PALLAS - THE UNTOLD STORY

        My friends all ask. Why Pallas? It is simply, I reply, an Alpha-Omega thing. Pallas first came into my life in 1942 when my father purchased my first sailboat, a 12 foot Snorky, (pic) flat bottomed, a 4X12 foot rectangle with a single sail. It's name was Pallas after the original bad guy in Greek mythology, best known for his rape of the Goddess Athena. I sailed and raced Pallas all over the Havana waterfront (pics) during years, until dad bought me a 15 foot Snipe called Bluebird (pic). My brother Ken got Pallas (pic) which he continued racing.

        This new PALLAS, a 40 foot steel sloop, rests upon a fabulous history, one that began during the darkest days of World War II when Hein Garbers, an avid small boat sailor, talked Admiral Doenitz, numero uno in the German Navy, into allowing him to continue sailing his 39 foot Danish sailboat as a means of transporting German spies to Argentina and to South Africa. With his Danish passport and flag, Garbers made numerous successful crossings.

        During the late 1940's, after the war, while scavenging through abandoned U-Boat construction yards, Garbers came across tons of black iron steel plates destined for use in never-to-be-built submarines. He acquired more than 60 tons of this plate, shipped them to Hamburg, Germany, and personally supervised the construction of 8 steel boats to his "dream" design, garnered from more than 30 years sailing the high seas. Fully riveted, with a fair rounded hull, a solid teak interior, a tall mast and long boom, she proved to be a real ocean sailor.

        Hull #3 was launched in 1951 and named Janne. A second owner renamed the boat ETMAL, which means :"course" in Swedish. Later, Peter Adalberg bought the boat, (pic) renamed it Bonifaz III, and set sail for South Africa. On their return voyage, life at sea had lost its charm. While passing through Venezuela in 1976, Peter struck up a friendship with Fred Schubert who then and there decided to become an ocean sailor. In March 2001 I became the new owner of Teresa V and with my great oceanic crew of chuck Ada,s and Walt Berner we sailed in to Puerto rico in 6 great days. On Friday August 1, 2003, a new PALLAS came into my life at Isleta Marina, just West of Fajardo, Puerto Rico (pics) as my friend Johann fixed gold leaf and dark blue stenciling on a newly painted hull.

        Pallas has sailed the US, Puerto Rican and British Virgins Islands since then with a host of grandchildren.

        Pallas is moored at San Juan Bay Marina.

Bill Butler

September 15, 2003