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.
“You bet, Parker. But first we’ve got some boats to build.”
Grandpa and Parker went back home. They took their boat out of the water and when it dried they painted it, turtle boat blue. Then shortly, with John, Dynamite, and a wagon, their lumber began to arrive. John had decided he would extend some credit to Grandpa and Parker. He said, “Might as well bring in enough to make three boats as long as I got Dynamite hooked up.”
So “Grandpa's Boat Yard” was started. Parker and Grandpa sailed some, turtled some, fished some, and built boats. After they built and delivered the first three boats it seemed someone always wanted a turtle boat. Even so, they didn’t rush. They still enjoyed life.
“Grandpa, let’s go look at some schooners in George Town.”
“Well, Sonny, first we’ll need to get Grandma’s permission. Then we’ll do one better. If I recall, there are a couple of boat builders on Grand Cayman. We’ll see if we can visit one of them if they have a schooner under construction.
“I just love sailing, Grandpa. Is that Little Cayman there?”
“Sure is, Sonny.”
They had been sailing a little over an hour and had just lost sight of Cayman Brac.
“It is slightly smaller than our island of Cayman Brac. About two miles less in length. As soon as we pass it, in ten miles we’ve got about forty miles of open ocean. We’ll pray for good weather coming and goin’.”
It was uneventful except for a couple of flying fish that jumped over their boat.
“Land ho! Grandpa,” Parker hollered.
“Good work, Parker. You’ve got sharp eyes. Now we’ll keep our eyes open for a schooner being built on the beach. I’m going to steer parallel to the coast, and we’ll keep a lookout.”
As they rounded the northwest corner of the island, Grandpa saw what he was looking for.
“Look over there in that small bay. It’s a schooner. I kind of figured we would find something on the lee side.”
They turned in. Fortunately they could see the channel, and the way was open and clear.
“Look, Parker, it’s a nice place to launch a big boat. I’m sure that’s why they chose it.”
They pulled up on the beach and secured their boat. There were about fifteen or twenty people moving about up by the dunes. There was also a collection of sheds there. They were probably the office, sleeping quarters, and workshops of the boat builders. They could see the schooner looked finished.
“It looks like they're about set to launch, Parker,” Grandpa observe.
Parker was taking it all in. As they got closer to the structures a man approached them.
“Hi, friends. You come to partake of the celebration, and help us launch? It’s going to be first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks for the invite. I think we will do just that,” Grandpa answered.
“Well, Sir, and my fine young man,” the man said, “go up and help yourself to refreshments and introduce yourselves. Most of us will sleep on the beach tonight. Tomorrow we’ll see if the Grand Cayman II schooner will float.”
“Thank ye kindly, Sir,” Grandpa answered.
“Parker, let’s see if they will let us on the schooner, so you can see how it’s constructed.”
“I’d like that, Grandpa,” Parker said.
When they got up to the schooner they could see that some people were being shown around, so they climbed up the ladder everyone was using and looked about.
A fella came up to them. “Welcome aboard. I’m Captain Walter, or at least hope to be. We’ve been working on the Grand Cayman II here the last seven months. We finished a little ahead of schedule, and tomorrow we’ll see if she floats.”
“I’m Grandpa and this is my grandson, Parker. Could we look around a bit? Parker is very interested in schooners.”
“Sure. Go ahead young fella. Look around,” the captain said, “Your Grandpa and I will visit a spell. Sir, you look familiar. Do I know you?”
“You sure do!” Grandpa said, “I just recognize you. You served as a new hand on my last schooner voyage.”
“Will I’ll be swamped! You’re First Mate Samuel!”
Grandpa interrupted, “Just call me Grandpa.”
“I sure will, Grandpa. Let me shake your hand. By the way forgive me for spying on you two, but I had my handy telescope on you two coming in. That’s a fine boat you sailed in on. What’s it called?”
“We call it a turtle boat,” Grandpa answered.
“So you’re the fellas building these boats on Cayman Brac?”
“Yep. That’s us,” Grandpa said proudly.
“Well, Grandpa, I need two. We’re going turtling just as soon as we get a’float’n and outfitted.”
“Come up, and see us. I’ll try to get you a couple,” Grandpa said.
“Grandpa, I looked around, and I got the boat in my mind,” Parker said as he came back from touring the schooner.
“Parker, let’s go up, and get ourselves some food. I’m famished! I could eat one of those flying fish we saw today, raw!”
They woke up early the next morning as the bright rays of the sun first announced the day. They could see some wagons had just come in, and people of all sorts and sizes were piling out.
“Let’s wash up, and get some breakfast, Parker,” Grandpa said to a sleepy-eyed young man peering out of a blanket on the beach.
“Look what they have done already. They have that cable from the schooner to that coral that’s jutting out there. Then it’s blocked and tackled* back to the beach. Everyone is going to pull that line, and it will pull the boat off the beach and launch her into the water.”
Right after breakfast everyone went down to the beach, and a long line of people, kids, men, and women grabbed the line. The custom was to have women pull because it was good luck. The workers had cut away the shoring under the hull. The schooner had round logs placed under it for rollers. The signal was given. Everyone pulled on the rope, and the boat slowly rolled down into the water. They all gave out yells, hollers, and screams.
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