Photo: Bernie aboard his trawler.
Yesterday afernoon we sailed on to Buena Vista Cay and anchored next to the German-flagged trawler, Countess Cosel. Over cracked conch and cold beer aboard Halekai, we got acquainted with Bernhard, who spends his winters here in the Jumentos. He told us the harrowing story of his escape over the Berlin Wall in 1962. He and a friend studied the routine of the border guards and hatched out a plan that gave them 20 seconds to climb the barbed wire fence. They made their dash in the shelter of a truck that brought the relief shift of guards in the cold grey dawn, the rain helping to dim visibility and distract the sleepy guards. They escaped undetected. Bernie eventually emigrated to Milwaukee where he learned to sail on Lake Michigan. This afternoon he invited Burger to hunt and they just returned with their bounty, a lobster and a grouper. Life is good!