# Where are you, Lorraine



## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

I first met Lorraine in Trinidad at the carnival in February, 1979, after I arrived with my ship, Debut. I had sailed from England with a completely green crew, and after a shake-down voyage down the west coast of Europe, calling at Coruna, Lisbon, Tenerife and the Cape Verde Islands, they were ready to cross the Atlantic. Following a month in Barbados, then visiting Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines and Grenada, I took my ship through the Dragon's Mouth and entered the Gulf of Paria. With only a foot of water under her keel, I anchored Debut a mile off Port of Spain. There was a large raft of yachts just outside the harbour, of some 60 or so vessels of every description, from all over the world. Lorraine was crewing on a New Zealand yacht, that she had joined in Cairns, in Far North Queensland, in Australia. 
She had had a rough childhood, what with a violent alcoholic father, and a mother out of it most of the time, loaded with prescription drugs washed down with vodka. She'd finally run away from home at the tender age of 14. She had slept rough for a couple of weeks, before meeting up with four young New Zealand guys on their yacht, who were sailing around the world. They were moored at the Cruising Yacht Club, to the south of the town, and took her in as part of their crew, in exchange for her sexual favours.
After sailing through the Torres Straight and westward through the Arafura Sea, they sailed across the Indian Ocean, then north up the Red sea. Following their transit of the Suez Canal, they sailed west through the Mediterranean and crossed the Atlantic to Trinidad. 
Hundreds of thousands of people came from all over the world for the Trinidad carnival, possibly the best carnival on Earth because it was for the people, not some tourist rip-off. All the accommodation in Port of Spain was booked up a year in advance, so there little chance of the drifters and back-packers finding anywhere to stay. I allowed three dozen or so youngsters to crash out on Debut, and many of the yachts did the same. There was general partying going on all over, and Lorraine found herself on my ship after an all night rave. She liked the general atmosphere on board my ship, and being with some twenty or so young people, so she asked to join my crew.
Unsure of where to head for next, I remained on anchor for another fortnight. The harbour launch came out to deliver a telegram, requesting that I ring Chris Bowman collect in Bequia. He wanted me to head back north up through the Windward and Leeward Islands to look for lead from the keels of wrecked yachts. Him and Nolly Simmonds were building the Water Pearl for Bob Dylan, a classic 75 
foot Cariacou schooner. So once more Debut headed north up through the chain of islands, searching for sunken yachts on the myriad of reefs. Unfortunately, the money to complete the fitting out of Water Pearl was accidentally sent to Port Elisabeth, South Africa, instead of Bequia, and money could not be recovered from there because of the financial constraints caused by apartheid. I unloaded the lead recovered in Curacao, to make car batteries.
Lorraine sailed with me as my girlfriend to Panama, where Debut transited the canal into the Pacific, then up the west coast of Central America to Acapulco in Mexico. With many of my crew flying home to see their families, and many more re-joining the my ship and bringing their friends with them, we set sail westward across the Pacific for the enchanted islands of the Marquise and Tuamotu Archipelagos, before heading for Tahiti and the fabled island of Bora Bora.
Once Debut arrived in Pago Pago, in American Samoa, most of the crew continued on their journey around the world by plane or signing on other yachts, or flew back home. I had used up half of my fuel since leaving Trinidad, some 60 tons partying around the world, and it was now time to knuckle down and establish myself as a serious salvage operator in the South seas.
I finally persuaded Lorraine to write to her family in Australia, to let them know that she was still alive. She received a reply from her older brother, requesting her to return to Cairns. Her father had finally drunk himself to death, and her mother was in a mental institution after having a complete mental breakdown. He wanted her to settle things in Cairns, so he could return to his job in Sydney. I kissed her goodbye at the airport, and she promised to return as soon as her task had been completed. I never saw or heard from her again. Get in touch, Kitten, so we can pick up where we left off. All my love, Dick Brooks.


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## GrahamBurn (Sep 10, 2012)

A touching story, I hope it has a happy ending for you both.


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For GrahamBurn.*

Good to get you thread, Graham. As I said at the end of my short story, I never saw or heard from Lorraine again. I married an 18 year old Samoan girl, only half of my age. She crewed aboard my ship during many adventures and salvage operations in Samoa. After the birth of our daughter, Zyanya, in Apia, who we had to leave with her mother because of local custom, I sailed from Samoa with only Mariana on board as crew to explore the South seas. 
Dirty Mike, a Kiwi friend of mine, was waiting five miles outside of the harbour of Apia on the leads in his Arlia fishing-boat for me to take him aboard. He was at the top of the list of the immigration not to leave the country. We took his Arlia in tow, and via Wallis Island, made it to Fiji. He sold his fishing-boat for a Scuba diving boat, and flew to New Zealand. He later returned to Apia to face the music.
Mariana and me headed west to explore the South Seas, and after two years arrived in Cairns, in Australia. While I was negotiating a contract for my ship with a British film company, to play the part of the Rainbow Warrior in a film about her sinking by the French in Auckland Harbour, we ran out of time that we were aloud to spend in Australian territorial waters. I anchored Debut 25 miles east of Bloomfield in international waters to await the conclusion of the contract, but nature had other things planned for me.
A week after Mariana returned to the ship after giving birth to our son, Robbie, at Cairns Base General Hospital, a tropical storm line bore down on the ship and snapped the 65 ton breaking strain anchor chain like a piece of rotten thread. We were enclosed by reefs on all sides, and because of the night and the blowing spray, visibility was down to twenty feet. We fetched up on Emily Reef, 25 miles SE of Cooktown.
With 25 to 30 knot winds blowing continuously over the next few months, there was no chance to get her off. I set anchors on the reef, and during high tides, managed to winch her on to the reef and flood her down with 800 tons of water in the hold. This kept her steady until I could rig a set of one ton anchors to hold her in place.
Mariana left the ship after 11 months, as there was no food on board to wean a baby, and returned to Samoa. During the next two years I spent castaway, I wrote three books, which I am now in the process of having published as The Black Ship Trilogy. I managed to sell off plenty of artefacts to the visiting tourists from Cooktown, so I could fly to Samoa to collect Mariana and our two children, on my way back to the UK. All the best Dick Brooks.


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## Bill.B (Oct 19, 2013)

Was just reading your profile and we'll remember Biche laying alongside Bourne Bridge in Ipswich in the 60's. I was a bit of a mud lark in those days and the Ostrich foreshore was one of my haunts. Sad to say it is all gone underneath Foxes marina. You have had an interesting time as I have but nowhere on your scale.
Often wondered what happened to Biche as she was a good looking craft. I ended up on a barge from Ipswich and then deep sea as sparkie. All the best in your. Adventures
Bill Bonner


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*For Bill B*

Good to receive your thread, Bill. It's good hearing from people in my past. After spending 15 years deep sea, all over the world, it's good to bring back memories of the 11 years I spent in the North Sea and English Channel. I sold Biche to couple from Poole Harbour, who took her there. After refitting her out, they used her for charter in the English Channel area. When I returned to the UK in 1990, I saw her on TV moored in Brest Harbour. This was during the tall ship's race. I gather that she was later sold to a Maritime Museum in France, and is now moored in La Rochelle in the Bay of Biscay, where she was originally built. She was the last surviving tuna fishing-yawl, still under sail. All the rest of the fleet were converted into motor-yachts or house-boats. My old Blue Belle was also sold to a Maritime Museum in France, and is now kept in Paris. I missed seeing her by only half an hour in August, 1990, when she left Debeges Marina on a low-loader, bound for Dover. I have spent my time writing since I returned to the UK, and have had two of my books published so far on Amazon on their Kindle system. My next book is almost ready, and will be sent to my literary agent next week. I hope all is well with you. All the best, Dick Brooks.


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## Bill.B (Oct 19, 2013)

I remember seeing you a few times on board Biche pottering around. I could never work out if I was a bargeman with a deep sea problem or a deep seaman with a barge problem. Never had a bad trip on a barge or ship. Was lucky to have sailed with a lot of older barge skippers and miss them all as most are gone. Your were lucky to have followed your star and have such a full life. I count myself very lucky to have done what I have done so far but have never lost what attracted us to a seagoing life. We all have met people that shaped our lives and then lost contact with and at times wonder where they are or what they look like. I never grow tired of looking at ships or boats, though some of the new ones take a bit of getting used to, and just this website with so many stories of people and also of the ships themselves. It is a good way to spend a life and we were all lucky to have travelled that path. One of my favorite barges, Northdown, ended up in France at Dournenez and is still afloat. God knows why as she leaked like a sieve in the 70s. Like Biche, for a barge,she was a good seaboat. Good talking to you and funny how things go full circle after all these years.
Keep sailing
Bill


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*Bill b*

Hi, Bill b, good to hear from you again. I've just returned an hour and forty five minutes ago from Lorient, on the Bay of Biscay coast of France, where I sailed on Biche out to the Ile de Quoix. This was the island about ten miles outside of the harbour of Lorient where she worked as a tuna fishing boat from 1934. 
The preservation society, [email protected], spent three years totally rebuilding her, which was completed last year on her 80th birthday. Their secretary is Julie Leveugle, who works full time from their office near the fishing harbour boatyard. Biche was rescued from the mudflats after the previous owner couldn't come up with the money to look after her. She was in a terrible state, with a broken back, but as she was the very last Britton tuna fishing boat left, they persevered and raised the money to salvage her and totally rebuild her. Now she looks better than when she was built, with a much finer finish. 
I even took the helm for a couple of hours while sailing out to sea towards the Ile de Quoix, using the original type of steel tiller with a wooden handle at the end. She has been completely refitted in her original style, even with the eighty foot booms for trolling for tuna, with the addition of lazy-jacks on the mainsail to help handle the sail. It gave me a wonderful feeling to stand at the helm again on that beautiful ship and sail her in a brisk force six under full sail, complete with a jack-yard topsail. If any old salts out there want to book a trip with her, they can use the web address I have given. She does day charter out to the Ile de Quoix, and occasional long distance charters like the one coming up to the Scilly Islands.
I'll post an expanded thread on Biche tomorrow, under her name on the Fishing Boat Forum, as I need a few nippy-swifties and a good night's sleep. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## Les Amis du Biche (May 5, 2015)

Cpt Dick Brooks said:


> Hi, Bill b, good to hear from you again. I've just returned an hour and forty five minutes ago from Lorient, on the Bay of Biscay coast of France, where I sailed on Biche out to the Ile de Quoix. This was the island about ten miles outside of the harbour of Lorient where she worked as a tuna fishing boat from 1934.
> The preservation society, [email protected], spent three years totally rebuilding her, which was completed last year on her 80th birthday. Their secretary is Julie Leveugle, who works full time from their office near the fishing harbour boatyard. Biche was rescued from the mudflats after the previous owner couldn't come up with the money to look after her. She was in a terrible state, with a broken back, but as she was the very last Britton tuna fishing boat left, they persevered and raised the money to salvage her and totally rebuild her. Now she looks better than when she was built, with a much finer finish.
> I even took the helm for a couple of hours while sailing out to sea towards the Ile de Quoix, using the original type of steel tiller with a wooden handle at the end. She has been completely refitted in her original style, even with the eighty foot booms for trolling for tuna, with the addition of lazy-jacks on the mainsail to help handle the sail. It gave me a wonderful feeling to stand at the helm again on that beautiful ship and sail her in a brisk force six under full sail, complete with a jack-yard topsail. If any old salts out there want to book a trip with her, they can use the web address I have given. She does day charter out to the Ile de Quoix, and occasional long distance charters like the one coming up to the Scilly Islands.
> I'll post an expanded thread on Biche tomorrow, under her name on the Fishing Boat Forum, as I need a few nippy-swifties and a good night's sleep. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


Hi, Dick,

Thanks for this article! We were very happy to meet you last week.
I would like to correct two little mistakes... 

that is the Ile of GROIX just in front of Lorient. 

People can join Julie Leveugle, who is looking for things about the history of Biche, at [email protected] (the address you gave won't work!) and Julie Walter, the secretary of our association, at [email protected].

They can also visit our website www.lebiche.com

Thank you again for your visit,

Julie L


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