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.

Fresh Hardware

There's nothing quite like unwrapping a fresh remo 
and taking to the water with it.
Yesterday I had the honor of doing so 
with a brand new remo from Saverio Pastor.

I was not disappointed.
It felt like Christmas again.

The Remo Room

In my post "The Wall of Forcole" I mentioned something called 
the "Remo Room".
I suppose that since the plural of remo (oar) would be "remi", 
but Remo Room just sounds better to me.

Like so many other rowing clubs in the Veneto - both in Venezia and throughout the region - the Gruppo Sportivo Voga Veneta in Mestre (GSVVM) has a large fleet of boats.

Because they're a rowing club, they've obviously got to have lots of remi.
As you may have guessed, they keep them in a room,
and this is a picture that I took of part of that room.
Looking up toward the ceiling, I was able to capture most of the remi,
but there were plenty more.

Rainy Day Remo Sanding

Unexpected rain on painting day?
No problem.
There's always other stuff to do - like sanding.
Lots and lots of sanding.

Kalev and I had a stack of floorboards that we'd planned on painting today,
but with all that liquid sunshine coming down, 
I pointed to a pile of old oars and said "that's our new project for the day."

So with a playlist ranging from Patsy Cline to Pavarotti, with detours through Led Zeppelin and the B-52's, we threw a dozen remi on the bench.

After choosing four oars to work on, it was time to kick up some dust
(and crank up the music, of course).

Wet outside, dry inside.

photo by Kalev Pallares

Power-sanding, hand-sanding. flipping and checking.

Acetone wiping, and one last touch-up sanding.

Later I brushed on a base coat of varnish - with many more to come.

Bending Branches

Normally we all row in a slow and easy way,
transporting our passengers to a place of serenity and relaxation.

Our cruise routes are designed to last a specific amount of time,
and if a gondolier goes faster than he ought to,
well, he's gonna have to find a way to stay out on the water
for the rest of his allotted cruise time.

That's what we normally do.

But then, there's the US Gondola Nationals.
And there are very few things done in a "normal" way at Nationals.

Here we see Jakob Easton, rowing an empty boat,
as fast as he possibly can in order to win the Solo Sprint event.
The shortest time wins.
Jakob did win the gold in this event, but only by about a second and a half.

No, that oar isn't normally bent like you see it in the photo.
Some of these guys (and Jakob is a prime example),
pushed their oars very close to the point of snapping them.

We've seen broken oars in competition before,
but none were snapped this time around.
I'm sure the host - John Kerschbaum - is thankful for that.

Technically speaking, today's Venetian oar is not made from a branch, but rather the trunk section of a tropical hardwood.
But the title  "Bending the Trunk Section of a Tropical Hardwood" just didn't sound as catchy.

Tanti Auguri Saverio!

Today is Saverio Pastor's birthday.
And while I don't do a lot of birthday posts anymore
(because I found that I was spending so much time
wishing people "tanti auguri" here on the Gondola Blog),
There are always exceptions.

 

When it comes to exceptions, I can think of nobody more worthy of our attention on his birthday than a guy who carves forcolas and oars.

Here's a collection of photos I took last year in Saverio's shop
on a rainy day in September.

Happy birthday Saverio.
Keep carving masterpieces.

Finished Forcole with fresh signatures.

 

Planes lined up on the runway.

 

A wall of remi.

 

Talking with his co-worker

(and probably talking with the forcola too).

 

 The master and his masterpieces.

 

 My personal favorite remo.

 

 So many tools and patterns.

 

Non-electric equipment.

 

So many remi - all waiting to be put into service.

 

Contemplation.

 

To learn more about Saverio Pastor's craftsmanship, go to:

http://www.forcole.com/

 

Or search his name here on the Gondola Blog.

MY Orange and Blue Team

photo by Isabella Mohr

I have no particular loyalty to the Denver Broncos football team,
the New York Mets, Edmonton Oilers or Florida State. 
They're typically not on my radar.

But I am a huge fan of another organization which also
calls those colors their own. 
That would be a certain rowing club in Mestre. 

I've been a member of the GSVVM since 2000, and while I don't get there
often enough, when I do get to row with them, it's like Christmas for me.

So it should come as no surprise that I have
an orange and blue striped remo in my collection of oars.
It wasn't easy - I had to mix the orange myself because none of the marine paint suppliers seem to think orange is worth their time.

But it was worth the extra step (and fun to do).
So this post is dedicated to all of my friends at the Gruppo Sportivo Voga Veneta in Mestre (Now can you see why I usually abbreviate it?)
There are a lot of great rowing clubs in and around the lagoon,
but the GSVVM is the one I call "home" in the Veneto.

Wrapping Up a Gift for Texas

For the last four months I've worked on a collection of remi intended for my operation in Irving, Texas. 
Stripes, varnish, and a whole lot of cure-time went into these four pieces.

Three of them came out of Saverio Pastor's shop in Venice - two have been seasoned here in California, the other was unwrapped for the first time at Nationals last November.

The fourth one (on the left) is a bit of an odd oar.
It's more of a steering oar - for a non-Venetian boat.

Tonight I inspected them to be sure they were ready to ship.
I laid them out on the kitchen floor, wrapped them in bubble wrap,
and tomorrow they will go into a boat that's being trailered to Texas.

Like Christmas!

photo by Joy Sailing

 

Two years ago we learned the importance of having good oars.

One of the stronger competitors at the US Gondola Nationals managed to push a remo past the point of it's potential.

 

The resulting "Crack!" filled the air like the sound of a home run being hit at Dodger Stadium.

(read more about that at "The Snapper")

 

As it happened, the oar was mine.

I never forgot that moment (and the guy who barely escaped being hurt after it snapped probably didn't either).

 

So when Tim of Sunset Gondola was making a large purchase of remi from Venetian master Saverio Pastor, I was thrilled to be included in the order.

Several of those pieces went directly into storage in my garage - not to be opened until Nationals.

 

On the first morning, just before the sprints were to begin,

John Kerschbaum and I did the honors of unwrapping those beautiful gifts.

It was like Christmas morning.

 

Saverio Pastor is one of the only remaining craftsmen in Venice,

carving oars, forcole, and a few other items for Venetian boats. 

He apprenticed under the legendary Giuseppe Carli before opening his own business.  Saverio has taught a few carvers as well,

but most of all - he creates magnificent works of form and function.

 

Really, the rowing hardware of a venetian boat is a rare dichotomy:

1. it's gorgeous, a true work of art

     (and many grace the halls of both galleries and museums)

2. it works! I mean really works. Both remi and forcole, when carved right,

and used properly, are profoundly effective in propelling their boats.

 

Saverio Pastor working on a forcola in his shop in Venice.

 

Some of the many remi on Saverio's racks.

Unwrapping amazing things.

photo by Joy Sailing

 

A few different remi in action at the start of a solo sprint heat.

Three of the four remi were part of the purchase, with the blue and orange striped one having been unwrapped and painted earlier in the year.

photo by Joy Sailing

 

A good shot of a fresh pastor remi in the hands of
a gondolier from Coronado, California.

photo by Joy Sailing

Many thanks to Saverio Pastor for such terrific oars.
They are great to row with,
        even better to race with, 
                and not one of his oars snapped.

You can visit Saverio's website at www.forcole.com

See more photos from the shop through the lens of John Synco
of Gig Harbor Gondola at:
"Photos from Saverio Pastor's workshop"

Stripes in the water

I love a good striped remo.
It takes a lot of time and effort to get the stripes just right,
but in my opinion - it's worth the trouble.

People expect a few things when they think of Venetian gondolas,
and while striped remi aren't as widely expected as striped shirts,
I still think it's worth doing.

This is one of the many remi used in competition
during the US Gondola Nationals.

Epiphanes

I love working with paint and varnish.
Fortunately I've never had any problems with the fumes I work with,
but I can't say the same for my beloved wife.
Fans, closed doors, and all other efforts have not fixed the problem.
If I'm brushing something in the garage, it's not long before it 
gives my wife a headache and triggers her asthma,
as she sits at her computer in the next room.

Now, I do love my wife more than painting and varnishing,
but the work still needs to be done, and I'm pretty good at it,
so over the years I've tried using more fans, kept the door to the garage
closed, and even stuffed a towel into the space beneath the door.
Eventually, however, the fumes get through and she's miserable.

My wife is not a lightweight.
She just has issues with these particular fumes.
I could point fingers and complain, but then anyone who accompanies me
to the grocery store would see the depth of my hypocrisy as I coughed
and gagged my way down the place I call "the stinky aisle" - that's where
they keep all the laundry detergents and fabric softeners.
The place kills me.

Like I said, I'm lucky that the paint and varnish products I use don't
bother me, 'cause laundry detergent sure does, and vinegar is my
complete and total kryptonite!

The struggle continues.
The work still needs to be done.
I can't just farm it out to some woodshop and pay top dollar for work
that I can do at home for the cost of the varnish and thinner.

I line up the next batch of remi that need varnish, and discover that I'm
out of my normal varnish.  The backup brand is also not present on my shelf.
I look further and discover the cans of Dutch varnish and thinner made by Epiphanes.
Months ago I found them for a good price and have been saving them for whatever "special project" might require such a high-line product.

I brush the Epiphanes varnish onto the freshly sanded oars,
Patsy Cline sings from the old tape player in my garage.
A fan blows over the surfaces that I'm varnishing,
and then...my wife opens the door to the garage.
She props the door open, asks me a question, and leaves it open!
It's quite possible that you don't understand just how amazing this single event was in our household.

Upon further investigation, I discovered that the Dutch varnish and thinner I was using, had no adverse affects on my wife's nose or head.
No asthma either!
Four days later she still had no complaints.
I spent a few hours in my garage tonight with brush in hand,
rejoicing in the fact that a simple change in product could solve my problem
(and I get to keep my wife!).

The Epiphanes varnish might cost more, but for me,
it's SO worth it!

Stripes Reflected

photo by Candace Benson

One of our staff photographers caught this image of a striped remo
reflecting on blue water as the pupparin known as "Contessa"
passed by on Valentine's Day.

Fruit Stripe Remi

A while back I posted a photo of three remi,
masked and ready for paint in "Set to Stripe".
After further preparation (and a fair amount of procrastination),
I finally picked up a brush and started to paint.

Red and blue were obvious choices, but I chose the purple
in honor of my daughters, who wear a fair amount of it.
When I laid them out to cure, I realized that we had three colors
that sit next to each other on the color wheel.
The more I looked at them, the more they reminded me
of the Fruit Stripe Gum we used to chew when I was a kid.

So there they are:
the Fruit Stripe Remi - ready for action in the coming days.

Set to Stripe

After multiple coats of varnish, and four coats of white paint to the blades,
I left these three remi to cure for several weeks.
Once the white paint had reached a solid enamel finish,
it was time to mask for the chevron stripes.
Like so many other things, the key to a good oar stripe job is preparation.
Take a short cut in the masking process,
and the quality of the finished product will suffer.
Before bed I sanded the exposed white paint.
In the morning, I'll brush on a few coats of the colors I've chosen
for these three remi.
Given enough cure time, these should be ready to make their
debut trips during Valentine's Day.

Remo in Motion

photo by Cassandra Mohr

This was snapped on board one of our cruises this evening in Newport.
I'm not really sure what settings my daughter used to capture it,
but rest assured that I'll be trying to copy her accomplishment soon.

Remo: Saverio Pastor
Gondolier: Steve Elkins

Resting Remo

photo by Cassandra Mohr

A fresh new remo, expertly carved by Saverio Pastor, 
rests on the gondola: ready for the next cruise.

The Snapper

On Friday afternoon at the U.S. Gondola Nationals, while all the gondoliers were taking turns rowing their qualifying runs, people gradually stopped focusing their full attention on every second of every heat.
Sure, it was fascinating at first, but after a while folks began thinking about other things.
At around 5:30, Eric Bender - the guy known as "Enrico" of The Gondola Company in Coronado, California made his way out on one of the gondolas. 

 

Two gondolas heading out for the sprinting area.

Enrico took his position with the other guy in his heat, the whistle blew,
and they gripped their oars, pushing as hard as they could to force their
boats down the course as fast as possible.
It mattered quite a lot to them, but few people were watching...until we all heard a loud "crack" coming from the direction of his gondola.

About five strokes into it, Enrico had snapped the oar in two.

Every head turned, and we all watched as the gondolier reacted to this unexpected event.
His reflexes were excellent; Enrico managed to stay on his feet as he was heaved forward onto the uneven footing ahead of where he'd been standing just a second ago.

The crowd reacted with surprise and concern.
We were all relieved and impressed that he was still standing.
Immediately someone rowed out with another oar for the guy with strong arms and fast reflexes.

He may have been shaken from the experience, but if so, we couldn't tell.
He probably rowed a little more carefully after that.
I KNOW he took a good long look at the fresh oar that was given to him after that.
Even so, Enrico managed to qualify with his run and came ashore with one good oar, and one broken oar.

On that day, on that shore, with two broken pieces of an oar.
Enrico became known as:
the "Oar Snapper".

Great nicknames are given.
Truly great ones are earned.

We all got together and posed with him.
It was a great memory for everyone.

 Everyone doing their very best "This is Sparta!" face

while posing with the "Oar Snapper".

And what do you do with an oar that's broken in half?

Well, if you're a bunch of crazy gondoliers - you create a photo

of a gondolier with the oar magically going through his midsection.

(Thanks to Steve Elkins for modeling and pretending to endure great pain)

Throughout the weekend he became known by the name.
His power stroke (or "premi") is an explosive one - just the kind of movement that can break an oar.
Not surprisingly, the "Oar Snapper" went on to win or place well in every event he rowed in.

 Receiving yet another medal.

 

Some have tried to modify the name,
 
but as the guy who gave him that name,

I'm not willing to change it, because after all...

It was my oar that he snapped.

 

The "Oar Snapper", may his name be known

from Huntington Harbour to the Grand Canal.

Stowing a Spare in Boston

photo by Efrain Jovan

This absolutely gorgeous image came in from Joe Gibbons in Boston yesterday.

Like many gondoliers, both in Venice and other cities around the world,
the gondoliers at Gondola di Venezia have strong feelings about being prepared, and as such, they carry a spare remo.

Joe writes:

Hi Greg 

Thought you may enjoy this photo for your blog. The old habit of a spare oar on the floor never dies. For 13 years now we have carried a spare oar on each of our 2 gondolas. This season, almost half way through our season I discovered that we forgot to place the spare oars. Oh yea they can be a nuisance but the day will come when it is needed. Being that it is 2013 and our 13th season maybe there is some message there. Its a good feeling to know that those remi are back where they belong.

Thanks for the photo, Joe.

 

As John Kerschbaum in Minnesota likes to say:

"Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it".

 

As an aside, now that we've got this image up, I'd like to point out something I've always loved about the boats in Boston.  They're not really part of the boats.  They are...the chairs.  This design is unique, and was crafted by Thom Price, who is responsible for the gondolas there on the Charles River.

Red Stripes on Varnish

photos by Simon Atkins

Lately I've been kind of obsessed with painting stripes on oars.
I'm fully aware of the fact that most gondola remi never have anything but a clear finish.  And having spent a fair amount of time lately, I think I know why - it takes time and effort to essentially "make the remo blade look pretty".

I would argue, however, that it's not just about aesthetics:
in fact I believe the main purpose of painting brightly contrasting stripes on the blade of an oar is for safety.  Think about it - if you operated a rowing boat with a single (very long) oar, in waters where there were lots of other boats buzzing about, and if you wanted to make sure the pilots of those other boats could easily spot, and thereby avoid that oar, you might want to paint it bright red and white.

A while back I realized that one of my remi needed some varnishing, and with my new stripe-painting obsession, I considered going with the classic red and white chevrons.  The problem was that the wood grain looked too good to cover up.
The solution: red stripes over varnish.
After the red stripes had cured, I threw a few more coats of clear varnish over the whole thing to seal in the painted areas.
I think it looks pretty snazzy.
What do you think?

A Whole Lotta Oars

photos by Elle Sandes

I walked into Nick Birch's shop in Stratford-Upon-Avon and one of the first things I saw was this large cart, loaded with rowboat oars.
The large fleet of boats out front all need oars for people to effectively have fun renting them.

This one cart carries something like ninety to one hundred of the traditional rowing oars.
Nick told me that for the longest time they'd carried the oars out a few at a time, until one staff member came up with this cart idea. 
I'm sure he's well-liked by everyone who works there.