About 7 eventful months ago I pulled into Tortugal on Ghostboat after an
incredible 7 month cruise of the Caribbean. I fell in love with Tortugal the
minute i stepped foot on the dock and how couldn't I, being set in the jungle
and trying hard to keep as much of that alive as possible it's a stunning Hotel
and Marina.
A few weeks past and all the varnish re-done on the interior of Ghostboat
it was time to start booking a flight home which I had seriously been looking
forward to. Until I passed Esther, an amazing, energetic and very creative
Ausie, on the dock, she had been working at Tortugal for about two months and
was loving life and I just asked whether there might happen to be a job
available here and with my experience in boats they immediately said yes. This
posed as a huge opportunity yet did put a stop to any plans of going home. I
took it.
Not long after, a one of a kind boat pulled in with a one of a kind crew.
Lisbeth II owned and basically built by the German owners George and Brigitte,
was a 50ft steel ship, with more space than I've ever seen on a boat of her
size.
They had a young crew on board named Jonas who had been on a two month
brake cruising Honduras and the Bay Islands of Honduras. We immediately started
talking and I don't think it was more than two or three days before we were
scowering the River up, down and all around for a very cheap small boat that
needed some work after two days of doing nothing but driving the river on a
small lancha lent to us by Tortugal we had nothing we had searched every creek
on the river. Then we spoke to the broker on the river and he said that there
was a small Halman 27 sitting at a very small locally owned marina so over we
shot and we thought that was the one. The next day after we had sent all the necessary
emails to see if the owner would say yes to our low ball offer I headed down to
the workshop to get on with the day to day stuff and Myke the owner of
Tortugal was down there and as I'm sure you'll come to realize he's hands down
the most amazing man I've ever met. As we worked we talked and he slowly began
to mention Fjellrypa a Norwegian Gulfstar 41' that had been abandoned here by
an alcoholic ni-on 10 years ago. Didn't take long for us to make an agreement
that was to good to be true so of course me being me and Jonas being Jonas we
leapt at the opportunity of a life time.
Jonas then went back to Germany to cancel going back to school after doing
his three year apprenticeship as a industrial mechanic and electrician
specialist and sort out a few other issues. He's now back and we've started to
rip the boat apart to turn her into something special.
So let the fun begin...
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| Rhum |
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| Jonas |
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