# Ex MFV Sunlight.



## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

I first heard of the MFV Sunlight when I was on salvage operations in the Windward Islands of the Caribbean Sea. Debut had been contracted by the boatyard at Bequia, to search the reefs for the lead keels of wrecked yachts, for the internal ballast of the classic Cariacou inter-island schooner, Water Pearl, being built there as a luxury yacht for Bob Dylan. The lead could easily be carved into blocks using a well-oiled chain-saw, to fit snuggle between the frames in the bilges. We were also involved with the salvage of the inter-island ferry, Siemstrand, at Union Island at the time, and the wooden inter-island cargo boat, Johanna A , at Sandy Bay, on the windward side of St. Vincent.
We were asked by the drugs-trafficking syndicate that owned her, to tow her to Virgin Gorda from Anguilla, in the Leeward Islands, after the three Antiguan crew on board her had caused bad feelings in the island towards them by selling marijuana to the tourists, and chasing after the young girls. The customs and immigration authorities were requested by the police to evict them from the island, but the main engine was in pieces after the vessel was flooded, following being grounded on a reef.
The Sunlight had loaded ten tons of compressed marijuana in Colombia, with the intention of taking it to Dominica, where they would drift twenty miles under the lee of the island, to off-load their cargo on to a fleet of luxury yachts. These, intern, would sail up to Florida and unload their two ton payload on to high-speed centre-consul sport fishing-boats. But the Antiguan crew broached her cargo and were stoned out of their minds for four days. The seventy five foot Sunlight ploughed her furrow north-eastward through the Caribbean Sea, as even her young captain was off his face, shot full of heroine. She fetched up on a reef before they came to their senses.
Her cargo was unloaded on to another mother-ship, that towed her to Anguilla for repairs.
After sitting out the Hurricane Season at Falmouth Harbour, in Antigua, Debut commenced salvage operations in Groote Bay, St. Martin, where we recovered the twelve ton lead keel from the luxury Camper and Nicholson ketch, the Nag. We salvaged what we could from the wrecked Korean long-liner, No. 2 Pioneer, then surveyed the wreck of the ninety five foot Camper and Nicholson ketch, the Black Swan. She had an external lead keel of twenty five tons, and what was left of the twenty five tons of lead billots in her bilges.
We held off from starting this salvage operation because of the wet season, which was causing much sediment to flow out of The Blue Lagoon. It was not only silting up the water, but would be pushing directly against Debut's starboard side as we backed into Simpson Bay to lift the wreck.
Robin, the young captain at the time the Sunlight ran aground, contracted Debut to go to Spanish Town Marina, in Virgin Gorda, to pay off her harbour charges, then tow her back to Anguilla. This was completed, but the authorities didn't want her there. The black uniformed harbour master, along with the chief of police, and the customs and immigration officers boarded my ship, and were treated to Mount Gay rum from Barbados, and all the cigarettes that they wanted to smoke. When they jovially left my ship with a bottle of rum each and a canton of cigarettes of their choice, they welcomed us to stay as long as we wished at their island, provided that we towed the Sunlight with us when we left.
I was contracted to tow Sunlight to St. Bathelemy, but was told to tow her to Antigua for repairs, as many of the drug-trafficking gang had been arrested in a naval action with a French patrol vessel. As Robin had tried to set me up when I entered Virgin Gorda, by spilling cocaine over my cabin carpet, I laid on a little surprise for him. Details of this can be read in my book, The Judas Kiss, part of The Black Ship Trilogy. The Kindle code can be found in the Book forum of this web-site.
I suggested to the drugs syndicate that I strip out the Sunlight of any usable gear, and then sink her in deep water, as my chief engineer wanted to get his hands on her Gardener main engine and rebuild it. But Carol wanted her once luxury home to be towed to Antigua instead. As if I had to tow Sunlight around the world forever, Debut set off with her leaking charge in tow, punching into the easterly swell. Her three Antiguan crew must have been spewing their guts up, trying to keep Sunlight afloat. Not wishing to enter St. John's Harbour, because of the compulsory pilotage and the hefty harbour charges, I anchored her a mile offshore, and left it up to her crew to arrange a tow into the harbour. I also had British registration do***ents for her in the name of Golden Promise, for which she was originally arrested in Virgin Gorda.
I thought I'd seen the last of Sunlight, then some ten years ago I saw her on the television in Plymouth, after she had been arrested off Cornwall by The Royal Navy with a cargo of four tons of best Colombian cocaine on board. This was the largest cocaine bust in British waters... ever. She was even painted the same Green Boat green that all the mother-ships of the syndicate were painted. It looks like the good-old Sunlight finally returned home. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## Basil (Feb 4, 2006)

Rollicking stuff! I'd a friend and colleague who smuggled gold into India by wrapping the bars in hessian and free dropping them on a beach from a Dakota.

p.s. For any intererested Indian Customs Officer, he died some years ago.


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*Basil.*

Good to hear from you, Basil... a good story, all round. There's lots of fun-things to do in life, and I advise people to get some before its too late. All the best, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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