The Berenice contained berths for nine people. A double bed and single (for the baby) accommodated three in the aft cabin. Two sets of upper and lower berths slept four in the galley. Two single berths slept two more in the forward bedroom in the main cabin.
Materials for building the Berenice cost about $9,000. Built over the course of two years, in Dad's spare time, it was finished in 1971. The Berenice was built by bending galvanized water pipe into a frame and covering it with half-inch chicken wire mesh (four layers outside and four inside). Then plastered with cement to create a three-quarter inch thick hull. |
The author's dad began the trip with $250 in his pockets.
The Hercules diesel motor had a bad starter. The longest time spent away from land was 37 days--between Ascension Island and Barbados in the Atlantic. Best soap to use with salt water, per author's mom, is liquid JOY. The Berenice sold for $9,000 in 1973. |