On the Job: The Gondolier

It's always great to see a gondola operation 
get good attention in the press.

Sean, or if he's in stripes, "Saverio" got a nice piece in San Diego Magazine.
Here's the link:
"On the Job:The Gondolier"

A Visit to Coronado

Eddie and Jessica took some time away from their normal digs, 
and headed south to San Diego.
While there, they dropped in on Sean and his servizio in Coronado.
Eddie sent me these great photos, 
but I'm pretty sure Jessica should get the photo credit here.

 I'm seriously considering stealing this sign.

 Rowing off-duty means you can wear whatever you want.
But you've still gotta smile and wave.

 Awesome 3-D portela.

 Profile of the gondola.

 She's got the whole boat to herself.

There is just nothing like the curvaceous shape of a Venice-built gondola.

 The portela of an American-built gondola.

A red and white striped remo dips into the smooth waters of Coronado.

Santa in San Diego!

This gem of a photo comes to us from the folks 
at The Gondola Company in Coronado, California.

Full disclosure, that's Sean on the back (because the real Santa 
doesn't row voga-alla-Veneta with such perfect form).

Sean tells me that while the photo was taken in December, 
it was a hot day, with temperatures in the eighties.  
He was sweaty and uncomfortable.

But it's all about getting that perfect shot,
and THIS really IS a perfect shot.

Shadow on the Water

If you're in the right place at the right time, you can see a defined shadow
on the surface of the water.  Here's an example of lucky timing and
placement in Coronado, California at The Gondola Company.

Just the Photo - San Diego Sun

San Diego Serenity

 

I found myself with a few hours to spare in San Diego last night.

Knowing that my friend Eric Bender was rowing,

and would be moving soon to Northern California,

I decided to drop in on The Gondola Company

and visit with him between cruises.

 

 

I hung around the office for a few minutes

before venturing down to the docks.

Some of Giuliana Longo's masterpieces hanging on the wall.

 

Finding a good vantage point on the docks, I watched gondolas glide by as the final colors of the setting sun illuminated the horizon.

 

Not long after, Eric cruised by with a happy couple on board.

The gondolier helped his passengers out of the boat,
and they were on their way up the ramp to whatever their next engagement might be - relaxed and happy as only a couple can be after a sunset ride in a gondola.

Eric and I chatted a while about "just how great this job is" and the benefits of dealing exclusively with happy clients in a positive setting.

 

He told me about his future plans and then he was on his way once again,

this time with four passengers, for a twilight cruise as the stars came out.

 

The gondola world is populated almost entirely...

with remarkably great people.

 

I don't know if it's because they are drawn to the job,

or if the job transforms them into fun-loving and positive versions of their former selves.

 

I will miss Eric, but I know that we'll see him again.

After all, you can't stay away from this kind of thing for long.

 

 

Just the Photo - Cole at Sunset

Snapper's Solo Sprint to Gold

At the 4th Annual US Gondola Nationals in November of 2015,

there were many different races to compete in.

 

Perhaps one of the most exciting to watch was the Solo Sprint.

 

It took off right in front of the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club

(where everyone in attendance was watching),

headed north up the canal,

turned at a buoy in front of the Balboa Island Bridge

(where there were more spectators),

and raced back to finish in front of the yacht club.

 

Sprints are all energy. 

From start - all the way to finish,

it's a matter of burning every ounce of fuel you've got in the tank. 

There's not a lot of pacing yourself.

Adding to the excitement, this year we were able to field four gondolas

in each heat.

This means you're not just racing the clock, or one other guy.

You're up against three other guys who all want to get to that buoy first,

not to mention beat you back to the finish line.

Oh, and the challenge of not bumping into each other

can also make for a fun race to watch.

This year the fastest guy on the water in the sprint event was Eric Bender.

Yeah, the guy I like to call "The Snapper", because he actually snapped an oar in the 2013 Solo Sprint competition.

(see "The Snapper")

 

 

Eric smiling right before his heat in the Solo Sprint event.

The challenge of getting all four guys (and their boats) out,

evenly positioned, and properly spaced...well, it's not nearly as easy

as Marcello and the guys on the dock made it look.

I will be forever thankful for the ingenuity and dedication of the gondoliers who made the starting procedures happen so well.

It's officially "GO TIME!"

Some guys bend their oars more than others.

 

Now and then we saw heats where all the racers were from the same servizio, and that was the case with the heat that our story revolves around.

Starting of, from nearest the dock to furthest, we had Al Macina,
Cole Hanson, Eric Bender, and JR Starlin.

Watching four gondolas take off together is awesome.

The route for sprint events this year covered .58 miles/.94 kilometers.
This was a bit further than previous sprint routes, and having a buoy turn
made for some great spectating.

Cole Hanson begins his turn at the buoy, two guys approach the turning

point, while "The Snapper" begins his charge towards the finish line.

photo by Mindy Schauer

We were lucky to have a GoPro camera mounted on the boat that Eric Bender rowed in the Solo Sprint race.
Thanks to Simon Atkins, here is the video from that heat:

As with many of the other races, the top placing finishers had times
that were very close to each other. 
Without a doubt - every second counts.

Top 3 finishers
1st   Eric Bender     The Gondola Company       Coronado, CA          7:46:73
2nd  Ben Landis      Gondola Getaway              Long Beach, CA       8:01:02
3rd   Jakob Easton  Gondola Adventures, Inc.   Newport Beach, CA  8:05:59

Matthew "Marcello" Haynes announces the medal recipients.

From left to right:
Eric Bender, Eddie Rivera (receiving for Ben Landis), and Jakob Easton.



Coronado's Gold

Eric Bender rows on gold-reflecting water in Coronado, California.

 

 

www.gondolacompany.com

 

 

 

Portela Irlandese - by Sean Jamieson

Thanks to guest-blogger Sean Jamieson for this perfectly appropriate
St. Patrick's Day post.

 

Last year about this time, we were launching Trifoglio -

a classic Bonaldo gondola that had been used years before in Venezia.

She's twenty four years old, so some pieces have some mileage on them.

The portela was coming apart in a few places.

I decided that since I'd never built an Irish one, I'd give it a shot.

The original portela served as a pattern.

I cut out three new pieces, and dipped them in Guinness.

I selected some scrap mahogany and cut it down to serve as the border. Everything received five coats of shiny varnish

and the whole thing sat for two weeks to cure.

Finally it was time to add the finishing touches: toucan and paint.

When I was in Ireland last September, I picked up several pints from various pubs, and even visited the Guinness brewery in Dublin. 

Standing in the brewery, I fell in love with this one toucan.

It was an impulse-buy, but I knew there would be a place for it.

Gondolier Nick Navatta added some finishing touches in the paint studio

and it was done.

 

It was an enjoyable task to complete, and thanks to the masterful work of Guinness, the toucan perches in the center.

Cheers,

Sean

-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sean Jamieson is the owner of The Gondola Company

in Coronado, California

 

Visit his website at:

www.gondolacompany.com

Coronado Caorlina Takes Off

While visiting my friends at The Gondola Company in Coronado, CA,

I watched boats come and go.

 

I posted some thoughts and photos in my post

"Comings and Goings in Coronado".

 

Among the many boats in the fleet,

this San Diego servizio has an amazing caorlina.

 

After watching Eric and Cole row gondolas around, 

I witnessed them board and depart on the caorlina.

 

He are a few snaps of the cruise: 

Jackie take a group photo with Cole and Eric in the back.

 

The gondoliers prepare...

 

...then step on.

 

Cole performs a sweeping "tirare" while standing on the bow.

 

The big boat gets under way,

 

and cruises out into the canals.

 

To see better photos of the caorlina in Coronado,

go to "American Caorlina - Done right!"

 

Turrning Five

While we were rowing three boats here in Newport
(and feeling pretty good about ourselves),
The folks down in Coronado were taking this flotilla thing to black-belt levels.

Owner Sean Jamieson sent the above photo with the following text:
Hey check this photo out.
This is a fleet cruise with 38 people.

At the end of the canal we have to turn around.

One boat is easy. With five, it's super fun.

The gondoliers at The Gondola Company know how to do things...
including turning five boats around in tight quarters.

Looking good, Coronado!

Just the Photo - Surface Ripples of Blue and Gold

 

(photo taken in Coronado, California)

Comings and Goings in Coronado

 

I stopped by The Gondola Company in Coronado, California today to visit

with Sean and watch his boats come and go.

It was my first time seeing their new office and dock facility.

Just like the boats - nicely put together and very well-kept.

 

As luck would have it, I showed up on a day when the gondoliers on duty were Cole Hanson and Eric Bender - last year's tandem sprint gold medal winners at Nationals.

Jackie Molino was there too, running the office and helping the two gondoliers board and depart with their passengers seamlessly.

 

As Sean and I sipped a little Pinot Grigio, and talked about:

   traditional regatta starts,

      the pros and cons of having cell phones on board,

         and how we both hate iron nails,

I caught some nice snaps of Cole and Eric working their magic on the water.

 

At the end of a long indietro, Cole gets the boat at just the right angle...

 

...to spin her around and row off into the canals.

 

Eric stands on the back, with golden rays peering over the rooftops behind.

 

If it seems like perfect conditions for photography, it's no coincidence. 

But I wasn't the photographer who set it up - no, she's the one down there on the tip of the dock (probably snagging a much better photo than mine).

 

 

many times this week, I've walked down onto my docks in Newport with another gondolier and remarked "I can't believe we get to live here".

 

I'll bet they say the same thing down there in Coronado.

Red Flag!

photo by John Kerschbaum

 

Eric Bender (a.k.a. "The Snapper") beginning his solo sprint run

on October 26th, 2014 in Providence, Rhode Island.

 

With all races, the timekeeper started the clock as soon as the ferro of the gondola emerged from under the Crawford Street bridge.  A spotter on the bridge gave the signal to start the clock by raising a red blanket. 

Yes, a flag might be more official, but the blanket was bigger.

Storm's Comin'

It may only be the first week of July,
but my heart and mind are already in October,
already in Providence,
already rowing and racing and having fun with fellow gondoliers from all over the country.

The U.S. Gondola Nationals is just over three months away,
but it feels like it's just around the corner
(especially when I think about training for competition).

Gondoliers in many American cities are rowing in local waters...but thinking about rowing in Rhode Island.
Thinking about seeing their counterparts from other areas.
Thinking about all the great fun and fellowship we all had last year thanks to Tim at Sunset Gondola.

A friend of mine in New England posted recently about how there was a storm front approaching (real weather). 
Meanwhile, Eric Bender (a.k.a. the "Oar Snapper") put up a photo of his own on facebook with the words "Storm's comin'" (proverbial weather).

Either way, it's brewing.
The U.S. Gondola Nationals will happen this October in the place where it originated - Providence, Rhode Island. 
This will be the third installment and I can't wait to experience it,
see old friends, and row a gondola in the famous Waterfire that Providence is well known for.

I know I'm not the only one who's excited.
Marcello just sent out a mass e-mail entitled "Gentlemen Start Your Engines!"
I think that pretty much sums it up.
I can't wait til October!

Bigger is Better

photo by Sean Jamieson

I've heard it said many times, that "too much is better than not enough",
and while this may not be the case when choosing SCUBA weights,
 or eating fiber bars,
it most certainly was the case the other day in Coronado.

Oh sure, Sean could have just used a little boat trailer, or a smaller hoist,
but then he'd miss out on all the fun and bragging rights of using the biggest honking hoist he could find to launch one of his sandoli.

I mean really, suppose there was an earthquake at that very point when the boat was hanging precariously from a substandard launching device.
Oh no, my friends - bigger is better, and better safe than sorry.

And in the "Too much is..." quote department, I found an interesting parallel:
"Too much of anything is bad, but too much champagne is just right"
     -F. Scott Fitzgerald

Good quote, but I think this one is just a little better:
"Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough"
     -Mark Twain

I wonder if those two guys were drinking buddies.