THUNDER BAY — Little Bea, the homemade yacht that kept Thunder Bay sailor Dan Turk safe as he crossed two oceans, is now resting in a cyclone pit in Fiji.
That's a trench dug into the ground to help protect a boat from being tossed about and damaged in stormy weather.
Turk decided to withdraw from a round-the-world race last month and return to Thunder Bay due to a health issue.
He was five months into a 13-month circumnavigation of the world, competing against 14 other sailors piloting identical 19-foot plywood boats.
Leaving Little Bea behind "was a really tough thing, for sure," Turk recalled in an interview Tuesday.
The yacht, which he built during the COVID pandemic, is named after his late mother — whose middle name was Beatrice — and his late grandmother Beatrice.
"So there's that family connection. And obviously, having hand-built the boat, and the time, blood, sweat and tears that are put into something like that, and sailing it just under 16,000 nautical miles, you gain an attachment to your vessel. It becomes part of you, honestly."
That's what made it so difficult, Turk said, to put Little Bea back on land in Fiji and walk away from it.
He's glad, though, that for now she is secured under the watchful eye of some people who live in the vicinity.
Turk is uncertain yet whether he will ship the boat back to Canada in a container, leave it in Fiji with the aim of returning there, or put it up for sale at some point.
In the meantime, he remains very connected to the race, and is closely monitoring the progress of the remaining competitors.
"We're on a group chat through WhatsApp, and moment to moment I'm hearing and am interacting with the others. They're my friends, right? It's really cool to keep chatting with them," he said. "It's fun to stay part of all that."
The racers have departed Thursday Island off the northeastern tip of Australia, and are en route to the Coco Islands in the Indian Ocean.
Turk was pleased with his own performance in the first two legs of the event, as he recorded third and fifth-place finishes, and was in the lead pack most of the time.
With respect to the possibility of taking on another round-the-world voyage, he said "I wouldn't take it off the table, but I might end up doing something like that in a bigger boat if I had the choice. Time will tell how that transpires."
For now, he's content with the photos and memories of all the sights and experiences he had on the sea and at various stopovers during the journey that started in Antigua last February.
Turk said he will always be grateful for the support he received from his family, friends and corporate sponsors along the way.
"You know, there's a saying that 'there's nothing of significance done alone. I think that holds true for this race, even though I was solo. There were so many people behind me making it all happen, and I really appreciate that."
The Hammarskjold High School teacher is scheduled to return to his job in the classroom in April 2026.
