Show Romance on the Sea SeaBy SeaBy SeaBy By BRUCE CATION CATTON The day of snorting rip romance at t sea Is supposed to have ended about the time when the steamboat shoved the last of ot the squar square rig riggers rig rig- gers off oct the main sea lanes But romance doesn't depend on the trappings of tradition As long longas as there are oceans to be crossed and men to cross them there will willbe willbe be adventure and md nd romantic things can happen to a seaman today Just Justas as well as they did years ago Consider for instance the surprising surprising sur sur- things that befell a young man named J. J Ancil Bayette who went to sea for a lark last June alter after graduation from the University University University sity of ot Florida Bayette shipped on a four masted schooner for St Sl Vincent in the Cape Verde Islands The schooner had a load of at lumber and automobiles automobiles automo automo- biles and it immediately ran into heavy weather weather weather-so so heavy that It took days das to make the trip whereas even Columbus did itIn it itIn itin in 90 Anyway on arrival at al St. St Vincent Vincent Vincent Vin Vin- cent the skipper got into difficulties difficulties difficulties ties with the owners and was dis dis- dis missed And then by a freak Creak of chance young Bayette fresh out of college was put In command and the he schooner took on a new cargo and cleared for the west coast of ot Africa Old Oid Man Trouble was still on the prowl More storms came The Theold Theold Theold old schooner sprung a leak leak or or more more accurately accurately a whole set of ot leaks And the young collegian who went to sea for a lark found himself commanding a foundering hulk in an Atlantic gale sale with his frightened crew putting in 24 2 hours a the pumps Finally the pumps clogged The schooner became waterlogged d. d The young skipper found his hig brief career of ot command climaxed by the necessity of ot abandoning ship 0 There was just one lifeboat an lifeboat an foot 18 affair into which 12 men had to jam themselves It was powered with a small motor but the motor wouldn't work and they had to take it out They set et forth leaving the schooner to sink and andset andset andset set out to brave the gale There followed days of ot great A steamer hove in sight ight failed to see them in the storm torm wrack and went away Food ran low toward the end they were reduced reduced re re- to the unusual and interesting interest interest- ing lag diet of ot hard boiled eggs and whisky And at last with food and strength and hope vanishing together together together to to- gether they managed to land on the tip Up of ot the Island of ot Brava Inthe in inthe the Cape Verde group where they slept In caves on a rocky beach until one of t their number was able abbe to walk to a 1 settlement and summon sumS sum mon help So the romance of ot the sea Is dead is it If It you OU think so you might ask uk this young foun college lad from Florida |