by Bob Kranich
Wrecker’s Tale, (Part 12, Excerpt 63)
This is a new story, titled “Wrecker’s Tale”. Captain Dan Benson is the captain of a two-masted schooner , the Jenney Mae. His schooner is used to take his pineapples from his plantation to market and also wrecking. Wrecking means he will go out to a shipwreck and save people, ship, and cargo. It is an additional lucrative business because of the many storms and the reefs along the Keys. They are returning from Charleston South Carolina and run into a ferocious storm as they round the mainland and start along the Keys. Then as they near their base on Key Largo, they find that a three-masted cargo ship is up on the Carysfort Reef. They go in to help her.
Wrecker’s Tale
Then the boat moved slightly...then a lot, then no more.
“That's it!” John said, “We need to lighten her.”
Captain James said, “You men did good! You ready for some cargo transfer, Captain Dan? We’ve got the hold hatches open and the winch ready.”
“Jonathan, take your men and bring up the sloop. We’ll lash her to the Victoria and offload cargo. Just one second. Captain James, do you have any passengers who have to leave?”
“Sir, please take my daughter and her cousin.”
“They will be safe on the Jenney May, Captain James.”
Captain Dan said, “John, take a couple of men and the quarter-boat, and transfer the two ladies to the Jenney May. Make sure they are safe and comfortable. Return just as soon as you can.”
“Aye aye, Sir.”
“Captain James, what are you carrying, Sir?” Captain Dan asked.
“Well, Sir we have a lot of foodstuffs. Bottles and cans. We were going to New Orleans, out of New York.”
“Good, that stuff is heavy, the water won’t hurt it. If we could get two or three loads on the sloop, then loaded on the schooner, possibly at high tide we might be able to float and pull ‘er off,” Captain Dan suggested.
They worked hard and way into the night. The seas became just rough, and the wind steadied, a far cry from the height of the storm.
It was a weary Captain Dan talking to a very tired Captain James. “We’ve got the sloop and the schooner loaded. Let the men rest and eat. The tide will be ready to turn in a couple of hours, then we’ll man the capstan again.”
“Sounds like a reasonable idea, Sir,” Captain James agreed.
Both captains said to a rugged worn out group, “Get some rest, men. We’ll try the capstan at high tide in two hours.”
It was very early morning. There was a faint crack of light showing in the eastern horizon.
John shook Captain Dan. “Tide’s just stopped, Sir. It’ll be turning soon.”
“Thank ye kindly, John,” he answered.
They all had slept on the upper deck under oil cloths,* no one wanting to venture below decks, the ship being in such a precarious position. Their earlier work on the capstan had pulled the ship slightly off the rocks. The wind, rain, and waves were now being merciful so they could put their attention to the work at hand. Both the sloop and the schooner were still in their places. Dan had thought it best to have them available in case of an emergency.
Captain James came up to Captain Dan with two cups of coffee, “Our cook has performed a miracle! Here’s some coffee, Dan.”
“I’ll take it, in fact, need it!” Dan exclaimed, “Let’s get to it!” Dan commanded his men, “Let’s get this capstan turning!”
The men from both boats took up their positions on the capstan. John took up the cadence, “Heave Ho!...Heave Ho! This ships go’n to go!”
The tide had turned and was pushing against the waves and the Victoria. The hawser rope took up its slack. The pawl clicked as the men pushed to John’s cadence, slowly reeling in. The boat suddenly lurched and then settled.
“I’ve got an idea, Captain James,” Dan said. “I’m going to take my men over to the Jenney May. We’ll take another hawser with us from your stern. We’ll then try to winch your stern some with the Jenney May’s hawser.”
“Sounds good. Whatever you say, Captain Dan,” Captain James acknowledged.
“You men,” Captain James signaled as he pointed, “Lets’ get a hawser long enough to get over to the schooner. Let ‘er out the stern to the quarter boat.”
With the seas subsiding and the tide running out, the quarter-boat was quickly at the Jenney May. They tied the anchor chain off and freed up their capstan. Captain Dan only had eight men to turn his capstan. However his unit had longer bars and was geared much lower. Eight men, eight long bars. Click...Clack...the pawl went as it took up the slack and the rope tightened. Then it suddenly became easy.
“She’s broke free!” John yelled, “Take up the slack, men. It’ll move the Victoria away from the rocks.”
“Four men remain here. Get the ship ready to sail. Benjamin, John, Roberts and Clyde, let’s get the quarter-boat back to the Victoria,” Dan commanded.
“Well all we need fixed now is to get our rudder repaired,” Captain James stated. “Got any divers?”
“Strange you should ask, Captain James. Meet Benjamin, one of the best Bahamian divers in these here waters,” Captain Dan said proudly.
“You build me up too much, Sir,” Benjamin said.
“Benjamin, you will have your chance to prove it! Let’s go to the Stern,” the captain commanded.
They looked over the rail. The seas were now long swells going inland fighting the outrunning tide.
“I think something has come loose on the outside. We’ll check everything below as we’re heading towards the reef. The good news is we’re manning the pumps, and we don’t have very much water in the bilge.”
“I’m going to need to dive off the quarter-boat, Capt’n Dan,” Benjamin said.
“You’ve got whatever you need, if we got it,” Dan exclaimed “John take whatever men you need to go with Benjamin.”
“Here John take these chain, bolts, wrenches, master link, and a safety rope,” Captain James handed over the parts to John.
“Thank you, Sir,” John said, “I need a couple more men to hold her steady.”
Jonathan pointed, and a couple of the sloop’s men went with John. They maneuvered the quarter-boat close to the stern of the Victoria, dropped anchors, and that together with the rowers kept her steady.
Benjamin stripped down, and overboard he went. He swam to the lee side of the Victoria, took a good breath and dived.
This is a new story, titled “Wrecker’s Tale”. Captain Dan Benson is the captain of a two-masted schooner , the Jenney Mae. His schooner is used to take his pineapples from his plantation to market and also wrecking. Wrecking means he will go out to a shipwreck and save people, ship, and cargo. It is an additional lucrative business because of the many storms and the reefs along the Keys. They are returning from Charleston South Carolina and run into a ferocious storm as they round the mainland and start along the Keys. Then as they near their base on Key Largo, they find that a three-masted cargo ship is up on the Carysfort Reef. They go in to help her.
Wrecker’s Tale
Then the boat moved slightly...then a lot, then no more.
“That's it!” John said, “We need to lighten her.”
Captain James said, “You men did good! You ready for some cargo transfer, Captain Dan? We’ve got the hold hatches open and the winch ready.”
“Jonathan, take your men and bring up the sloop. We’ll lash her to the Victoria and offload cargo. Just one second. Captain James, do you have any passengers who have to leave?”
“Sir, please take my daughter and her cousin.”
“They will be safe on the Jenney May, Captain James.”
Captain Dan said, “John, take a couple of men and the quarter-boat, and transfer the two ladies to the Jenney May. Make sure they are safe and comfortable. Return just as soon as you can.”
“Aye aye, Sir.”
“Captain James, what are you carrying, Sir?” Captain Dan asked.
“Well, Sir we have a lot of foodstuffs. Bottles and cans. We were going to New Orleans, out of New York.”
“Good, that stuff is heavy, the water won’t hurt it. If we could get two or three loads on the sloop, then loaded on the schooner, possibly at high tide we might be able to float and pull ‘er off,” Captain Dan suggested.
They worked hard and way into the night. The seas became just rough, and the wind steadied, a far cry from the height of the storm.
It was a weary Captain Dan talking to a very tired Captain James. “We’ve got the sloop and the schooner loaded. Let the men rest and eat. The tide will be ready to turn in a couple of hours, then we’ll man the capstan again.”
“Sounds like a reasonable idea, Sir,” Captain James agreed.
Both captains said to a rugged worn out group, “Get some rest, men. We’ll try the capstan at high tide in two hours.”
It was very early morning. There was a faint crack of light showing in the eastern horizon.
John shook Captain Dan. “Tide’s just stopped, Sir. It’ll be turning soon.”
“Thank ye kindly, John,” he answered.
They all had slept on the upper deck under oil cloths,* no one wanting to venture below decks, the ship being in such a precarious position. Their earlier work on the capstan had pulled the ship slightly off the rocks. The wind, rain, and waves were now being merciful so they could put their attention to the work at hand. Both the sloop and the schooner were still in their places. Dan had thought it best to have them available in case of an emergency.
Captain James came up to Captain Dan with two cups of coffee, “Our cook has performed a miracle! Here’s some coffee, Dan.”
“I’ll take it, in fact, need it!” Dan exclaimed, “Let’s get to it!” Dan commanded his men, “Let’s get this capstan turning!”
The men from both boats took up their positions on the capstan. John took up the cadence, “Heave Ho!...Heave Ho! This ships go’n to go!”
The tide had turned and was pushing against the waves and the Victoria. The hawser rope took up its slack. The pawl clicked as the men pushed to John’s cadence, slowly reeling in. The boat suddenly lurched and then settled.
“I’ve got an idea, Captain James,” Dan said. “I’m going to take my men over to the Jenney May. We’ll take another hawser with us from your stern. We’ll then try to winch your stern some with the Jenney May’s hawser.”
“Sounds good. Whatever you say, Captain Dan,” Captain James acknowledged.
“You men,” Captain James signaled as he pointed, “Lets’ get a hawser long enough to get over to the schooner. Let ‘er out the stern to the quarter boat.”
With the seas subsiding and the tide running out, the quarter-boat was quickly at the Jenney May. They tied the anchor chain off and freed up their capstan. Captain Dan only had eight men to turn his capstan. However his unit had longer bars and was geared much lower. Eight men, eight long bars. Click...Clack...the pawl went as it took up the slack and the rope tightened. Then it suddenly became easy.
“She’s broke free!” John yelled, “Take up the slack, men. It’ll move the Victoria away from the rocks.”
“Four men remain here. Get the ship ready to sail. Benjamin, John, Roberts and Clyde, let’s get the quarter-boat back to the Victoria,” Dan commanded.
“Well all we need fixed now is to get our rudder repaired,” Captain James stated. “Got any divers?”
“Strange you should ask, Captain James. Meet Benjamin, one of the best Bahamian divers in these here waters,” Captain Dan said proudly.
“You build me up too much, Sir,” Benjamin said.
“Benjamin, you will have your chance to prove it! Let’s go to the Stern,” the captain commanded.
They looked over the rail. The seas were now long swells going inland fighting the outrunning tide.
“I think something has come loose on the outside. We’ll check everything below as we’re heading towards the reef. The good news is we’re manning the pumps, and we don’t have very much water in the bilge.”
“I’m going to need to dive off the quarter-boat, Capt’n Dan,” Benjamin said.
“You’ve got whatever you need, if we got it,” Dan exclaimed “John take whatever men you need to go with Benjamin.”
“Here John take these chain, bolts, wrenches, master link, and a safety rope,” Captain James handed over the parts to John.
“Thank you, Sir,” John said, “I need a couple more men to hold her steady.”
Jonathan pointed, and a couple of the sloop’s men went with John. They maneuvered the quarter-boat close to the stern of the Victoria, dropped anchors, and that together with the rowers kept her steady.
Benjamin stripped down, and overboard he went. He swam to the lee side of the Victoria, took a good breath and dived.
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 South West 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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