Leiger

Leiger is a passenger ferry built in Sefine shipyard in Turkeyin 2016. Leiger`s launching took place on March 1<sup>st</sup> 2016 and christening on December 19<sup>th</sup> in the same year. Leiger`s home port is Heltermaa.

Contest for finding names for new ferries was organized in March 2015 and we received around 1000 different name options. Leiger was named after the Hiiumaa`s legendary hero Leiger and ferry`s godmother is Helgi Põllo.

On Leiger you can find 2 passenger saloons on ferry`s 4^th and 5^th decks and sun deck for enjoying a voyage outside with nice weather. In the passenger saloon you can find a nice spot for spending time with your friends or family or amore isolated corner for reading or working.

Who was the ancient hero after whom Leiger was named?

Leiger was strong, like his brother Tõll from Saaremaa. He was slightly smaller in stature than Tõll, but it is said that he surpassed his brother in strength.

Leiger fought off enemies bravely and always sought to help the people of the islands when foreign powers threatened their lands. As a hero, he always carried a long barn pole or the axle of a cart as fitting tools for combat. His strike is said to have been so powerful that it left a hundred armoured knights sprawled on the ground.

True natives of Hiiumaa enjoy a sauna after working hard in the fields, and Leiger was no exception. He was also very skilled at building saunas. He built the very first sauna on Hiiumaa for himself, and did such a good job of it that it even enticed Tõll to come and visit him from the neighbouring island on sauna nights. As Suur Tõll visited his brother Leiger on Hiiumaa, the western winds often raised the water level in Soela Strait to such an extent that on his way back the water was above Tõll’s knees. At this, Suur Tõll said that he could no longer go to the sauna and that something had to be done.

Leiger suggested that Tõll start building a road from Saaremaa. He would do the same from Hiiumaa and they could meet in the middle. Leiger set about carrying stones to the place now known as Sääretirp. In the end, exhausted, he went to see how Tõll was getting on. Once there, he saw that Tõll had not even made a start. Leiger was angered by this and gave up.

Leiger had a lovely home and treated his guests to the best dishes with the help of his wife Tiiu. They also stocked up on barrels of foaming refreshment to serve their guests.

Leiger thus became a hero of Hiiumaa, bravely protecting the locals from enemies and hosting entertaining banquets.