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All text and photographs (unless stated otherwise) ©  Paul Timmerman; photographs on this page made during a cruise in 2001 when she sailed as Baltic Star for her present owners.

So in 1973, Birger Jarl was sold to a subsidiary of Bore Line, Jakob Lines. She was just too small to be competitive on the ferry routes out of Stockholm. Jakob renamed her Bore Nord and used her on the most northern routes in the Gulf of Bothnia between Skelleftea and Pietarsaari. This only lasted for two summers (1973 and 1974), and in between the ship was returned to Bore Lines for cruising out of Turku to Gotland.

Returned again to her owners in 1977, Bore sold the ship to Minicarriers A/B, who wanted to use the ship for short cruises to the Aland Islands. This never came to pass however.

                                                                      Remmaren restaurant, deck4 

She was laid up under the name of Minisea (never painted on her hull by the way), and sold a year later to Panamese Caribbean Shipping Co. Renamed again, this time to Baltic Star, she was refitted in Turku.

Chartered to Anedin Line (derived from the last name of James Onedin, a shipowner in a then very popular tv-series), she started cruising out of Stockholm to Mariehamn in 1979. Anedin already had several years of experience on this route, which had proven to be quite successful.

                                                                   Beautiful  classic stairway      

Baltic Star was rebuilt, she received a new lounge on her former after deck. Noteworthy were her funnel colours: white clouds on a blue funnel.

She continued on her familiar route for several years, sometimes breaking her routine by making longer cruises to other ports in the Baltic like Visby, Ronne, Warnemunde and Riga.  

In 1982 Baltic Star began to experience boiler problems, and her owners converted her to a diesel powered vessel. With her new engine, Baltic Star could make a service speed of only 12,5 knots. However this was enough for her 24-hour trips to Mariehamn which lies on a very short sailing distance from Stockholm.

Almost unvisible, her funnel became a dummy (luckily it was not removed) and she received a small exhaust uptake instead.

In 1989, she was re-engined again, which was not a matter of insufficient speed, but was caused by problems the Baltic Star experienced when the Baltic was frozen solid in winter. Under these conditions she was unable to maintain her schedule.   

Apart from being renamed to Birger Jarl, her original name, her life has been quite uneventful recently. This little ship still has a loyal following and continues her 24 hour-trips from Stockholm to Mariehamn in direct competition with the modern Birka Paradise of Birka Cruises.    

                                                                       Cabin, deck 3

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