to the concrete pier. After they cleared in Paco would grab his log book, and start a tab for the boat. At that time he told everyone that the ship was built as a Canadian icebreaker. There was lot of rum and beer consumed on that boat.

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Old 16-11-2014, 06:33   #13
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Re: Canadian Yacht Made from Concrete - Formerly the 'Concretia'

I see this forum is now back online so I can now post what I have learned. My apologies for some of you that might be seing this information again, as I have posted on some other forums or emailed you directly.

I can also provide further corroboration to the details as I have found one of the former owners (Liz) and met with her to reminisce about the "old days".

Onagarah did in fact make port in Puerto Plata Dominican Republic (“DR”). Exactly when I don’t know. It is safe to assume late in 1982 or 1983. I base this on the fact that Onaygorah left Kingston in 1981, had to break down her rigging for the trip down the Erie Barge Canal. I am guessing refit would have taken a few months.

I did find a picture of Onaygorah on the web showing her under sale and the picture was labeled “Onaygorah under sale in the Atlantic Ocean off Domician Republic” This picture was taken by a Canadian photographer name Dale Sanders out of British Columbia.

In 1985 Onagorah was sold to a French corporation. I confirmed this with Transport Canada. Onagaroh was to be moved from Puerto Plata to Martinique where it was to be used as a floating restaurant.

Enter Captain Joe. Captain Joe was the captain of the vessel that was hired to tow Onaygorah from DR to Martinique.

I spoke via skype with Captain Joe. Captain Joe was towing Onaygorah and using much more fuel than they had budgeted for. They unhooked from Onaygorah to head out to refuel in St. Croix. Onaygorah was left under her own power until Captain Joe returned. Onaygorah broke an oil line in the engine room. A short time later, there was a large explosion and fire.

Captain Joe hooked back up to Onaygorah to continue the tow. Weather picked up and Onaygorah was hit with a tropical wave where she lost her top mast. A second top mast let go and the two pieces crashed through the cabin. Rough waters and taking on water through the holes in the cabin the Captain Joe and his crew fought all day to keep Onaygorah afloat. In the overnight/early morning hours Onaygorah had taken on enough water that she started to sink. At this point Joe remembers Onaygorah sinking quickly. They raced to unhook her so that she would not drag Joe’s ship down with her. Onagorah is presently resting on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean somewhere off the island of Montserrat. Despite information I have read about Onaygorah sinking and taking all hands with her, there was no loss of life in connection with Onaygorah’s sinking.

Rereading many of the posts on various forums about Onaygorah many of the stories contained some truths interwined with misinformation. For instance, I had heard Onaygorah made port in Port au Prince, Haiti. Puerto Plata DR is where she spent the bulk of her time...but in my reunion with Liz, they were in Haiti for a short time. Sadly, the rumours of her sinking are no longer rumours. She did go down about September 1985.

There was a story about Onaygorah being on the cover of a travel magazine in 1988. This is also true. Liz saw the magazine, which she remembers as being the Air Canada in flight magazine "Enroute". It was weird seeing the ship in the magazine knowing it had sank. I am trying to find a copy of this issue at Archives Canada. The last email I received from them, they may have it but I still have a little searching to do to find it.

Was Onaygorah used as a floating bar? Yup. Lots of booze was consumed, tabs were run. Another truthful story...I read somewhere that this happened in Mexico...Not true.

Lastly, for anyone interested, you can also read a little story about Onaygorah and her time in DR. There is a chapter titled "Paco and the Colonel" in a book called Margarita Cat by Bruce Van Sant.
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Old 21-12-2014, 01:23   #14
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Just as a side note on Canadian concrete boats.....

Someone in St. Thomas Ontario Canada built a 40 "ish" foot sailboat from concrete in the 1990's..I seen it
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Old 17-01-2024, 20:44   #15
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Re: Canadian Yacht Made from Concrete - Formerly the 'Concretia'

Here is a photo, from one of the original crew members
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