lauch of the Dursmirg

Travels of Dursmirg Vol. 1
Chapter 3

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                     Dursmirg painted and almost ready for launching.
It was springtime in Superior, Wisconsin 1972 and the inland lakes and streams had lost their winters ice. There was
still an icy bite in the air but Lake Superior, the lake we planned to exit by was frozen over out as far as the eye
could see. Our friends Don and Betty Currie had us out for a brief Sunday afternoon cruise aboard their boat the
Ione.
Oh, by the way!
Here is a brief description of the IONE The 41-foot Ione was built for and used in the Lake Superior fishing industry.
This gill net boat was about eight feet on the beam and had less than four feet of draft, powered by a 6-71 Detroit
Diesel engine that gave it the power of a tug boat. Don and Betty Currie bought and converted it into a live aboard
cruising home. Don used to brag that in all of the remodeling and make over that not a single screw was used. He
exclaimed that there was a nail made for every use.
Well insulated and comfortable they lived aboard several winters in Duluth, Minnesota. They used a system to
circulate the water beneath their boat so that their boat could be left in the water year round. The Duluth winters are
brutally cold and the water turns to ice at those latitudes.
I remember Jane and I having dinner aboard one winter evening and we were really warm and cozy. During dinner
there was a loud crashing sound and the boat lurched. Don exclaimed that the river level had fallen and that the
boat was just settling as one side of the boat broke lose from the ice. Don merely went to the high side of the boat
and jumped up and down, with that there was another loud crashing sound and we settled on to an even keel.
Evidentially this was a common occurrence
In the years to come Jane and I would encounter Don, Betty and the IONE many times in our far-flung and
adventuresome travels.

Back to the afternoon cruise
We traveled down the Saint Louis River from their mooring spot at Drill’s Marina to the harbor entrance in downtown
Duluth. Don wanted to show us the six foot-thick ice that still sealed off all shipping so we proceeded through the
famous “Aerial Lift Bridge” and beheld a spectacular sight of freighters far out on the horizon locked in the
unyielding ice.
The date was June eleventh 1972 and to top it all off this was not a record year for Lake Superior to hang on to its
frozen grip of the northland.

That summer, Jane and I had a hectic schedule that included the sale of my business, which our dear friend Dave
Balthazor lined up for us. The person he found was one of my competitors from Minneapolis who was bankrupt two
years later when the Arab oil embargo had its biggest impact. My other competitor from Duluth was also interested in
the business but we couldn’t come to terms…he took his life when the big business downturn hit. Yes, we were very
happy to be out of this. We felt the first effects of this business reversal the last two months we were in business.
Several large orders I had pre-sold were never delivered from the manufacturer and this cost us thousands of
dollars. June 15th was my last day in business and that was the end of “Grimsrud Sales Company”. I had some old
business stationary left over that I altered to read, “Grimsrud Sails Company”

Jane sold her house and car and we sold our house to the third person that came on the first day it was advertised
in the paper. It could have been that the price was too low but we got what we wanted and were eager to move on.
My cousin Rolf, who was in the auto sales business, took my car to sell and it took four months to sell it. As it turned
out we were without a car for the next ten years and those turned out to be some of our finest times. We had all of
our household items to dispose of and gave a friend Bill Williams’s “first look”. The next day we had a garage sale
that finished almost all of the rest. We called Saint Vincent de Paul and contributed the remaining items. .

The actual moving of our boat was not a big problem but getting the guy we had lined up for the job to show up was.
The house mover’s name was Woodhall and he was from Poplar, Wisconsin, a small town close to Superior. He
delivered his equipment, and we had agreed on a price. He had a plan and a route figured out and we had no
reason to doubt his abilities until he told us that after the launch if the boat rode too low in the water we could always
fill it with Styrofoam!

We had our boat covered by homeowners insurance as long as the boat was on our property. Our insurance agent
was utterly amazed that our policy made no mention or restriction to the size of a boat stored on the owner’s
property. I am sure that oversight was soon covered. Well, we needed insurance for the move and Lloyds of London
provided it for $300.00. The house mover wanted $400.00, but we sold the mover the building cradle timbers so he
reduced the price to $360.00. He swiped some timbers from our back yard so it really cost more. The shipyard
wanted $200.00 to set our boat in the water.

June 21st, 1972
The initial move of the boat was the worst, as our house mover required about a hundred phone calls to prod him
into action. Well, Jane and I went ahead with inserting the axles and securing the vessel to the building cradle with
steel cables bound and wedged tight.
Many friends got into the action of preparing the boat to move, as this had been a long anticipated event. Jon Moin,
Bob Moin, Bill Williams, Dick Syverston, my brother in law Jim Pearson and Dale Nichols all worked as a team to
make this thing happen. I had a real fear of the heavy weight of the boat caving in the basement of our home as it
would pass within a couple of feet of the foundation on its way from our backyard to the street. We put down large
steel plates and heavy planks to spread the load. A very thoughtful friend, Jack Soetebier, showed up with hot
pasties that he had made at his bakery. We will never forget that timely gesture that helped all of the moving crew
pull through. I still think those were the best pasties we have ever had the pleasure to sample…so thanks again
Jack!

          The boat making its way to the street, this was the first time it ever moved.
                                                   ***
Then the two tow trucks were hooked up. One hooked directly to the load and the other in the street. The truck in
the street with a power winch connected was powered up and the slack came out of the cable as tension was
applied and the load shuttered and trembled. It was like the fire under a Titan rocket just before lift off, very slowly at
first, a perceptible movement, then the first inch…we were under way! A crowd of over five hundred people had
gathered along with reporters and television men. This mighty load moved steadily onward inch by inch through a
hedge, over the sidewalk and down into the street…with that the crowd went wild with cheers. Our exuberance was
heightened by the wild anxiety of the crowd.


                          Just minutes before the boat gets to the street.

                             No turning back, we were on our way at last!
Jane, I and many of the neighbor kids followed on bicycles. Several friends rode on the deck to lift the many power
lines we would pass under. They also headed up a parade that had some resemblance to the “Pied Piper” Our route
took us mostly down back streets but ultimately we were on the main street of Tower Avenue for half a mile. Our
insurance agent met us at almost all intersections with a worried look on his face. Part way to our destination one of
the ragged old tires under our load blew out…I immediately went to Mr. Woodhall, who was driving and engineering
this project, with the news about the tire. His nonchalant response was that he would slow down. So on we
proceeded to the dirt streets of the North City where we stalled out attempting to cross a railroad track. Mr. Woodhall
merely backed up to make a run for it and this time at an accelerated rate we were up and over as the boat pitched
and reeled, wedges and fastenings flying wildly.
There was no question that the condition of this load was of little concern to Mr.Woodhall.

    The boat rolled on and miraculously we continued with many nervous moments.

A guard was at the gate to the shipyard, our destination, as we approached and in we slipped leaving the parade of
followers behind. The guard wouldn’t let our neighbor kid in, “no minors allowed” and we were all very sad as Tommy
Williams was turned away. Tom had been a huge help on the boat project and spent every spare minute he had
over with us every step of the way on the construction. Well, our friends Betty and Don Currie then took Tommy to
their boat the “Ione” and merely entered the shipyard via the water side and spent the night there with us…so in the
end Tommy got in.

Anxiety was high and sleep was impossible as a strong gusty wind buffeted our boat all the night. This was our first
sensation of movement aboard as it had sat rock solid in our yard from the very beginning of construction. Some
drunken boaters came and tied up at the sea wall in front our boat and pleaded to take a tour of the boat. I relented
and told them that they would just have to clean their muddy shoes and that they would be welcome aboard. I should
have learned by this point in my life that you can’t explain anything to a drunk and the next thing we knew was that
our new vessel was covered with mud.

June 22, 1972
In the morning I was summoned to the office of Barney Barstow, a lawyer and part owner of the shipyard. He was the
father of a childhood friend, Tom Barstow.
Well, Barney had some release from liability papers drawn up for me to sign and took my payment. He asked me
very emphatically if they could launch the boat in a place that wouldn’t be a hindrance to navigation…I believe he
was serious.
At eight A.M. the shipyard crew arrived and began to ready the boat for launching. We had breakfast aboard our
friends boat the Ione that was tied nearby. Some of the friends that were there were; Don and Betty Currie, Dale
and Diane Nichols, Bill Williams, Dennis Bradley, John and Barb Williams, their son Tommy Williams, Ralph Williams,
Nick Nichols, Ginny Soetebier and many others. A crowd of about two thousand people gathered to watch “the
sinking of Dursmirg There were also news people from the TV, radio and newspapers. The anxiety was building after
five years of construction. Almost no one really had any idea what was taking place and I am sure a lot of money
was wagered on the outcome. I really don’t want to know who was betting with us or what the odds were because
Jane and I were just about the only ones there that understood this project and our final goals.
The twenty-eight foot wide crane was brought into position with its 168-foot boom and spreader bars all set to lift us
into the water. It turned out that the crane operator was a neighbor of ours from Billings Park and that he had been
watching our progress from the very start. I instructed him on the positions of the slings. In a few minutes that giant
crane gently and effortlessly picked our creation up from its cradle as if it were gliding through the air and brought it
to the water where it was halted some ten inches above the surface, so that the boat could be properly christened.
Our friends Don and Betty Currie donated the Champagne. I told Don that the Champagne was too good to break
and his answer to me was that if I needed a bottle to drink that he would provide that but this one was meant for the
christening. Also donated was a magnum of Champagne from Jane’s former boss and his staff and Bill Williams
donated a double magnum, plus many other friends gave fifths. One was designated to only be opened when we
had arrived in Florida. Jane, who was a model of fitness, took the bottle and swung it like she was trying to hit a
home run over the fence. She wound up and let it go. It was absolutely incredible, the bottle bounced off like she
had hit a rubber tire. Well, my Jane is a very determined person and with the TV cameras all trained on her she
shuffled her feet, swung the bottle around in the air like a big league ball player and this time her determination won
out. With the christening complete the boat was lowered into the water.

(

Left; Dursmirg still on its building cradle, 168-foot crane in position and our friends boat the Ionein the
water. Right; Slack is taken out of the lifting lines and the boat is suspended by the crane.

I couldn’t believe my eyes as the slack came out of the lifting lines and the boat was sitting absolutely trim and level
on its lines ten inches above its final draft. That was two inches higher in the water than I had calculated. Of course,
we hadn’t loaded all of our personal belonging aboard plus our fuel and water, which would bring us down on our
lines just right. As I first stepped aboard the boat in the water I turned and there was a huge crowd plus all of the TV
cameras. The only thing that entered my mind at that instant was, "where are all of the non-believers now?” and that
is exactly what came out of my mouth. As I put a level down to test the trim of the vessel I was delighted to discover
that our boat was sitting perfectly trim in the water…another plus. By this time we had about twenty people aboard
so Jane and I had a toast of Champagne to a successful launch. Bob Frasier, the manager and part owner of the
shipyard told me that he figured that he lost money on our launch because not a single employee of the yard
worked that whole morning. From what I could tell he was right.
Our neighbor, the crane operator, told me that he estimated the weight of our vessel to be between nineteen and
twenty-one tons and that is exactly what it was supposed to be.
The date was June 22nd, 1972 a cool crisp and bright day.



A toast to a successful launch and a major accomplishment; Jane and I on the aft deck or the Dursmirg.
In the background are the Fraser Ship Yard and our friends, Don and Betty Currie’s boat the Ione that
would tow us to Drill’s Marina.

Don and Betty Currie had a nice lunch ready for us aboard their boat and made sure everyone got lots of coffee
and cookies. As soon as we were able, Don fastened the spring lines to our vessel and we cast off under tow across
the bay and up the Saint Louis River to Drills Marina where we would finish the outfitting of our boat.

Under tow; leaving the waters of Wisconsin and headed to Duluth, Minnesota and a marina to do the remaining work
in order to get the boat to move under its own power. I am at the helm and Dennis Bradley is standing by.)
On the way our steering came apart and we had to steer directly from the bilge which Bill and John Williams did for
the entire trip with shouted signals from above. Our towline parted once and we ran aground three times because
Don Currie knew some off channel short cuts. At this time we had no mast or rigging installed, the engine was in
place but not bolted down and the transmission hadn’t arrived yet. Several friends were aboard, our neighbor
Johnny Williams had just come from his job at the fire department and was still dressed in his uniform as he and his
brother Bill took turns manually steering from the tiller in our bilge. John said that if there was one thing he couldn’t
miss it was our maiden voyage. Yes, the steering system needed to be connected also. When we arrived at Drill’s
Marina the TV and newspaper people were there for another interview.
Dale and Diane Nichols had headed back home to the Twin Cities, changed their minds and came to meet us at the
marina where Betty Currie served a lunch of lasagna to the entire group. That afternoon we returned to our home to
load our dinghy, canoe and other personal belongings. We had a small party at the neighbor’s house as we all
watched the news of the day on TV and soaked up a few beers in the process. That evening with our friends, the
Curries we watched all of the day’s news on TV at their friend’s house. Both Jane and I were so thoroughly
exhausted at that point we just couldn’t keep our eyes open any longer and headed to our new home to spend our
first night aboard in the water. As tired as we were, sleep was very difficult because of all of the strange noises… like
water running. A tug boat nearby started its pumps and the transmitted sound sounded just like it was right in our
bilge and water in the bilge was just about the last thing we needed. One of the fundamental rules of boating is that
the water is supposed to be on the outside not the inside.

The quiet world up the Saint Louis River at Drill’s Marina. The boat is lacking a multitude of things to
make it go under its own power at this point.

Well, we made it over the bridge and on to the marina in Duluth, Minnesota with no complaints from anyone. I fixed
the roof of the car by lying in the front seat and with my legs pushing upward on the roof. A good thrust and some
loud popping noises and the repair was complete. That little Chevy II was a real piece of crap and it made me very
happy to dispose of it.
After the mast was painted and all the hardware was installed we put it up one night with a small hand operated
boom crane that was at waters edge at the marina. This is when we found out that not everyone was working with
us. We were saddened to discover that all of the stays and shrouds were too long by about two feet each plus the
halyards were tied together so that they were useless with out a trip to the masthead to redo them.



We installed the engine, transmission and associated electrical and plumbing. The tolerance on the forward end of
the engine ways was so close that I actually had to grind a minute amount of metal off for a perfect alignment…then I
just welded the engine in place. That way there would be no vibration problems as it was rock solid.
We had several problems at dockside; one was that our incoming electrical service was connected improperly so
that the ground was hot. We found this out one day when we discovered many dead fish floating around our boat
and when we tried to retrieve our aluminum dinghy I was shocked. I will always hope that someone hadn’t tampered
with the wiring. I am fully aware of electrical wiring, commercial, residential and marine as I have a degree in this and
have the appropriate test equipment. I corrected the problem in Duluth by merely converting our incoming plug.
Well, later on in Bayfield I was severely shocked and almost killed as I took a backward tumble from our
companionway to the bilge with only bruises, contusions and a broken tooth to show for it. You see I had forgotten to
return our incoming plug to the proper polarity…more learning.
The other thing was that one night thieves boarded our boat and proceeded to remove our canoe…we didn’t have a
phone but I took pursuit with gun in hand but they escaped.
With our car gone, we got around with bicycles and were amazed just how quick and easy it was to get around town.
We even had to make a couple of trips back to Superior, Wisconsin with the bikes and it was not only easy but very
enjoyable…not having a car was proving to be a blessing for us and we loved it.

We were so close to departure but we had so much to put behind us to get away from the dock under our own
power. All we owned was on the boat and ready. In my mind if we only got out the harbor inlet and into Lake
Superior the escape would have been complete. But life ahead was so much more fantastic than any of the people
we left behind could ever have imagined. It just couldn’t be explained. It was heaven on earth with my very best
friend at my side to share all of the thrills and adventures to come…we were the lucky ones!

Oh, by the way!
Our neighbors, John and Barb Williams, threw a surprise farewell party for us shortly before we
departed from Superior and began our voyage on Dursmirg. Some of the guests in the photos below:
from left to right: John Pearson, Barb Williams Dad and his wife (seated), Penny and Jim Pearson, Dick
Syverston (seated) Dennis Bradley, Barb Williams sister (seated), John Williams, Barb Williams (seated)
Jane and John M. (Bing) Grimsrud, Marge Bleskan, Don and Betty Currie (seated) Jon Moin, Tommy
William and Ray Doby, and in front standing is Johnny-Joe Williams and his brother Tim Williams

Jack and Ginny Soetebier baked the cake for the party and gave us a bosun’s chair
In the photos Jane, Jack and Ginny                         Ginny, Jane, and Jack Soetebier
                                                                                                                              next chapter

We spent a very labor intensive few weeks working at a super
accelerated pace making our boat able to move under its own power.
what was the procedure for obtaining permits to move the mast and a
oversized load the very best thing to do was wait until a very quiet time of
friend advised that because we were going across state lines with an
oversized load the very best thing to do was wait until a very quiet time of
day. Just go with it…the worst that could happen would be a fine was the
advice…so away we went one evening while there was still plenty of a
sunlight. With two car-top carriers placed adjacent on top of the car and
a trailer with a wooden kitchen table mounted on it, we placed the five
hundred-pound, forty-six foot long load on top, fastened it down, and and
the car top caved in…onward!
were under way. I drove slowly and cautiously but with the slightest bump
and the car top caved in…onward!
Well, we had a one-day set back just to correct the sabotage that a guy
who we thought was helping us did. He, for whatever reason was not
helping and then we were suspicious of other things that he had had his
hands on. His explanation was that sooner or later we would have to
make a trip up the mast anyway and that he was suspicious of my
measurements on the shrouds and stays so he merely slipped the tape
measure when we were doing our measurements