Towards the end of 1934, a 35-ton, recently launched yacht was sold by G. de Vries Lentsh Jr. shipyard in Amsterdam, Holland. The sail yacht is ketch rigged, she is 14.75 meters overall length on deck, 4.20 meters beam and 2.40 meters draft. With its sails (main, mizzen, fore staysail, fore and aft sail, genoa jib and yankee) it displays a 90 m² surface to the wind.

She is a small sized sails ship with respect to her hull, which allows her to support strong winds with all sails swayed. Her hull is made of riveted steel and it is divided in three watertight bulkheads, separated by bow, stern and canoe collision bulkhead. which is considered the most suitable to sail in bad weather conditions, raking bow so that it does not beat against waves, good gunwale for safeguard, excellent navigation room, facilities for the crew and all the necessary instruments. She is a cruiser scientifically designed and built in order to sail in the open sea. The best teakwood and the best ironwork and a solid handsome hull of marvelous profile were the mark of her refined craftsmanship.

She was baptized under the name of "Microcosmos" and her owner, Mr. I. J. Koning cherished the idea of sailing around some part of the European seas in order to head towards the South Pacific Islands following Gerbault's route further on. Together with another married couple who were eager to seek adventures and a sailor, they made up the crew and in a sunny afternoon, they sailed out of the port of Amsterdam towards a French port.

There is harmony on board until the day, the Microcosmos anchors in an English port !!!! Everybody was astounded. Conflicts arise. They cross the channel again. Bad weather conditions, the pilot could not do anything right and the Breton sailor becomes in charge of the defeat which would lead them to a French port.

Once they had arrived to port, the guest couple and the owner's wife disembarked, and only the owner and a sailor remained on board. Three months later, the yacht returns to Holland, where she is dismasted and docked. This is the end of the first attempt of this ship to sail in the open sea, pursuing new horizons for her crew.

In 1936, an Argentinean engineer called Hugo Stunz toured around Europe looking for a suitable vessel in order to cruise the Rio de la Plata (River Plate). He finds her in Holland, having been used only for six months and on dock only for two months. He visits her, reviews her plans, he likes her and buys her. He baptizes her again under the name of "Achernar" and keeps her until 1945. When he acquires her, he recruits a crew of 5 employees and sails out of port towards England, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and France and later due to the River Plate, where he successfully arrived. Here, her silhouette became familiar.

In December 1939, as informed by El Plata Newspaper on its 16/12/1959 edition, hidden in the shadows of the night, the "Achernar" sailed by British citizens sails out of Buceo Port in a confidential mission of invigilation in the access channel, in order to inform the English battleships of the chosen route of the "Graf Spee", as soon as the pocket German battleship leaves roadharbour anchorage.

On November 3rd; 1940, the "Achernar", which is the name of a star of the austral constellation Eridano, neaped at the entrance of the Riachuelo, where she made a forced falling of. Due to the fortuitous circumstances which caused the accident, an old seaman passed away.

The ship was returning from "El Escondido" to be anchored in the city of La Plata, when it surprisingly encountered raising winds of 20 to 30 hours approximately. Consequently, her owner, Engineer Stunz decided to sail into the Riachuelo, which he tried 24 hour later. When they arrived at the place, they found out the lighthouse which indicated the entrance had been turned off. This mishap together with the strong waves, made the vessel turn against the breakwater and was left in a very difficult situation.

Thinking of the probable danger, the owner ordered just a sailor to remain on board while himself, his wife and his little four-year-old daughter and the other sailor boarded a dinghy from the yacht. Unfortunately the dinghy capsized due to a wave caused for being only 20 meters away from the yacht. All of them had to swim and Mr. Stunz towed his daughter from her hair up to the shore. When they arrived, they realized the sailor was taking too long to arrive. They lookd for him but it was an unsuccessful attempt.

The shipwrecks found shelter in a semi-destroyed hut and the following day they saw the yacht had come off her position and she was aground on the beach on the west side of the entrance breakwater. The sailor was found drowned. Later, the following day and a few meters away from him, the dinghy was capsized.

La Paloma; February, 1940

Captain Walter Pérez together with young sailors began looking for an adequate ship. All offers from the Rio de la Plata and from Brazil were carefully examined. The economic factor conspired against their freedom of choice; some excellent yachts were cast off due to their high price. All of the people involved in the search had engaged their salaries in banking operations but they failed to attain the necessary $30,000 at that time. Finally, the Achernar was acquired. The expert eye of Captain Pérez carefully examined the background of this ship. Underneath uncountable layers of peeling paint and opaque bronze, there was the flawless structure of a "thoroughbred" ship.

Long and patient studies, feverish preparation during long days, research into nautical works, experts' opinions, etc, occupied the hours, days and years of these sailors. Endless nights discussing projects and objections and the main issue: the crew.

To circumnavigate the world would take at least two years. During such period, three young men had to live together, enclosed, in a reduced space, suffering bad weather conditions, physical inconveniences, probably hunger and thirst too. Not to mention nostalgia, home remembrance or personal problems. Having a strong character, similar spirituality and being exceptionally broad-minded were as important as their physical fitness or their technical expertise. Even having the money to buy the ship and to finance the trip, even having acquired the ship under optimum conditions, forming the human team was a difficult problem to surmount.

Captain Ulises W. Pérez was very honest in this aspect. Only clearly compatible men and after having succeeded in sharing life before departure, were able to endure such hard test. Therefore, a chart was drawn for the description of minimum conditions required to be a member of the crew: being single (only Costa was the exception to this rule), not to have any relatives who depended directly on the salary of the traveler, not to have any economic problems at home or at work which were left pending when they left Montevideo. Let alone character and temper: generosity, unselfishness, proved fellowship and team spirit, modesty, affability. Of course, technical preparation was very important too: deep expertise in sailing, engines and life in the open sea.

The young officers began by living on the ship and to mount guard as if they were at sea. The days of city life, parties and entertainment typical of vital and single people were over for them. In addition to the imposed austerity, strict behavior was expected, all of which almost turned them into Spartans. They had to get used to considering the ship as their only home, and to train living together, correcting their incompatibilities and learning how to coordinate their existence with each other. Also, they had to train their bodies in the extremely reduced free space on board, after having stowed provisions and equipment: they had to work out how to cook on 1 meter by 1metre 50; and how to slide through aisles, hatchways, skylights, etc.

Test outings were projected where the ship, her equipment and crew had to be successful. Thus, first short trips to Punta del Este, La Paloma and Buenos Aires were made, and finally a cruise to Florianópolis was made between September 8th and 28th 1959.

In other words, all the possibilities to be experienced during the final trip. They even got to think that that was the ship's last trip owing to the fury of the elements. However, a week later, sun burnt, having seen death face to face on several occasions and knowing the yacht by heart, they were in Montevideo, ready to start the project which, with laughter and meditations, someone had let slip two years before at a young officers gathering.

The final result of the test trip was amply favorable for the crew and the ship, so the Navy Authority granted the authorization to sail out, which was later confirmed by the Executive Power.

Nothing was left for the young officers to study and foresee. They even underwent an appendicitis operation so as to leave out that threat in the long and exhausting trip. Unfortunately, destiny had in store to cut short the life of a strong, still very young, intrepid young man, who had also been the alma mater of the expedition: Adolfo Cámpora passed away due to the surgery mentioned. His friends, with immense pain at heart, and deeply hurt for such mishap, decided to keep his memory alive, and in his honor, the "Achernar" was rebaptized "Alférez Cámpora", in the memory of the deceased fellow and also in his honor, they would do the projected circumnavigation.

When everything was ready after innumerable reparations, careened, painting, setting up new engines, (a diesel engine Thorncroft of 65hp and a petrol auxiliary engine for loading accumulators) her owners, could contemplate a ketch with immaculate hull, anchored in the peaceful waters of Buceo Port, opposite the Yacht Club.

And with the spiritual strength conveyed by their friends memory, Jorge Nader, Carlos Costa y José Firpo, sailed out on January 31st 1960 on the "Alférez Cámpora" into unknown seas and far away ports.