| TRAVELS OF DURSMIRG VOLUME IV THE ROGUES OF ST. AUGUSTINE AND OTHER SOCIAL MISFITS Chapter 47 |
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YACHTERS, THE GOOD, BAD AND THE UGLY: FRED CULLUM
FRED CULLUM, also known as “Freddie the free-loader”.
Fred was in his 50s and had just dropped out of Canada on a boat he had made to order that was in reality a small
ship or little freighter equipped with power winches, boom-cranes and a cargo holds.
Fred sailed south to Florida in the mid-70s with his boat, Sea Dog, a 55 foot home made steel trawler powered by a
13000 Caterpillar engine. We first met “Freddie the free-loader” at Dinner Key in Miami. Our old friend “Loose
Bruce” Chadwick from his sailing schooner Charlotte Jean brought us together.
Bruce managed to always connect with all of the square pegs, rogues and social misfits so it was only natural that
he would think of us when he connected up with “Freddie the free-loader”.
Our first day together Bruce, Freddie, Jane and I cruised the streets of Miami that Loose Bruce had quickly scoped
out for the far-out eating and drinking establishments plus a trip to visit a Ferro-cement boat under construction that
Bruce thought would be of interest to us.
Well, the Ferro-cement boat was indeed interesting and very well made and we were able to give some time and
money saving advice to the home builders having built our own Ferro-cement vessel. In return we were given all of
the teak wood cut-offs we wanted and I put mine to good use making some clever and practical wood cuts that we
still have and use to this day.
Two years later “Freddie the free-loader” and his Mini-freighter Sea Dog turned up in St. Augustine and almost
naturally gravitated to the Rock Bottom Boat Yard the home of social misfits and owned and operated by our dear
friend Stomp-in-Ron Barnes.
Freddie found the prefect fit for himself, a place to dock his ship, a place to work without a work permit or any
questions asked and a very laid-back low cost party place.
Freddie’s favorite shopping place was only a short walk away at the Goodwill store.
How did “Freddie the free-loader” get his nick-name? Well he earned it the hard way through relentlessly being the
cheapest bugger everywhere he went. Freddie loved to drink other people’s beer and eat other people’s food being
an opportunist at heart, a taker and not a giver.
In spite of Freddie’s extreme cheapness he still would do an honest day’s hard work without a bitch.
Sturdily built, mostly bald, but not yet gray Freddie was not boisterous but he was not afraid to throw a few verbal
barbs and left handed compliments.
Dressed in 2nd hand clothes from Goodwill Freddie never ever made the slightest attempt to flaunt or impress.
He was low-key with his opinions but wouldn’t take any bullshit from anybody either no matter whom it happened to
be.
If Brigid’s Siamese cat at Stomp-in-Ron Barnes Rock Bottom Boat Yard persisted in being a pesky moocher during
lunch time Freddie nonchalantly gave it “flying lessons” by the tail.
“Freddie the free-loader” helped us build our 580 foot dock using his small ship Sea Dog with its boom crane and
power winches. We set pilings, laid pre-stressed cement planking weighing 1,200 pounds each and spent many
hours sloshing through the black pluff mud of the marshes dragging pilings and then jetting them down with my
portable pumping equipment.
The physical exertion of building that dock was awesomely intense and drained our bodies totally by the end of each
work day. When the work was done Fred, Jane and I were physically spent and totally exhausted to the point of
stumbling.
A good friend came by while this project was under way and took a photo of Jane and I then presented us with the
photo mounted on a lovely plaque with an inscription on the back that read; “THE PEERS OF THE WORLD’S
GREAT PIER BUILDERS” dated August 30th 1979.
If you Google earth and look north of the fort in downtown St. Augustine you will see our monumental dock project
with its distinctive dog-leg shape. The above photo was taken from the top of our home looking east across the
marsh to Hospital Creek with our sailboat Dursmirg and shrimp boat Secotan tied at the end. It is low tide.
“Freddie the free-loader” was a strange duck in many ways and proved it when our dock project was finally
completed. Freddie wouldn’t leave with his boat until we became quite insistent.
When Freddie finally pulled away from the dock he deliberately swung his ships stern into the dock and did some
real damage that could have been costly but fortunately I was able to rectify the damage because I had the proper
equipment on the spot and took immediate action.
Freddie the free-loader took the dock building knowledge he picked up from us and went on to build his own marina.
We were told that he made his million bucks plus.
Freddie the free-loader qualified as a social misfit.
next chapter
FRED CULLUM, also known as “Freddie the free-loader”.
Fred was in his 50s and had just dropped out of Canada on a boat he had made to order that was in reality a small
ship or little freighter equipped with power winches, boom-cranes and a cargo holds.
Fred sailed south to Florida in the mid-70s with his boat, Sea Dog, a 55 foot home made steel trawler powered by a
13000 Caterpillar engine. We first met “Freddie the free-loader” at Dinner Key in Miami. Our old friend “Loose
Bruce” Chadwick from his sailing schooner Charlotte Jean brought us together.
Bruce managed to always connect with all of the square pegs, rogues and social misfits so it was only natural that
he would think of us when he connected up with “Freddie the free-loader”.
Our first day together Bruce, Freddie, Jane and I cruised the streets of Miami that Loose Bruce had quickly scoped
out for the far-out eating and drinking establishments plus a trip to visit a Ferro-cement boat under construction that
Bruce thought would be of interest to us.
Well, the Ferro-cement boat was indeed interesting and very well made and we were able to give some time and
money saving advice to the home builders having built our own Ferro-cement vessel. In return we were given all of
the teak wood cut-offs we wanted and I put mine to good use making some clever and practical wood cuts that we
still have and use to this day.
Two years later “Freddie the free-loader” and his Mini-freighter Sea Dog turned up in St. Augustine and almost
naturally gravitated to the Rock Bottom Boat Yard the home of social misfits and owned and operated by our dear
friend Stomp-in-Ron Barnes.
Freddie found the prefect fit for himself, a place to dock his ship, a place to work without a work permit or any
questions asked and a very laid-back low cost party place.
Freddie’s favorite shopping place was only a short walk away at the Goodwill store.
How did “Freddie the free-loader” get his nick-name? Well he earned it the hard way through relentlessly being the
cheapest bugger everywhere he went. Freddie loved to drink other people’s beer and eat other people’s food being
an opportunist at heart, a taker and not a giver.
In spite of Freddie’s extreme cheapness he still would do an honest day’s hard work without a bitch.
Sturdily built, mostly bald, but not yet gray Freddie was not boisterous but he was not afraid to throw a few verbal
barbs and left handed compliments.
Dressed in 2nd hand clothes from Goodwill Freddie never ever made the slightest attempt to flaunt or impress.
He was low-key with his opinions but wouldn’t take any bullshit from anybody either no matter whom it happened to
be.
If Brigid’s Siamese cat at Stomp-in-Ron Barnes Rock Bottom Boat Yard persisted in being a pesky moocher during
lunch time Freddie nonchalantly gave it “flying lessons” by the tail.
“Freddie the free-loader” helped us build our 580 foot dock using his small ship Sea Dog with its boom crane and
power winches. We set pilings, laid pre-stressed cement planking weighing 1,200 pounds each and spent many
hours sloshing through the black pluff mud of the marshes dragging pilings and then jetting them down with my
portable pumping equipment.
The physical exertion of building that dock was awesomely intense and drained our bodies totally by the end of each
work day. When the work was done Fred, Jane and I were physically spent and totally exhausted to the point of
stumbling.
A good friend came by while this project was under way and took a photo of Jane and I then presented us with the
photo mounted on a lovely plaque with an inscription on the back that read; “THE PEERS OF THE WORLD’S
GREAT PIER BUILDERS” dated August 30th 1979.
If you Google earth and look north of the fort in downtown St. Augustine you will see our monumental dock project
with its distinctive dog-leg shape. The above photo was taken from the top of our home looking east across the
marsh to Hospital Creek with our sailboat Dursmirg and shrimp boat Secotan tied at the end. It is low tide.
“Freddie the free-loader” was a strange duck in many ways and proved it when our dock project was finally
completed. Freddie wouldn’t leave with his boat until we became quite insistent.
When Freddie finally pulled away from the dock he deliberately swung his ships stern into the dock and did some
real damage that could have been costly but fortunately I was able to rectify the damage because I had the proper
equipment on the spot and took immediate action.
Freddie the free-loader took the dock building knowledge he picked up from us and went on to build his own marina.
We were told that he made his million bucks plus.
Freddie the free-loader qualified as a social misfit.
next chapter
