Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers
by Bob Kranich
The Cayman Turtle Schooner, (Part 5, Excerpt 70)
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. Our two main characters Grandpa and Parker are going to build a dugout canoe.
The Cayman Turtle Schooner
Yep. But you will learn a lot, and when it’s done were going to sail the sea!”
“Wow! Grandpa. I’m ready.”
“You will notice we left the log on the rollers. It’s like a table. We can turn it using a large pole for a lever, and when it’s finished, we can roll it out to the sea to launch. Let’s get started.”
“What we go’in to do first, Grandpa?”
“Parker, first we will shave off all the bark. Now this tool is an adze. As you can see, it’s like a hoe on one end and an ax on the other. We will use this to strip off all the bark. It’s good that we have started soon. If you leave the bark on too long the sap will rise, and the bark will stick to the inner skin of the tree trunk. After that exercise we will use a straight pole for a lever and roll the log over until we find the part of the log that will be best for the bottom. We want to flatten out the part of the log that we will use for the bottom. Then we will turn the log over onto the flat bottom.
Just removing the bark and flattening out the bottom took them almost a week. Of course this team took many breaks. Grandpa and Parker walked the beach to look for turtles. They had to occasionally help Grandma with the garden. It was also essential to visit Sebastian the turtle. There they added water to his large tub and found some choice seaweed from the lagoon for him to eat.
“What do you think, Parker? You know I like all this dugout canoe work, but the most fun is setting on it and drinking Grandma’s lemonade.”
“Oh Grandpa, you’re sure crazy!”
“Yep, but I’m sure happy,” he exclaimed.
“What’s next on our canoe, Grandpa?”
“Believe it or not, we have to flatten out the top so we can begin hollowing it out. But before we hollow it out, we will bring the front and rear to points.”
“Why points in both the front and rear, Grandpa?”
“That way we will be able to go both forward and backward easily. By just turning around in the canoe the rear will become the front.”
Another two weeks went by, and they were now ready to begin hollowing out.
“Sonny, today we’re going to mark the outline of the insides of our canoe. Parker, run and get me some of that charcoal I have in the shed.”
“Be right back, Grandpa,” he said as he ran off.
“There, we’ve marked the outline of the sides of our dugout canoe. Next you will find out just why it is called a dugout. We are going to cut a grove on the top where I marked. We’ll cut straight down on the line with the adze and chip out towards the center. Then we’ll cut a trough down the center.”
“Grandpa.”
“What Parker?”
“I noticed it is much easier to say what we’re going to do than do it!”
“Now you’re being crazy, Parker. But you’re right. First I’d like to talk about what I’m going to do. It’s called planning.”
“Now we’re going to build a fire right here on the ground, not too far away from the canoe. Get my flints and tinder. There, the fire is starting. Come along and we’ll get those three cannon balls we found a long time ago from the shed.”
“Grandpa, the ones we found on the other side of the lagoon?”
“Yep, the’re only six pounders, but they will do just fine. Now try to lay them on top of the fire. The coals will heat them red hot. Let’s get lunch, and then come back.”
“They’re ready! See Parker, red hot. Now we’re going to put them in the center notch we cut out.”
“How we go’in to pick them up, Grandpa?”
“Easy Sonny, we will each hold on to these two sticks. Then we’ll straddle the cannon balls with them. Push in and pick up. Keep just far enough apart to have the cannon balls in our grasp. Just like this. Easy Sonny. Now set the ball down in the groove, and take your stick away.”
Sizzle! Snap! The hot cannon balls sank down into the groove and proceeded to burn a circle recess.
“What’s happening, Grandpa?”
“The ball is softening the trunk wood as it burns in. Next we’ll roll the cannon balls over in the groove a 'ways. While they’re still hot and burning the new wood, I’m going to cut or dig out some of this wood. Get it? Dugout!”
“Oh Grandpa, I get it!”
“Now we’re lucky to have these iron tools. The early natives in Jamaica, Cuba, and other places had to use hot rocks, stone axes, and shells to scrape the wood out.”
“How long will it take us to dig the dugout?”
“Now you are getting poetic, Parker. We will get about an inch deeper every time we work along the groove. Since we’re not in a hurry, we’ll get down to a bottom in a week. We’ll have to do some other chores or Grandma will think we’re just playing out here on the beach.”
“Can’t we go net fishing and looking for turtles?”
“I think that comes under the topic of hunting for food. That is an acceptable pastime. First let’s see if Grandma needs any help with the garden.”
“There’s our dugout canoe, Parker. All we have to do is a couple more things. We’ll scrape and polish the insides with shells and sand rocks. Then we will seal and waterproof it with some grease I’ve made from turtle fat.”
“I’m ready, Grandpa!” Parker exclaimed.
“I’m glad for that because you are my greatest helper and worker. But tomorrow we are going on a short expedition. We will go inland around the lagoon and to the other side. We need to find three very special accessories for our canoe. We need a mast about the size of my upper arm and fifteen feet long. We need a ten-foot spar about the same size to hold the bottom of our sail. We also need an out-rigger log, not too dense but strong, and some poles to attach it.”
“What’s an outrigger, Grandpa?”
“Parker, it must be a very straight log about six inches in diameter. We will attach it parallel to our canoe about four feet from the side. It will keep us from tipping when we sail.”
“We’re going to sail! Yah!” Parker yelled.
“Easy, Sonny. Now let’s go for supper.”
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
