Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers
by Bob Kranich
The Cayman Turtle Schooner, (Part 11, Excerpt 76)
This is a story, titled The Cayman Turtle Schooner. This story will tell about the forming and history of the Cayman Islands, the green sea turtle’s habits and life style, the building of a dugout canoe, and then a schooner, and lastly about the historic two-masted turtle schooner, A. M. Adams. They are going to look at a schooner that is being built and then build one of their own.
Grandpa said, “Parker, let’s get some snacks, and we’ll see if we can go down towards Georgetown to find a schooner under construction.”
They said their goodbyes and launched their turtle boat south past Sandy Bay.
“Parker, that long stretch of sandy beach we’re looking at over there is where hundreds of green turtles will come in to lay their eggs.”
“Wow, Grandpa, It sure is a lot of beach! Is it a couple of miles long? It’s as far as I can see.”
”Sure is. Next there is Long Bay. It’s right there. It sets back in, and there’s what we’re looking for. See, they're in the early stages of building a schooner. They have a launching ramp* cut into the coastal rock.”
There was a skeleton of a schooner up on the beach next to the ramp. They headed in.
“It looks like it’s about forty-five tons,” Grandpa surmised.
“What does that mean Grandpa?”
“That’s total weight, Parker. It’s a way to measure ship size.”
The schooner had the entire keel with stem and stern post. It appeared all of the ribs were attached.
“See the frames and knees, Parker. They make the ribs. Everything we’re looking at is made from mahogany. We’ve got plenty of that on Cayman Brac.”
“What do they call the outside boards, Grandpa?”
“Those are stringers from stem to stern. They will attach the outsides planking to that. The deck will be attached after that. You know that yellow pine is best for the planking. Unfortunately it doesn’t grow in these here parts. It has to be imported from Tampa, Florida or Mobile, Alabama from the United States of America!”
“How do they watertight it?”
“What they do is drive oakum* in all the seams. It will swell and bond to the wood planks.”
They walked over to the schooner and approached a man who appeared to be directing the work.
“Sir, we’re traveling from Cayman Brac to George Town. Could we look at your fine boat from a distance? We won’t be a bother. My grandson wants to build one of these some day.”
“What’s the name?” the man asked.
“Just call me Grandpa.”
“Ok, tell you what, the men will be taking lunch, so you won’t be a bother. Come with me, and we’ll have a look inside. By the way, I’m Mel Prater, the foreman on the job.”
“Good to meet you,” Grandpa said.
“Now, young feller, what do you know about boats?”
“Well, Sir, Grandpa and I built that one we sailed in on. We improved it from the dugout we first built.”
“My, my. Right after I show you the Sunsetter schooner, we’ll have a look at your boat.”
“Thank you for letting us have a look at your schooner under construction, Sir. It appears it will be a fine one!”
“You’re welcome. Now let’s have that look at your craft.”
The three of them walked over to where they had their turtle boat pulled up on the beach. The foreman looked the boat over.
“Why it sure is a fine boat. You two say you’re out of Cayman Brac? I bet you’re the ones I’ve heard about. Tell you what, I need some of these boats. Build me two of them, and I’ll sail the Sunsetter up to see you in about five months...the Good Lord willing.”
“We’ll keep an eye out for your sails,” Grandpa replied.
“Parker, there’s George Town. We could have walked there from the last schooner, the Sunsetter. Let’s get in there, and buy a few items we can’t find back home. But don’t forget, we’ve got to buy Grandma a fine surprise present.”
They stayed overnight in George Town. Compared to the Channel Bay town on their island, this was about five times larger. It had one large dock and a couple of small ones, shops, and even a small hotel.
The next morning saw their turtle boat loaded and our two adventurers leaving the George Town docks.
“Well, Parker, we’re going to make a run for home. It’s about ninety miles, but feel that breeze, and the weather is pleasant. I bet I know just what you’re going to do with that new sketch pad you bought.”
“Grandpa by the time we get home, I’m going to have my schooner all put down on this paper. I was thinking, could we start our schooner soon and go slow? We could take twice as much time, and just a few of us could build it in a year and a half.”
“Parker, it looks like we will have to find a few more of those gold coins. We’ll say we found them on a beach on Grand Cayman.”
It was a sunny day. Sebastian had let the current take him all the way west to the western extreme of Cuba. He was getting close to his full size. He now weighed about two hundred and seventy five pounds, and his shell was four feet long.
He was crossing from western Cuba to the closest point of Mexico. He was riding up and down with the swells, and in the distance on the horizon was a bank of white, fluffy clouds.
Sebastian was paddling leisurely when he saw the fin. It was off to his left and plotting a zig-zag pattern, first left and then right. Sebastian's instinct had warned him. He would have preferred the fin going up in a roll and then down, because then the fin would have been a porpoise. But he knew instinctively, a level fin was a shark, and this fin was large. Besides man, the shark is the next dangerous threat to a green turtle, especially if it was a Great White or a Tiger shark. This one was big enough to take a bite out of Sebastian.
He took a deep breath and dove under. Now he could see it was a large shark, and it was heading straight for him. This tiger shark’s extraordinary sense, his electro sense, had told him something he could eat was far ahead. He headed towards Sebastian as fast as his propulsion could move him. As he got closer his sense of smell and hearing verified food...a turtle
From the Author:
My second full-length book , Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers is composed of 336 pages. There are 12 stories running from 6 pages to as many as 72 pages. It is fully illustrated with 88 watercolors and sketches. The watercolors I made roaming around Key West after I finished my 750 mile hike from Georgia to Key West. (See book or Don Browne’s SouthWest Florida Online News records, A Walk Across Florida.) As you read these stories you will experience Key West, the Keys, and the Caribbean. These stories span the time of the early 1800’s to 1969. bkranich.wixsite.com/bobkranich
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