Erla in Istanbul

I've been waiting for this post to go up for a while.
Not surprisingly, Erla's writing does not disappoint.
Read her most recent post "Turkish Delight: Gondolas on the Bosphorus".
You'll wish you were there.

Experiencing the Blue Grotto in Capri

My first visit to Capri was in September of 2000. We were staying in an apartment in Rome and had taken the train down to Naples for the day. Our goal wasn’t to spend much time in Naples, but rather to experience the island of Capri and all of its character and beauty. Capri sits off the coast of Italy in what is known as the Tyrrhenian Sea – part of the Mediterranean which is bordered by Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and the mainland of Italy.

We took a rocking-and-rolling ferry ride to the island and went about the business of exploring. The biggest attraction on the island, and the primary thing I wanted to see was the Blue Grotto. Unfortunately the seas were too rough and the Blue Grotto was closed.

Returning again to Capri in 2006, we were happy to learn that the Grotto was open and we went straight there. We didn’t want to take the chance that conditions might change.

The Blue Grotto is a unique cave-like impression in the side of a stone cliff, with a vertical opening to the sea. Only the very top of that opening is above the water, so the cave is dark except for this incredible blue light which gives the Blue Grotto it’s name. Once you pass through this tiny opening above the surface, you enter a large “room” with a high ceiling. The sun’s rays shine on the water outside, through underwater openings, and onto the white limestone floor of the grotto – this is where the Blue Grotto’s illumination comes from.

We took a taxi to the location and descended a cliff-hugging staircase to sea level. Other folks were there from different parts of the world, and we waited in line for our turn – all the while watching the boats and the men who rowed them.

The boatmen at the Blue Grotto have a unique style of rowing which involves standing, facing forward, and rowing with both oars. It’s a bit like the Venetian style known as “valesana” but in Capri they don’t cross their oars, and the oars are fastened to the rails so the boatmen can let go from time to time without losing them.  I'm sure some of my readers know plenty about this style of rowing. Once in the grotto, some of them continue to row while seated on a thwart. The boats are little, maybe 10 or 12 feet long and many have the same color scheme. In truth they resemble old-fashioned lifeboats more than any other craft. These little rowboats are all over the place, there’s at least one large boat with a sunshade in this floating mess that seems to lack any order. Someone might show up in their own large vessel and rowboats will go over and take them to the grotto. Large tour boats also come by with plenty of passengers – hungry for the Blue Grotto experience. It seems pretty out of control at first but by the time you get to the bottom of the stairs, you’ve seen enough to recognize the order of things.

Right then, some barefoot guy rows over with a big smile and an empty boat.
He tells you to get in, how to get in, and what order to get in. The surge of the Tyrrhenian Sea makes boarding the boat a challenging and sometimes wet affair. Your boatman rows around to the big boat with the sunshade, and everyone in your boat gets to buy a ticket. After buying the tickets, your boatman circles around, jokes loudly with some of the other boatmen, and seems to just be aimlessly rowing. Then you see more little boats coming out of the grotto and you realize that he and all the other boatmen were waiting for the last group of boats to come out of the grotto.
Now it’s time to enter the most famous cave on the island. As your boatman approaches the opening, he is telling you in a heavy Italian accent, to lie down, as flat as you can, “NO, FURTHER! STILL FURTHER DOWN!” You feel like a human pancake on the log ride at an amusement park. The opening is right in front of you and you understand now what all the fuss was about – it’s a tiny little crack! You think to yourself “no way, there’s no way we’re gonna fit through that”. Right about then your boatman grabs hold of a chain which feeds through that tiny crack, and with an Italian “heave-ho” between waves, you’re through.

Now, all that craziness of prepping for and getting through the crack is replaced by a dark calm place which is illuminated by an indescribable blue light. I could spend a paragraph or two trying to describe the blue light that makes the Blue Grotto famous, but I could never do it justice.

I’d have to have a much better camera to capture the true blue hue inside.

Once in the grotto, your boatman rows you around in wide circles, tells you a little about it, and some of the boatmen sing Neapolitan songs like “O Sole Mio” and “Santa Lucia”. Being a gondolier, I couldn’t resist singing my own “Santa Lucia”, which surprised some boatmen, and probably irritated others.

After your visit to the grotto, your boatman brings you back through the tiny opening and back into the world. He pulls the boat next to the same platform you boarded from, you tip him, and you make your way up the hill again, probably to sample far too many different types of Limoncello before buying a few bottles and stumbling back onto the ferry that brought you to the island.

Rowing at Sunset...at Sunset

I spent the evening of August 8th rowing for Sunset Gondola in Huntington Harbour. It was a great experience:
I got to take passenger cruises in another location,
I got to row a different gondola,
and instead of being the boss, I got to spend an evening as just another gondolier.
Had a blast!

I shot these two photos from the back of Sunset's Tramontin gondola known as "Fabio".
The sky just lit up with colors tonight, and from the main channel in Huntington Harbour, my passengers and I had the best seats in the house.

Thanks to Tim at Sunset Gondola.
It was a great experience.

Quantifying the Volume of a Swell

photos by Sean Antonioli

It could be described in so many ways:
An amazing experience,
a true-to-life survival story,
an almost sink-or-swim situation,
an "oh crap" experience,
an "oh $%*&#@*&$%?+#&%^@*&#$! experience.

Whatever the description, I'll never forget it and I'm thankful that it ended well.

Once upon a time, some friends of mine launched a couple gondolas in a harbor which was right next to another harbor where they were operating gondolas.

They invited me to join them in rowing the gondolas from one harbor to the other, and being a hopelessly addicted gondola fanatic, I jumped at the invitation.

Our adventure began on calm waters, rowing through a beautiful bay with the sun glistening on the smooth surface, but as we began to exit the breakwater,
we encountered some rollers.

The further we got, the bigger the swells, until we were officially "in it" and began to wonder if we might be at any risk.

Eventually Murphy's Law took effect and we received a nice big swell over the side.

You never really think about how much water is in a swell...until it lands in your boat. Even then, you still can't quantify it until you're removing it from your boat - one bucket at a time.

If I'd remembered to count my bucket-fulls, I'd be able to tell you exactly how much water is in a swell...or at least that one.
As you can imagine, I had other things on my mind at the time. Actually, even if I had been counting, the whole thing would have been moot, as we were blessed with at least three or four more swells that welcomed themselves aboard while we were bailing.

We bailed, and bailed, and bailed.
It was great fun, and as it turned out - a terrific lower-back exercise. If you are looking for a good lower-back workout, I highly recommend the "desperately trying to bail out a boat before it sinks" workout.
You get so caught up in the task at hand, that you don't even think about aches and pains.
There's no time to "feel the burn".
You just go nuts with the bucket!


As we worked feverishly to rid our boat of water, the wind was blowing us steadily closer to the breakwater of the other harbor.
The closer we got, the more perilous we felt, until we were about twenty feet from the rocks.
We achieved our goal (of an empty bilge) and began rowing with about ten feet to spare. From there we rowed into the breakwater opening as if it was just another happy row.

Anyone watching from that point on, would have had no idea the ordeal we'd just been through...that is unless they happened to notice that we were soaking wet from the waist down!

Another Computer Gondola Game

Someone recently commented on my post from a while back on the Orbitz gondola race game.
If you need a reminder, it's:
http://www.orbitzgames.com/gondo/
and well worth visiting, even if you've already played it to death.
The anonymous comment pointed out another opportunity to virtually row a gondola in Venice.
Get ready,
here it is:
Race down the canals with a cow!
http://www.turkeyhill.com/duetto/gondola.html
I swear, I'm not making this stuff up.
t's not as complex as the Orbitz version, but still worth a test-drive. I mean come on, when was the last time you were on a gondola with a cow?!

Have a blast my friends!

OKC Expedition - Summary

It’s been a few days since Chris Harrison and I rowed the Oklahoma River.

And while I was “in recovery” for the first day or so, after that it was simply a matter of catching up on all the other areas of my life that I’d neglected.

Finally, I have time to report on last weekend’s adventure.

For weeks I’d been monitoring the weather around Oklahoma City.

My experience in Houston had shown that when it rains, bodies of water go from calm to crazy.

The recent introduction of Hurricane Ike made things even more interesting.

A storm that big can affect weather patterns all the way up to the Great Lakes region.

By the time we reached Oklahoma City, the rain had been falling, off and on for about a week,

This caused the river above the first dam to flow more.

Before I go further, it's important to understand the Oklahoma River.

It begins as the "North Canadian River", then, at a certain point, a dam was built. The North Canadian River is more of a stream, or a "drainage ditch", but with the dam, it fills up to a much wider, deeper waterway that is great for boating. They added another 2 or 3 dams, each with a lock system so boats can travel between the sections. After the last dam, the river goes back to being a "drainage ditch", and is once again called the “North Canadian River”. Only the section between the first dam and the last dam is called the "Oklahoma River". It was renamed in 2004.

The full length of the Oklahoma River is about 7 ½ miles.

Our plan was to row the entire length in both directions.

Once we were able to examine the river in-person, I realized that the portion of the river we were planning to row, didn’t really get moving like a normal river, mostly because it is partitioned, so one basin fills up, the water then spills into the next segment, which eventually fills before spilling into the next.

On the afternoon of the 11^th (the day before the row), I was told that the folks at the Chesapeake Boathouse would be pulling all of their boats out of the water “to avoid all the debris” which would be floating down the river “once they opened the gates”.

It was a “this changes everything” moment.

It turns out that those “dams” that break up the river, can be opened hydraulically to allow unrestricted flow.

The rains up-river had been heavy enough that the authorities were planning to open things up…on the day we were going to row.

Could we still row the river?

I decided that the best approach would be to proceed, one section at a time, turning back if river conditions became dangerous.

We ended up covering two of the three sections, which amount to about 10 miles.

It was not exactly how I’d planned things, but I feel that we chose an approach that allowed us to cover the maximum amount of river while still handling things in a safe and responsible manner.

In all of my research, I heard everyone say the same thing: “there’s not a lot of wind on the Oklahoma River because it sits down so low”.

We had wind.

We had a lot of wind, often hitting us broadside, and requiring a number of adjustments to be made in order to keep moving forward.

In the end, we gave some good publicity to the Boy Scouts of America, and represented Venetian rowing well to the rowing and paddling community in Oklahoma.

Right after our arrival, we hauled out the gondola, checked out of our hotel early, and drove five hours back to Irving, Texas, where we launched the gondola – just in time as the effects of Hurricane Ike really came in after that. I would not have wanted to trailer the gondola down in that kind of weather.

OKC Gondola Expedition - Landing, Lunching, and Launching

Last night we arrived safely with gondola in-tow, to Oklahoma City.
The drive was a bit sketchy at times, as we drove mostly in the rain.
Several times it was a total downpour, making it hard to see trucks and other vehicles that were only 50 feet ahead.

After parking the gondola on-trailer, and giving her a quick examination, I got a tour of the Chesapeake Boathouse, where we'll launch our expedition from.
What an amazing facility.
I had expected to see a few crews and their boats.
Instead, there were so many people, carrying around so many boats, that it was hard to know where to walk outside the building.
Inside, the Chesapeake Boathouse is a big, open, modern piece of architecture.
It's something Oklahomans should be proud of.

The Chesapeake Boathouse during a rare quiet morning.

I was impressed to see how much rowing has caught on in this city.
Sure, there are college crews hoisting and carrying their shells out the door, but other folks, of all ages seem to be catching the fever and rowing, some signing up for classes because they've never rowed before.
I got to watch first-hand as a student received training for the first time from Allison Derrick of the Boathouse.
It was exciting, and I wasn't the only one cheering her on, an eight-person crew, who was loading their boat into the water, cheered, clapped, and shouted encouragement.

Late this morning, Elisa and I attended a media luncheon that was hosted by the Irving Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

Lori Tucker of Tucker PR planned and executed it, as expertly as she did for a similar media luncheon in Houston prior to our expedition there.
Tucker PR was instrumental in getting us visibility and media attention back in October of last year during the Hudson River Gondola Expedition.

We are very lucky to be working with Lori and her staff.

After the luncheon, I cleaned up the gondola and prepped her for launch.
After replacing one of the side decals that says "BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA", I gave her a full wax and buff with one of my favorite products - black wax.
Next I positioned the trailer for launching.

At 5pm today, for the first time ever, a gondola graced the waters of the Oklahoma River.
Of course the guy rowing it was me in shorts and a dirty t-shirt, with only my wife with me to witness the event.
But it was stil fun. Later, as I rowed, I received funny and confused looks from many rowers in their shells.
After launch the gondola I secured her at dock, placing fenders and making sure she would withstand currents and winds.

During the prep time, I spoke again with Allison Derrick, and she told me that they would be removing all of their boats in anticipation of the increased flow and debris coming down the river due to rain.

YIKES!

This was starting to sound a bit like the Buffalo Bayou in Houston.

The flow and debris aren't for sure at this point, but as I write this, we're watching the weather forecast dlligently and we're preparing for a number of possibilities.

Chris Harrison arrives tomorrow morning around 7:45 (flying in from DFW), I'll meet him at the gondola, and we're planning on a 10am departure.

Pray for good weather my friends.


to learn more about the Chesapeake Boathouse, visit
www.chesapeakeboathouse.org

OKC Gondola Expedition

My wife Elisa and I boarded a plane yesterday in Orange County and landed in Dallas, Texas. I had a chance to look over our operation on Lake Carolyn in Irving, Texas. My Lead Gondolier, Chris Harrison has been doing well, keeping the boats up while fighting Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He's in remission now, with chemo behind him and radiation ahead. He's looking great, has hair again, and getting closer to full-strength.

Chris and I hauled the "Rosa" - one of the gondolas in Irving, and Elisa and I are driving up to Oklahoma City this afternoon.

On Friday, Chris and I will participate in a one-day expedition on the Oklahoma River.

To learn more about the OKC expedition, go to:
http://gondolaexpeditions.blogspot.com/
it's a blog set up to serve as a media resource for the event.

Now if we can just keep Hurricane Ike to wait until Saturday before it affects things in Oklahoma.

Say a quick prayer my friends.

-Greg

Regata Storica - A Basket Full of Forcole

What time is it in Venice right now?
It can be a bit confusing if you're several time zones away from Italy.
Here in California, we're nine hours earlier than in Venice.
As I write this, it's Saturday here, but approaching Sunday there.
If you're reading this post on Saturday evening, people in Venice may already be gearing up for the Regata Storica.

Bruce Miller of Michigan (the guy who built his own s'ciopon) is there now, preparing to row in the parade portion. He promised to take some photos and send in an update when he can.

On a day such as the one Bruce is having (getting prepared for one of the biggest days in Venice, watching all the goings-on in a rowing club (he's probably at Diadora), and seeing things that are only seen on special occasions, it's fun to take it all in.
It becomes one of those days where you remember everything.

In September of 2005, I had the opportunity to row on a 14-man boat known as a quattordesona - the pride of the Gruppo Sportivo Voga Veneta in Mestre.
The boat is named "Mestrina", and she is only launched a few days out of the year.
She's so big, that it takes at least 8 guys just to roll her to the hoist.
Of course, everyone who is slated to row her shows up for the work that leads up to the row.
these guys clearly love the boat.

The poppa forcola is similar to one on the back of a gondola.
All the rest resemble the smaller forward ones, like the one in this shot:
With so many forcole, it's necessary to number them according to their place on the boat.

The photo above is one I took as they were bringing out the forcole.
It's one of the many surreal things you'll see on a day like that - an entire basket of forcole just for one boat.

And here's a shot of the "Mestrina" that was taken during Vogalonga on 2006 by Nereo Zane.

If you have the opportunity to witness or be a part of Regata Storica, I highly recommend it.
I can't wait to hear from Bruce Miller.
I'm sure he'll have some great photos too.

Regata Storica is Coming!

This Sunday, September 7th, Venice's Grand Canal will play host once again to the Regata Storica.

This one-day event is one of the biggest happenings on the calendars of most Venetians. They will crowd around any place along the water where they can see the events.

A passenger sandolo moves slowly past La Salute as the steps around the church are filled with onlookers.

A parade, complete with historical re-enactment vessels and rowers and passengers in costume, will grace the waters.

All the rowing clubs, in Venice and the surrounding area, make it a point to be on the water, with as many boats as they can muster.

Interesting boats, both privately owned, and club owned, often show up from other parts of Europe.

And of course, anyone else who can get themselves on a boat, balcony, rooftop or vaporetto platform, will be there to cheer as the second half of the Regata Storica takes place:
the actual regata.

While there are plenty of opportunities in the Venetian Lagoon to see races, the ultimate regata takes place on the first Sunday in September.

A number of race categories are represented,
including the six-man caorlina,
two-man pupparin,
a women's race on mascarete,
and the club race on racing gondole.

The race that everyone shows up to see, however, is the gondolino race.
It's the final race of the day (and of the season).

For want of a better comparison, it's the Superbowl of Venetian rowing.
The guys who win this race are lifted up as heroes.

If you're up during the time of the event, you might be able to catch a few views of the event on some of the webcams mentioned in my post from August 22nd of this year titled "A Whole Bunch of Webcams".

the Oldest Gondola in the World

Experts say she was built in the 1870’s or earlier,

which would make her the world’s oldest existing gondola. 

In 1890 she was bought in Venice by American landscape artist Thomas Moran and shipped to his home in East Hampton on Long Island, NY. 

The gondola was also, at one time owned by the Browning family. 

She was donated in 1950 to the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia. With the help of gondola and Venetian boat expert Gilberto Penzo [see www.veniceboats.com], she was transported back to Venice in 1998 where she was restored by the Tramontin family. 

Today the oldest gondola in the world is displayed prominently at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News for all to see.

A close-up of the hand-carved relief on the aft deck.

I had wanted to see this famous Gondola for almost a decade but never found myself in the vicinity of Newport News until May of 2007 when I was consulting for Moondance Gondolas in Virginia Beach.

Just my luck, when I called the museum, I was told that the gondola was part of a display which was under restoration and the gondola wouldn’t be available for viewing until the following week.

Since we were scheduled to fly home before the exhibit would open, I contacted the woman who was in charge of the exhibit, told her who I was, and hoped she would either be impressed with my status as “president of the Gondola Society of America” (oooh, ahhh), or take pity on me because I wanted so bad to see the gondola. 
Neither of those things happened. 
I was told that the exhibit was closed and if I went to an area near the exhibit, I might be able to catch a glimpse of the gondola, if it wasn’t behind something at the time.

The ferro shows many similarities to modern versions,
but there are a few differences
- see if you can pick them out.

The lantern on the bow has that classic look. 
As for the photo - well, I thought the angle would be unique and artsy...in retrospect, it just looks crooked.

The scimier is one of my favorite pieces on this boat.

Determined not to be discouraged, I threw my family in the rental car and drove from Virginia Beach up to Newport News (a beautiful drive, by the way), found the museum, and made my way to the area where the exhibit was being assembled. The Maritime Museum is an amazing place, and if you have any interest in boats, it’s worth spending a day there just to be amazed by the various vessels and displays showing how seafaring was accomplished in various times and places throughout the world.

Once I arrived at the exhibit, I was greeted by a very gracious security officer who allowed me to pass under the ropes and step right up to the gondola. I took pictures for about 15 minutes, although I could have easily spent an hour and a half with that boat. I would have liked to climb into the gondola and get a closer look at things under the decks, but I knew that would be too much, given the circumstances. Nevertheless I was very happy to have the chance to see her and place a hand, gently, on the oldest gondola in the world.

To learn more about the Maritime Museum and the oldest gondola in the world, visit: www.mariner.org

Ina's workspace

My friend Ina Mierig in Hamburg, Germany has a great can-do attitude.
She loves what she does, and makes things happen regardless of the unusual parameters associated with operating a gondola in Germany.
Ina loves boats. There's no question about it, and it's evidenced not only in the condition of her gondola, but in the care and hard work she puts into the many other types of boats she works on - often other people's boats.
Some of the canoes and kayaks she's sent photos of are pristine.
In the above photo, you can see an example of Ina's creativity. She needed a place to work on her gondola "Ursula", during the winter; her solution was to share a portable building with a guy who stores his float-plane until spring.
I'll tell you, every now and then, Ina sends me a photo that either knocks me over or gets me laughing.
Here's another gondola maintenance shot from when the gondola was upside down.


Not too long ago, Ina sent me a DVD of a TV program shot in Hamburg. Ina and her gondola were among the subjects featured. The folks who filmed the show captured Ina's world in such an amazing way. I can't wait until the day I get to visit Hamburg and the waterway where Ina keeps her gondola.

Rowing in Ft. Lauderdale

I arrived today at Stork's Cafe in Ft. Lauderdale, hoping to row.

It had been almost two weeks since I'd been rowing and I needed a workout.

I met gondola operator Pierre Meunier, he showed me around, and then we dug through a storage closet to find an oar.

Stork's Cafe is immaculate; the place is a local favorite, and for good reason. Located on Las Olas Blvd, Stork's is next to a tiny canal called the Himmarshee Canal, and passersby all stop on the bridge and look down at the gondola. It's a great location, especially when you consider that Las Olas has been described as the Rodeo Drive of the area.

As we were digging through the storage area for an oar, I got to know Pierre. For starters, he's a very patient guy: here's some crazy gondolier who just shows up from California and says "hey, I'd like to take your boat out", and then, even though the gondola is usually propelled with an electric motor, the visiting gondolier insists on rowing, and then talks his host into doing a full inventory of the storage closet in search of an oar. Through it all, Pierre was patient and personable.

We found an oar, way in the back, and then went about the business of extracting it. As I talked with Pierre, I learned that he is originally from Nice, France, but has been here in the US for twenty-eight years. He is a licensed captain with a 100 ton ticket, and has operated several types of boats in the waters here, including charter boats, water taxis and even amphibious "duck" boats. He's a funny guy with lots of great stories to share.

Once we removed the oar from storage, I realized it was a lifeboat oar, but was still determined to row. So we uncovered the gondola which was at dock there.

A number of gondolas tie up in front of Stork's:

there's Mike Novack's "Sr. Contendo" which is almost 100 years old now,

there's the "diesel gondola" (another story for another post),

there's the Stork's private gondola (a beautiful boat from the dei Rossi squero),

and then there's the gondola I was on today.

Today's gondola is very special to me because for many years it belonged to my friend Norm Warsinske in Seattle, Washington where he kept it in various places. I first stepped on the boat about ten years ago while visiting him on Lake Washington. A few years ago, Norm sold the gondola to someone in Miami, who then sold the boat to Mike Novack. If you're just joining us here, folks, Mike is a gondola operator in New Jersey, who recently took over operations in front of Stork's Cafe as well. Mike is also the Vice President of the Gondola Society of America, and one of the biggest gondola fanatics I know.

Mike and Pierre took over after the original operator, Angelino Sandri had moved on. Angelino is one of the best gondoliers I know, so I was really looking forward to rowing at Stork's, and experiencing firsthand, the area I'd heard so much about.

I was not disappointed.

The waterways were pristine, looking in any direction I saw beautiful views, complete with lush greenery, banyan trees, palms of many kinds, and gorgeous homes.
After uncovering the gondola, I noticed that a well had been installed with a trolling motor reaching down through and into the water. As Pierre and I set out from Stork's, we went down the Himmarshee Canal, a slow and easy piece of water, and then jumped into the fast-moving New River. The New River is a busy through-way for yachts and vessels of all types that travel to and from shipyards, many of them being towed. Also present on this river were tour boats and water taxis. As if boat traffic weren't enough, the New River has a strong current, which was moving at about five knots today. As we headed down the New River and turned into the Tarpon River, we watched two large vessels, a luxury yacht and a high speed motorized catamaran, trying to navigate one of the tight turns as they powered upriver. Heading up the Tarpon River, the current was moving against me at about one knot, and the water was as smooth as glass. Pierre told me about how the river had been used so many decades ago in a number of Tarzan films starring Johnny Weissmuller - one of the most popular actors to portray the ape man of the jungle.

I rowed up past the 9th Street bridge and turned around where most of the passenger gondola cruises do. Going back down with the current was easy and relaxing on the Tarpon, which gave me time to prepare for the New River.

photo by Pierre Meunier

This gondola is solid, with all the charm you would expect from a Venice-built boat, but she's got some extra weight due to the well, motor, and the seven batteries on board. Rowing it all up the river was a great challenge, and turned out to be just the workout I'd been looking for. Once we re-entered the Himmarshee Canal, it was calm again and I took a moment to wave to a huge riverboat which was giving a tour on the New River. At that point, Pierre told me that he'd been waiting the whole time for me to ask him to turn on the motor. It was a great row and I look forward to doing it again the next time I'm in town.

If you have the chance to visit Ft. Lauderdale, be sure to stop by Stork's Cafe and arrange to meet with Pierre; he's a gondola fanatic, great guy, and the kind of guy I like to see in the gondola business.

To learn more about Stork's Cafe, go to http://www.storkscafe.com/

A Perfect Moment in Boston

photo by Thom Price

After about a week of solid training in Boston, Joe Gibbons and his guys were ready to row. Eric and Sean from The Gondola Company were coming out from San Diego to pick up where I'd left off (and fix any mistakes I may have made). Joe, Thom Price and I had spent a lot of time together - Thom concentrating on the gondolas, and me training the gondoliers. Joe decided to get some publicity photos, so we suited up and were followed by Thom in the chase boat. Thom took some dynamite images that day, some of which are still on the Gondola di Venezia website today. This shot was taken as we passed under one of the bridges of the Esplanade, which lines the shore of the Charles River. The year was 2000, but it seems like it was just a few months ago.

A Visit to Sunset Gondola

After a successful but exhausting Valentine's Day, John Kerschbaum and I finally turned in at around 4am. I slept better than I have in months.

After a leisurely morning, punctuated by at least eight cups of coffee, John and I drove up the coast a bit to visit with Sunset Gondola.

Sunset Gondola operates in Huntington Harbour from the Sunset Beach area off of Pacific Coast Highway. They currently have three boats: a beautiful standard gondola, a passenger pupparin, and a sandolo which is primarily a "club boat" - used for recreational rowing.

Tim Reinard was there when we arrived, we talked and joked for a while and then John and I took out the sandolo for a row through this port which I'd heard so many great things about.

After setting the forcolas for us, Tim gave a brief rundown of the boat, handed me a map of the waterway, and we were off.

Tim sets the forcolas while John makes sure that piling doesn't fall over.

John and I rowing the sandolo.
photo by Joanna Herrera

I had arrived with high expectations of this port, but Huntington Harbour still exceeded my expectations.

We had a blast exploring many of the different canals, and the weather, while a bit windy at times, was beautiful.

The sandolo was a real treat to row; she was quick and responsive - a perfect boat for two "gondola fanatics" out for a workout.

A view from the back of the sandolo. If you click this photo to enlarge, you can see the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

When we got back to the dock, Tyson and Joanna had arrived and we all had a great time telling stories and cracking each other up.

Tyson wrangling furniture.

Another gondolier, Nico, showed up and took six passengers out in the gondola; he had a nice departure and a good, strong stroke.

Nico shoves-off "skateboard style".

As usual, when gondola operators get together and talk, everybody comes away with new ideas to try, and this day was no exception.

Everybody enjoyed getting to know John and I know he looks forward to seeing them all again next time he's out here from Minnesota.

Tim, Tyson and Joanna were gracious and hospitable. They clearly love what they do and they are just the type of folks I like to see in the gondola business.

From left to right: Tim Reinard, Greg Mohr, John Kerschbaum, and Tyson Davis.
photo by Joanna Herrera

To learn more about Sunset Gondola, go to www.sunsetgondola.com.

GONDOLAS IN AUSTRALIA - Sydney Gondolas

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the first Australian gondola operation I discovered was in Sydney.

They called it “Grande Gondola” and I found it while searching the internet; it was a very simple website that I found.

By the text and an artistic logo, I could tell that they truly were doing a “Venetian gondola thing” and not operating ski lifts or other things called by the name “gondola”.

I have to hand it to them, they were on the web early, which speaks well of their business savvy. With their website, they did something that guaranteed my fascination: they had no photos. Telling a gondola fanatic about a gondola service in a unique locale, but not showing him the boat…well, that’s just torture. Mind you, I’m not judging them for their lack of photos, back then if a website had photos, they had one, and usually a poor one at that.

As I investigated and eventually contacted the Sydney gondola operators, I learned a lot about gondolas in Oz. First of all, I was fascinated to hear about Peninsular Gondolas (I’ll go into detail about these great boats in a future post), and I was impressed with the level of quality and dedication these Aussie gondoliers were putting into their servizio. These days the company is known as “Sydney Gondolas”. When I was looking over their website I found yet another item to that piqued my curiosity: “Sydney Gondolas are proud of our alliance with the Tribal Warrior Association - an Aboriginal training organisation - who provide most of our Coxswains.” So I looked up the Tribal Warrior Association and learned from their website: “The Tribal Warrior Association was established by concerned Aboriginal people with a view to spread and vitalise Aboriginal culture, and to provide economic and social stability.” Now I’m from Southern California. Aboriginal people are just about the most exotic folk I can think of. I’m ready to get on a plane and fly 17 hours just to meet an Aboriginal Gondolier. Leave it to the Aussies to fascinate me with everything from their boats to the gondoliers who drive them.

Because the Sydney gondola is a Peninsular, she’s got a motor, concealed in the stern. I’m told it comes in handy with all the crazy ship traffic there, not to mention strong winds and big chop. The harbor there isn’t always smooth as glass but the gondola tends to stay in the more calm waters of Pyrmont, Rozelle and Glebe.

The folks at Sydney Gondolas offer some great catered cruises through Nick’s Seafood in Darling Harbour. Options range from a “pre-dinner”, to a “seafood feast”, to fresh desserts.

One of the more unique offerings I’ve seen in the gondola world is the “Harleys and gondolas” program going on at Sydney Gondolas. A one hour Harley ride followed by a cruise on the gondola – this would be a great way to see the area from a different point of reference (no tour-bus here).

I've seen a lot of photos of Sydney, and they always seem to be taken from the water, so if, scratch that, when I get to Australia, I want to see Sydney by gondola.

Gondola and Goose

This image was sent to me by Eric and Sean from The Gondola Company in Coronado, California (see www.gondolacompany.com). The photo was taken in Boston, Massachusetts at an area known as The Esplanade along the shore of the Charles River. The gondola is part of Gondola di Venezia (www.bostongondolas.com), which was started by Joe and Camille Gibbons. Joe hired me and the guys from Coronado to help launch the business back in 2001. We went out there at separate times, covering all areas of consulting. The place is beautiful, and rowing a gondola on the Charles River will remain among my favorite memories for a very long time. Thom Price provided the gondolas and they were fantastic - the boat in the photo was built by Thom in Squero Bonaldo; she's one of only three wedding gondolas afloat in North America.

As for the goose, well, I realize that there are people in this country who aren't all that crazy about Canada Geese - I guess all that honking and pooping tends to get on people's nerves. Southern California doesn't have Canada Geese so I've developed an affinity for them.

I love this image. I'm convinced that it's one of those pictures that tells a story but I have yet to figure out what the story is.

Canada Goose goes to Boston and falls in love with Italian gondola? It's an international love story.

Or how about:

Migratory goose flies south the Massachusetts but sees a gondola and thinks he's gone waaaay too far?

GONDOLAS IN AUSTRALIA – Noosa

When I found out about gondolas in Australia, I set out to find them all. Names like Sydney, Melbourne, and even Brisbane were familiar to me, but one name caught my attention: “Noosa”. I’d never heard a name like that before. I knew nothing about the place or anything up along the coast of Queensland, except that the Great Barrier Reef was offshore from it.

In researching Noosa, I learned that the name was an old Aboriginal word for “Shadow” or “Shady Place”. I found the place to be as unique as the name. This “shady place” is full of people who are determined to keep things as stress free as possible. Lack of high-rises, little traffic, clean air, and clean river help to keep folks relaxed. There are also no traffic lights or parking meters – there’s a conscious effort to keep many “big city things” out of Noosa. Almost 35% of Noosa’s 875 square kilometers is park, preserve, or protected in some way. A somewhat controversial “population cap” strategy, which once caused quite a stir, has been accepted by most now and helps keep the place from feeling crowded. The low-stress, low-crowds, keep-it-natural approach has attracted many people who choose to vacation there. In a 2002 travel supplement, the New York Times did a two page spread on Noosa, a place they said “appreciates nature and the good life”.

Gracing the waters of this idyllic place with a funny name is a beautiful gondola. She takes her passengers through the canals and along the Noosa River.

Richard Wilschke (aka “Ricardo”) and his wife Tanya own and operate Gondolas of Noosa. He proposed to her on the gondola, giving them both a very clear understanding of just how perfect everything needs to be for certain cruisers. They both refer to getting “lost in time” while cruising on the gondola.

The gondola that takes passengers cruising through Noosa is a 7.2 meter long Fiberglass gondola built by the folks at Peninsular Boats. She accommodates up to six passengers under a canopy that’s supported by masterfully varnished wood posts. Like most of the Peninsular gondolas, the Noosa gondola is propelled by a concealed outboard motor, and steered by a skilled gondolier. The motor gives the gondolier the ability to go up-river and show more of the area’s beauty to his passengers.

Richard has succeeded in making a cruise on his gondola “one of the things to do” in Noosa. Gondolas of Noosa offers cruises ranging from a half-hour standard to fully catered charters. All cruises are BYO with a bucket, ice and glasses ready and waiting on the boat. A number of wedding services are available as well. The one that caught my eye was something they call a “sandbar ceremony”; a very unique idea which I’m sure is both beautiful and memorable.

To learn more about Gondolas of Noosa, go to http://www.gondolasofnoosa.com and be sure to look through the gallery, they’ve got some great photos.