YOUNG " SVEA" HAS A NEW LOVER............A BITTERSWEET MOMENT......

.

We have had an army of people searching the country far and wide looking for the right person to take-over the ownership of the beautiful yacht "SVEA", our classic Scandinavian double-ender that has twice circled the Globe. I owe many thanks to those people and I raise my glasses to you ............. now where did I put my glasses, ....... Oh, YES .......... HERE'S TO YOU ALL, and MY SINCEREST THANKS TO YOU ALL. WE APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE AND IN ALL THE WAYS YOU HAVE HELPED..... "SVEA" will shortly be heading to her new home in CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS.

We have been fortunate in finding someone who not only loves her but has great future plans for her, and to top it off, is a retired ship-wright with lots of Coast Guard experience. "SVEA" will sail again and in doing so, she will live again. I must have been shaking when I took these two blurry pictures of the inside bow sections, showing the burnished planking, the massive oak frames, and the copper rivets. For once I can say "DON'T DOUBLE-CLICK ON THESE", although you can do so on this beautiful orchid flower that is one of thousands on a giant orchid tree in John & Dotty Noble's garden in VERO BEACH.





So here's a last look at the beveled glass portholes, that magnificent teak interior with the solid teak bulkheads, cabinets and doors. I'm guessing 'veneers' had not yet been invented back in 1939. On her last circumnavigation, the author SUE MOESLY wrote about the wild seas they experienced in the Indian Ocean, and how a can of food went flying out of the rack from one side of the cabin and hitting the other, just missing her head. We went to look for the dent, and sure enough we found it ................ As far as dents go...... it was a 'good' dent ........ Here also is another head, the "HEAD", small but very useful, with vanity basin and a mirror to give you a scare, particularly in the morning, just after watching the sun rise, as in the photo below, with "SVEA" gliding over the seas.



It has been a memorable journey for us and "SVEA" thus far, blending the new with the old as in a modern autopilot steering a historic vessel and the satellite GPS lighting the way across the timeless ocean. Who would have thought that such changes would unfold when the keel of this vessel was laid in DENMARK, back in 1938/39 with the country under German occupation in a world gone mad. And who would have named this ship ..........."SVEA", which means 'sweet', or 'sweetie', at a time of sheer insanity. The builder and architect hid the vessel in a shed, so we found out, and thus kept it from destruction and theft. I bet even he had no idea "SVEA" would end up in CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas..............Then again, you never know, perhaps the new owners may decide they need to sail around the world..........at least "SVEA" will know the way......................with or without GPS.









And as "SVEA" heads for the Keys and TEXAS, so we, on "ARITA", will be on our way to the Caribbean, sailing first through the Bahamas and then past Cuba and Windward Passage and onto the Dominican Republic, before going to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.....................lots to see, flowers to smell, walks to walk, and sunsets to drool over......................STAY CONNECTED ............we might just go on the western side of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, just for good measure.

Captain "Global" Glenn Miller on the yacht "TREEHOUSE" will be joining us for more of the same blue water and sunshine, (assuming he escapes from the frozen ice in upper state NY............. But right now, I need to finish construction on this Royal Residence that will house the dock-owner's golfcart, change out a window, do a few other repairs........ you know, keeping my hand in................. before it gets to be as young as "SVEA".