Jonah and the Lean

photo by Kalev Pallares

Some photos from a cruise crossed my desk recently, 
and this one caught my attention.

I would appear that Jonah has some extra control over gravitational forces.
Either that or he likes to lean out - pretending to be on a sailing catamaran.
Either way, I'm gonna have him teach me that trick soon.

Three Shots from This Evening

 Beautiful sky from the back of the boat.

 Eddie cruises by, all dressed in red.

Just another perfect moment.

Wrecks at Forte Marghera

video by Nereo Zane

One of the cool things about rowing out of the GSVVM rowing club is that Forte Marghera is just around the corner.
To truly appreciate it, you must look at it from above.
Otherwise it's just a sort of labrinth of water and land.
Forte Marghera has been many things over the centuries, 
with some structures dating back to Napoleonic occupation.
Now, it's a great place to go if you're looking for derelict boats - as evidenced by Nereo Zane's recent video.
He published the Italian language version a while back, 
then asked me to re-voice it in English, which is what you see linked above.

Burger Selfie!

My friend Ruben J was gracious to invite my daughter and me to take part in his burger tasting.
We had a lot of fun, a lot of food, and now here's the video.

Enjoy!

In case the video here doesn't work (or if you'd like to watch it full screen),
Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySmykf0yWZI

Big thanks to Ruben J at MultiMediaMouth.com

Oh, and here's the actual "Burger Selfie"

 

Curious Texas takes a cruise

I always say:
"Gondola operations in the US are the best-kept secrets in our cities, because we operate silent black boats after dark".

Someone in Dallas asked if there were really gondola rides in Irving, Texas?
Brendan Meyer of Dallas News decided to investigate.

Here's the report:
Are there really gondola rides in Irving? 
Curious Texas takes a cruise

Three Striped Remi

Here are three of the remi that have recently emerged from the Gondola Adventures workshop (also known as my messy garage).

The two in the back are what we call "color on clear" remi.
The oar is varnished, then masked off for striping.

The one in front was so beat up, with discolored bare wood, 
that we sanded it down to bare wood and added a dark, rich chocolate stain, and then sealed that in with varnish before applying the unusual silver chevron striping.






All three remi are Saverio Pastor creations.

After the painted stripes have cured and stabilized, 
everything will be sealed in with a few more coats of varnish.

Sometimes the difference is in the details.

Special thanks to Evan Kliewer for doing so much diligent work to make these remi look so good.

Arrivederci Jim!

Yesterday, after a long battle with illness, my friend Jim Mahoney left us.
Five years ago his doctor gave him two years to live.

He grew up on the waters of Long Island Sound in Connecticut, got his first boat when he was only ten, and stepped on board a Gondola Romance boat in Newport in 1990.

For the past 25 years I've had the honor of sharing the water with him.
Our encounters were always fun, often boisterously greeting each other from one gondola to another, and I never saw him in a negative mood.
He loved the water, and the feeling must have been mutual, because his times on the boats were like nutrition for his soul (something I think a lot of gondoliers can identify with).

His presence will be sorely missed, but never forgotten.
He was a true fixture in the American gondola world.

Arrivederci Jim!
Thanks for all of your boisterous greetings.

James Mahoney
1942 - 2018

Tuesday Night Traffic in Newport

A snap from tonight in the canals of Newport.
Gondoliers Michael Angelo Ruffino and Kyle Wolting 
just off the bow of my gondola.
Somewhere behind me, 
Eddie was probably planning on passing all three of us.
Traffic on the road is miserable.
But traffic on the water is actually fun when you're in gondolas.

Gondolier Job in Napa

A while back you saw a gorgeous gondola in my post "It's All About the Wood". Angelino of Gondola Servizio in Oakland had it custom-built for an operation in Napa, California.  

This is a dream that Angelino has been developing for years.
Due to other obligations, the only thing missing from the equation is...
someone to row the boat!

That's right, the hunt is still on for a gondolier. 
This position will require rowing ability, and the ability to work independently.
A full-time staff will handle booking the tours for people who call in.
Additional business can be arranged in-person on the dock.

If you're interested, or have further questions, 
send a text to April at:
510-333-6328