I think George Harris was one of the most charismatic people I have ever met. He and his very beautiful German wife Vera owned and operated an old “stink pot” named Tor Helge, a vessel I am hard-pressed to even try to describe. She wasn’t exactly a sailing vessel but had a couple of masts, wasn’t really big enough to be a cargo ship and certainly was not a luxury yacht! Only someone as fun and energetic as George could fill that old boat to the brim with charter guests week after week and make them love it.
George’s mother Mildred organized the travel arrangements from Toronto for George’s guests, and did it so well she ended up becoming a travel agent. Each week twelve new passengers would board Tor Helge and have a Caribbean cruise like no other. Crammed in like sardines, they would eat horrible food like soggy spaghetti with mashed eddoes on top and declare it delicious. Only George and his charisma could get away with not only charging people for such fare but making them enjoy it too!
George would bring his passengers to Lower Bay each week for lunch at De Reef, which meant he fed all twelve passengers for $12.00 EC!! ($4.50 U.S.) I was there the day he arrived with his guests to discover the price had gone up by 100%, and a fish lunch was now $2.00 EC per person. He had not brought enough money and had to borrow some to pay the bill. We all laughed as he made jokes about De Reef making him lose money on the charter, we knew he was just kidding.
Vera got pregnant, and for the two weeks leading up to her due date she lived at our house above the Pizzeria. Tor Helge had back-to-back charters, and it wouldn’t do if she were to go into labor in the Tobago Cays! As Vera’s time drew near poor George was in a state, the only way he had to communicate with Vera was by VHF radio, and for that he had to be within range. I felt sorry for that week’s group of passengers, George paced with the boat back and forth across the mouth of Bequia’s harbor, slipping ashore at night to be with Vera. The charter guests that week never got to see the Grenadines except of course Bequia, and I doubt they even complained about it, George was simply the kind of guy everyone loved.
Vera gave birth to a baby boy named Adam, and the couple asked Mac to be his God-father. My dad performed the baptismal ceremony on Tor Helge, using the ship’s bell to hold the baptismal water. This would be the first of many such baptisms, it seemed that all of our friends were having babies simultaneously!
I will never forget the day George and Vera arrived at De Reef in their big dinghy, we could hear Vera screaming as they approached the shore. Everyone watched with shocked amazement as George threw little Adam overboard! Adam was not yet three months old and Vera was absolutely frantic. I learned something that day, babies can and DO swim instinctively if they are introduced to water at such an early age – that little baby swam like a fish.
Uh, that baby looks huge next to me LOL
You were a very small baby!
amazing how accurate this story is… we did have the “time of our life”. see you soon. xoxoxoox geo
I’m glad the story is more or less accurate, it was such a long time ago! Looking forward
to your visit, Bequia has changed a lot since I last saw you …..
My husband a I first got to know each other on the Tor Helga in March 1982. We just had our 33rd anniversary. We would love to hear more stories about George and the amazing Tor Helge
Hi Carolyn and Bill – I have given George your email address and told him you want more Tor Helga stories, perhaps he will contact you. George and Vera sold the Tor and moved to Galiano Island in B.C. They built and opened a small inn and restaurant on the Island, I think it was called the Hummingbird. They separated shortly thereafter, and I lost touch until quite recently when George came to Bequia with his wife and daughter. He hasn’t changed much!
Hi George! Tor helge was in bequia in January 1982 when Rob and I got married there on a boat. Macs brother nollie officiated. Macs pizzeria catered.
Such fond memories of Tor Helga. When she was being sold I ferried her to Martinique, nursing that old engine the entire trip. I just pulled out my log of that trip and took a wonderful journey down memory lane. Thinking I’ll include that passage in the “logbook Tales” on my blog.
Wow Michael, you must have held your breath all the way to Martinique!
2-11-2025 Just found this article. My husband and I ended up as the last owners of Tor Helge in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas. It was passed on to us in mid 1986 from a Canadian fellow named Frank – who wished to return to Canada to be with this wife. We lived aboard and operated it as a “bunk ‘n coffee” until we sold it to a fellow from Texas in late ’88 I think. During our tenure, all 7 double bunk cabins were full almost every night while we had it. Turns out the Texas dude was not a particularly “boat savvy” guy and Tor sunk on her mooring due to bilge pup “misadventure” from his new faulty wiring setup. It was soon backed over by the cruise ship Noordam when it was maneuvering to leave the harbor … and there she ( or parts of her) probably still lie. But our adventures with this venerable old freighter were legendary for those years – toga parties, many guests, Pina Colada committee boat stints, charter chef “cook offs”, you name it . Would love to hear of any intervening adventures from previous owners. Anthony & Joan Pucino, Rhode Island, USA
c/o joanpucino@aol.com
So fun to here these stories. Perhaps others who read this can comment if they have further info on Tor Helge.