# Where are you, Cpt. Bea Berg.



## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

I first met Bea Berg in Avarua Harbour, Rarotonga, in July, 1981, when he was the captain of the Silk and Boyd inter-island freighter, Manuvai. I'd just arrived with Debut from Pago Pago to collect a group of American tourists for Goodtravel Tours. They were to travel round the remote and exotic Cook Islands as far north as Puka Puka, then onto Pago Pago, in American Samoa, before returning to the U.S.
Bea had spent all of his life at sea, starting off in the Swedish Navy as a cadet, working up to a destroyer flotilla commander. When he retired, he bought an 85 foot Baltic ketch and left her to be refitted at a local boat-yard while he earned the money at sea. After spending four years as second officer on a tramp-steamer in the South China Sea, he returned to Sweden to collect his refurbished ship. He got a crew of young adventurers together and set sail for the Caribbean and the South Pacific. A young American girl joined his ship in Panama, who caused quite a bit of trouble. Patti became famous after she married the youngest person to sail round the would alone, Robin Graham, on his yacht Dove. When Bo arrived in Auckland, he sold his ship. She was used in a film, then burnt in the closing scene.
Bo found himself adrift and ended up in a bar in Barbados. He was drinking at the bar, when a more mature woman offered him a drink and got into conversation with him. When offered her a drink in return, she suggested they retire to her room, where she had a bottle of whiskey. She asked him what would be his greatest fantasy. He replied, to fly to Singapore, build a 95 foot steel schooner, then sail her around the world. They left the room after 3 days and caught the next flight to Singapore. Her name was Billy Michele. Her next door neighbour was Princess Margaret, on the Caribbean Island of Mystique. When they were about to launch her, they were walking through the park. Bo picked a small posy of wild flowers, then wrapped them in the silver foil from his cigarette packet. Billy accepted them and smiled. "We'll call her Nosegay", she said. They sailed her round the world, then on their second lap they argued and Bea left. Sitting at the bar of the Bilbao Yacht Club morosely drinking, a stranger sat next to him. After they'd been chatting for a while, the stranger asked him if he knew anyone with a masters ticket. He was Don Silk, of Silk and Boyd Shipping. When Bo arrived in New Zealand with the ship, her name was changed to Manuvai. I met him 8 years later. Whenever our ships met up in port, we'd have a run ashore together. I met up with him again when my ship was anchored off Cairns, Queensland. He was the captain of a large landing barge from New Guinea, and seeing Debut, he signed off and was on his way out to see me in a Dolphin hire boat, when I was on my way into shore with my wife Mariana for our weekly shop. We all got on the beer in the Marlin Bar, and Bea moved on board. Three weeks later he flew to Florida to re-rig the beautiful Camber and Nicholson yawl, Carina. I last heard from him after my return to the UK in 1990. Bea was about to sail from Sweden single-headed across the Atlantic to the Caribbean . That was going on 15 years ago. Where are you, Bea. Get in touch with your old ship-mate, Cpt Dick Brooks.


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

Great story,hope you both get together. With my luck I have never had a woman sit next to me with assets like you mentioned.


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## Cpt Dick Brooks (May 13, 2013)

*New book published.*

Hi, John, 
I thought you might like to know that yesterday I was informed by my literary agent that my second book was now published. "The Judas Kiss" , by Cpt Dick Brooks, is published by Amazon on their Kindle system, code B00KJ3664C. Enjoy the read, Dick Brooks.


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