photos by Bob Easton
Bob Easton sent us photos of two mascaretas he shot in Dorsoduro in July of '08.
What's a mascareta? For starters, it's a member of the sandolo family of Venetian boats.
Sandoli come in several configurations; each version designed with a separate task in mind.
I sometimes call the sandolo design
“three sheets and a tiny transom”.
My “three sheets” reference doesn’t take into account the deck portions, but it is descriptive enough. We have a few dories out here in Newport, and I recognize the same beautiful simplicity in the dory design.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKpbXwzMA9a3HVnOubJaG-1z1na1zSLdkt7iMN47kbdUSu8K68QChzHdfLmIrrR7vEmNKFmLOz6e9lNMf1PQ6GQv5qe61U62hYB7AdfSqSrOf82JstdCZ-im2Y9k52RF_8sAhZCd0Pi8/s400/DSC03112.jpg)
The mascarete are most easily identified by the way the bow and stern deck cut away with no visible trasto (thwart) and there’s almost always a little cutout in the very middle of that area.
Look closely at the bow and stern deck edges and you’ll see a familiar form:
it’s quite a bit like the shape of this bracket: }
but a little more drawn out. Look around Venice and you’re likely to see a similar “bracket” design in buildings.
The mascareta is a very lightweight boat used in recreational and competitive rowing. The women's race in the Regata Storica is rowed in these boats.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXAbLhLLjc7NuNC_R5zKEgdV2cUZoBWm0JP3Y6m-wJVcK2sxxyzf4Z7831PSnUYol7P1p6a9NZmi63g6rvpzv2OZ6MeelQQS7gt8hDNIjXnirfA8A4ee3peLXXCAaeqSGHGqi0lfjEy8/s400/DSC03115.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmj74jbtuVfdRa1xDSdRc6HZBgSzhyphenhyphen8PRGItz7YiLXsMUSA-wu69EvOszZUCg0szpO5S9Rn_q6LwN8d2e3PwWayDMJxb679GCo1m5Ct470cYpts81jXyJ_uX4aoYlGJ0xAmUn-o3a_18/s400/DSC03114.jpg)
Thanks Bob for these great photos.