boat design, with bunks for four men, an adjoining head 

 and a large locker. A steep ladder led upward to the for- 

 ward deck. 



As we progressed through this capacious, well- 

 designed boat, I could feel a mounting sense of excite- 

 ment. A similar feeling transmitted itself to me from Ed. 

 Here was everything we needed for our purpose. It only 

 lacked the trim lines and billowing canvas of our favorite 

 sail. 



After spending a tense, exciting evening weighing 

 the pros and cons of sail versus power, we went back the 

 next morning to take another look at the trawler. As I 

 had sensed it would, right from the beginning, the highly 

 practical, efficient shrimp boat with the Caterpillar diesel 

 won out. Within a matter of days we were the enthusiastic 

 owners of Sea Diver, renamed to symbohze her new 

 purpose. 



Sea Diver spent the next two weeks in a shipyard in 

 Miami, undergoing some structural changes we felt neces- 

 sary to adapt the boat to our needs. The many little cut-up 

 rooms of the deck cabin were replaced by a single large, 

 airy room separated into three sections by four-foot-high 

 partitions — a pilothouse, a lounge with folding table and 

 two bunks, and a galley aft. This would allow the free 

 circulation of air so essential to operations in southern ch- 

 mates. It would also make it possible, when we were cruis- 

 ing short-handed, to combine the functions of wheel- 

 house, galley and lounge. It would be of particular value 

 at night, as one person could be on duty with the help of 

 the autopilot, while his relief slept nearby, ready to help 

 or take over if the occasion demanded. 



The new cabin was paneled in natural pine. The 

 heavy plank table was flanked by two combination seat- 

 bunks covered with durable green nylon. A small ship 

 model on one wall and a glass-covered display case for 



The Florida Keys 57 



