Chapter 10: Epilogue

The raising of the Grifun turned out to be a widely popular occasion. A flotilla of dozens of vessels had gathered around the salvaging operation and several helicopters hovered overhead. An occasional small airplane would buzz the site circling several times before heading back to wherever they came from. Journalists from far and wide appeared to interview the salvage crew and record their efforts. The day of the wrecks surfacing and retrieval by the floating drydock was widely televised and celebrated worldwide.

Nobody was more excited than Bobby and Tai as they stood aboard the dredging barge holding hands. The bladders had breached the surface and were arranged inside the recovery barge where huge winches were connected to each strap to complete the recovery. Each of the twin hulls had been submerged to the point that only a series of steel towers protruded from the surface. Each of the towers connected to one of the straps and the powerful winches were operated independently but synchronized to ensure that the fragile wreck was raised uniformly. It was a slow painstaking process and everyone watching paced impatiently as they waited for any sign of the ancient shipwreck.

When she finally breached the surface, wild applause could be heard from the nearest spectators. The hull was as expected — waterlogged and sorely distressed. The recovery crew raised it until the hull was four feet above the waterline and then paused to let the water drain from it gradually. If they rushed the operation, the weight of any retained water could severely damage the already weakened structure.

The engineers in charge of the retrieval had expertly timed the event so that the Grifun was returned to the surface by mid-morning, allowing for the remainder of the day to completely recover the ship and secure it within the enclosure of the drydock. By evening the vessel was secured between the twin hulls and the water was pumped out of them to raise the entire barge back to its original maneuvering configuration. The Grifun rode stately above the pontoons in its carriage, with its keel wedged firmly in place by chords of dunnage. Once the recovery supervisor declared that the vessel was secure and drydocked, the salvage crew was allowed to board the barge and examine the 17th-century trader for the first time in over 300 years.

Bobby and Tavia were given first rights to approach the vessel and touch the waterlogged hull. Both were breathless as they stood beneath the massive trader, staring in awe at the curved wooden hull. There was surprisingly very little outward scarring or signs of damage over most of the hull except where a large gaping hole appeared near the port side stern. It was clearly the fatal blow that doomed the ship, but they could only speculate what had caused it.

“My God this is amazing!” Bobby exclaimed softly as he ran his hand across the sodden planks of the keel. There were almost no barnacles present which was hardly surprising considering it had been buried in silt for three centuries. He felt goosebumps along his arms as the enormity of their discovery stood before his eyes.

“I feel like we just stepped back in time,” she replied beside him.

“We did this, babe,” he replied pulling her into a hug. “We fucking did this!”

“Gonna be hard to top dis one, Mon,” she replied sardonically.

He laughed. “I already did,” he smirked.

She turned to gaze into his humorous eyes, trying to read his expression. “Don’t tell me tagging dat damn shark topped this!”

“Nope,” he replied facing her with his arms around her possessively. “But tagging you was.”

“Nice save, white boy,” she crooned with a mischievous smile. “Nice save.”

The Grifun found her new home at the Oceanic Historical Society Headquarters in Kingston. She was the largest and most intact shipwreck ever salvaged in the Caribbean and she drew hordes of visitors who marveled at her size and lines. The visitors center dedicated an entire room to the vessel, displaying the various items retrieved from her holds including the three iron cannons and the strongboxes that contained the fortune in gold that had been cleverly stashed inside her keel. Several of the coins were displayed within a thick plexiglass enclosure behind a reinforced iron cage. The walls were covered with color photographs of the dredging operation as well as a group photograph of the crew involved in recovering her. A pedestal just beyond the entrance featured an engraved dedication honoring the OHS and the Heritage Project that contributed most of the resources. There was also a large portrait that featured Bobby and Tavia holding hands before the wreck, crediting them with her discovery. A centerpiece on one of the walls was an enlarged and digitally enhanced underwater photograph of Black Betty as she swam past the cage that Bobby and his father used to tag her. The cage itself was given a place of honor at the University of the West Indies where the Professor taught Marine Biology.

Bobby became a celebrity on the campus even before he became a student. Next to the ruined dive cage was a photographic tributary to the massive shark that caused the damage and the remarkable lad who tagged her. Most notable among the images was a still frame captured from his GoPro as it was pointed straight down her open mouth. It was often decried as a fake, despite second and third-party analysis and verification. More than one visitor tried to imagine themselves trapped within the metal cage oriented with their face’s inches from the massive jaws that made such an incredible impression from its powerful bite.

During the remainder of that fateful year, Bobby enjoyed several other pivotal events, most namely the occasion of his seventeenth birthday which allowed him to obtain not only his long-awaited driver’s license but also his private pilot certificate. To celebrate the joyous event, he took his beloved wife, who was in her third trimester of pregnancy on an international flight in the Pipistrel to Ft Meyers, Florida. Kurt followed behind the controls of the Sea Fury that they dropped off for its prescribed Airworthiness recertification. Curiously, they were encouraged by his family to take their time and enjoy a well-deserved second honeymoon vacation. At first, he felt put off by their apparent eagerness to ‘get rid’ of them and he began pondering the eventuality of their having to find a home of their own.

A brochure in the lobby of their hotel caught his attention and he quickly set his misgivings aside. Since Kurt returned home in the Pipistrel, he resorted to renting a Cessna 180 and flew them down to the Florida Keys where they began a week-long adventure exploring the chain of islands. In Key Largo, they checked out the Undersea Park where the world-famous Jules Undersea Lodge was located. Because of Tai’s condition, they weren’t allowed to dive the park or check out the hotel, but Bobby spent enough time around the venue to develop an itch that wouldn’t be assuaged for several years when he ventured into his own underwater hospitality venture.