Aarne Vaik, Man of the Sea

Estonia was once a shipbuilding powerhouse. But today, the industry is practically obscolete. Still, the northern Estonian village of Käsmu is home to Aarne Vaik, the descendant of the famous dynasty of captains, who keeps the country's shipbuilding past alive.



In 1965, as a young man in, Vaik first made a name for himself as a Soviet diving champion. In 1993, he cemented his legacy by founding the Käsmu Maritime Museum, which is situated in a historic border-guard station that dates back to Russian Imperial times. Käsmu Maritime Museum is a private museum that comprises the collections of Vaik and his predecessors.



He restores furniture on the side, and collects Viking-era relics. A real man of the sea, Vaik can talk for hours, weaving elaborate tales, in any of the several languages he speaks.



He spends summers hosting maritime workshops for children, sailing and fishing.



Vaik welcomes guests from around the globe to take a little taste of Estonian's former shipbuilding greatness.