Two Fresh Launches at the GSVVM

video by Nereo Zane

The folks at the Gruppo Sportivo Voga Veneta in Mestre have a fleet of beautiful boats - Venetian vessels of all types.  
They love them all, and take great care of each one.  
Recently they had the occasion to launch not one, 
but two boats for the first time:
a mascareta and a caorlina.

Here's a nice video by Nereo Zane of the two boats being hoisted into the water and then rowed around along with a few other boats.  
Looks like it was a bit chilly that day, but nobody seemed to notice.  
They must have been having a great time.

Gondola Racing Video

video by Jonah Bonner

If you were rowing at Nationals this year, you might have heard a buzzing sound above you, or noticed a GoPro camera somewhere on your boat.

Simon Atkins is responsible for the GoPros, 
and he's posted a number of great videos online.
Jonah brought the drone (that made the buzzing sound).

Some incredible footage was captured by both cameras.
Jonah just posted some of it - masterfully edited together with a great piece of music.

You can watch it here, or go straight to the source here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpzP6HI5aP4

Whatever you do, go with as big of a screen as you can find, 
because the quality is fantastic.
 

More than Once

My wife forwarded this to me today.

It came out a couple months ago, and I watched it over and over.

Then it showed up in my inbox today,

and once again, I watched it over and over.

 

If you haven't already seen it, or even if you have,

I'll bet you can't help but watch it more than once.

If you're like me, you'll find yourself pausing and clicking

to bring it back a few seconds to see certain people and places.

 

My hat's off to Oliver Astrologo and the folks who helped create this video.

 

Festivities Afloat

Some awesome things are happening on the water in the Veneto.
Here's a video that popped up in my Facebook feed a couple days ago.
I believe it was taken by my friend Gilberto Penzo.
I don't know everybody in the frame, but I'm quite certain that the guy playing and singing a John Denver song is the crazy Kiwi Andrew McHardy,
And I believe I see Peter Dever in there as well.
Sure wish I could have been there to experience it first-hand.

 

Bridge Proposal with Drone Footage

A while back we had a fun proposal that took place by the Lido Bridge.

Jakob rowed it, and had a lot of fun seeing great memories being created.

We all forgot about it as so many more cruises demanded our attention,

then one of my gondoliers said to Jakob:

"Hey, did you know you were on TV the other night?"

He'd seen it on the local Fox channel.

 

Here's the segment:

I especially liked the drone and hidden camera footage.

For the record, the lady was supposed to receive a message in a bottle - instructing her to turn her attention to the bridge, but things don't always go as planned.
She saw the people on the bridge, and so Jakob and the guy in the passenger seat had to improvise.
Overall, it was an awesome event.

Big congrats to the newly engaged couple,
and my compliments to Justin Carrillo for both his great footage and editing.

"Business Extra"

Earlier in the year, my wife and I were invited to step in front of the camera
for a series of short videos for American Airlines to promote their "Business Extra" program.  They came to Newport, spent a day shooting video of us
on the water and in interview format.
My wife looks and sounds amazing (as always).

To see the clip, go to https://www.businessextra.com/
and click on "Hear from a customer" in the lower right hand side.
While you're there, think about signing up - it's been a great program for us.

Special thanks to our passenger-couples Anthony and Maria, and Don and Lori.
The other gondolier was Jakob Easton, who handled the boat like a pro.

Golf Tournament Coverage

Video shamelessly swiped by someone other than the Gondola Blog staff

(who then sent it to the Gondola Blog).

 

I can hear it now over the walkie talkies:
"Alright, go to commercial...oh wait! Get a shot of that gondola!"

 

What do you do when there's a celebrity golf tournament near your gondola operation? You row over there and be as visible as possible, of course.

Today our friend Drew up in Tahoe managed to be in the "right place, at the right time" and as I would expect - was just too eye-catching for the camera operators to pass up.

Nice job, Drew!

Drew's in the News

Drew Sainte Marie up in Tahoe was on TV this morning

on Fox 11 (KRXI) with host Samantha Boatman.

Here's a link to the video:
http://foxreno.com/news/features/mornings-on-fox-11/stories/tahoe-amore-brings-italy-you-1937.shtml#.VUKgRS50fpc

The boat's in the water and ready for cruises.
Looking good, Drew!

"Ride of the Gondoliers"

A few months ago one of my gondoliers, Simon, shared with me a video

that he'd shot during one of our flotillas in Newport.
I told him how much I loved it, 

How much I'd like to post it here on the Gondola Blog...

and then I promptly forgot about it.

 

Not because it was forgettable, but because I am easily distractible.

Think of the dog in the movie "Up", and his tendency to stop what he's

doing and yell "Squirrel!",

and you have a good sense of my span of attention sometimes.

 

Recently I was reminded of this entertaining clip, and now,

many months later, here it is.

 

It's a fun little clip, taken with a GoPro from the bow of a pupparin,
and the video has been quickened a bit, making for a high speed view.
Throw in a nice musical selection from the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, and there it is!  It's even better in full-screen.
I wish it were longer - I think I could watch this stuff all day.
I was particularly impressed by the stability of the pupparin -  there's
no back-and-forth or rocking. Simon is a very smooth rower.

The Most Romantic Job You Could Ever Have

There's really no reason for me to try and explain the concept of this piece.

If you're a gondolier, then you already know, and if not, and you don't think it's the most romantic job you could ever have - then you've never been on a gondola.

Watch this piece, fall in love with the job (if you aren't already),

and see Providence as everyone should see her.

 

...and yes, I am quite jealous of Marcello for getting such a great bit of press.

"The Venetian Art of Rowing"

Check out this three-minute video teaser for tonight's installment of
the National Geographic show Access 360 - on Venice.

I don't know about you, but I'm sure gonna catch this show.
Here's a link to their episode description:
http://natgeotv.com/asia/access-360-venice/about

It warms my heart to see fellow members of my rowing club (GSVVM)
in blue and orange.
I'm sure I'll recognize more people in the full-length program.

U.S. Gondola Nationals 2013 - Video Slideshow

Bepi hosted a fantastic event last year at Sunset Gondola.
He posted this recently and I couldn't resist sharing it with you.

Video from Bacino Orseolo

Right about now some gondoliers from California are probably
drinking Campari spritzes and looking over the boat they'll be
rowing soon in the Vogalonga.

Am I jealous? Nah!
(ok, maybe just a little bit)

Among their many stops, I'm sure they won't be able to resist loitering a bit along the rail at Bacino Orseolo.

Here's a link to a video clip some of these guys shot last year at that remarkable spot that's aptly known by the name "the gondola garage".

In case the video give you trouble, here's a link to the same video elsewhere:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=H1ZmrAuMPCk

Mike Knows About Kicking Walls

There's a special place just located just about at the very center of Venice;
it's midway between the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco.

You've seen it.

I'm certain that you have seen this place - you might not realize it,
but unless you're blind or only read old books with no pictures in them, somewhere along the way you've seen a photo taken from this spot.
All the tourism and advertising people love it. 
A certain Venice-themed casino had it prominent in their material for a while.
I've posted several photos of gondolas taken at "that spot".

I'm used to seeing photos taken from the side of the canal there,
but last year at about this time, some of our friends from Gondola Getaway were standing on a bridge overlooking the spot.
Mike O'Toole gives a great running commentary of the goings on in the canal there, including the rarely mentioned kick off the wall of the port side - it's something we all do, but you won't see many good examples of it in photos or video.

The video can also be seen at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlD6wyCn4i0&feature=youtu.be

Towards the end Mike also speaks a truth
that we all know but are hesitant to tell.

Nice clip of video, with spot-on commentary.

Regata Storica Revisit

Nereo Zane has just posted a great video showing some of the warm-up
and parade activity on the Grand Canal during Regata Storica.
http://www.vogaveneta.it/video-gallery/287-regata-storica-2013.html

The Song We All Know

What sounds better than a boatload of gondoliers singing together?

How about two boatloads.

 

 
On Sunday, October 27th, a bunch of us were hosted by Gondola Getaway
in Alamitos Bay.  At a certain point along the route, the two big caorlinas
ended up side-tied beneath a bridge.

Stefano was presented his first place medal for the solo distance race
(see "Marathon Man" post), folks took turns singing songs, and then
we all sang the one song that everybody knew - with Derek "Luciano"
Sabatini expertly directing.

Yes, you've heard it before in the post "One Song", but the acoustics
and the mood are very different in this recording.

One Song

Thirty plus gondoliers,
from eight different operations,
all singing one song.

video by Cassandra Mohr

 

The song, of course, is "Santa Lucia" - one that just about every gondolier knows.
We sang it earlier in the day as part of the opening ceremony, but otherwise it wasn't really rehearsed.  What you see and hear is pretty much off the cuff.

Tourist Perspective

 After the remarkable experience of watching the Regata Storica (an event that most non-Venetians never see), from what is arguably the best seat in the house (on a gondola with friends who are gondoliers), Andrew McHardy decided to take in what could be described as the polar opposite - he visited a vortex of tourist activity:       the "Bridge of Sighs".

Sure, the Rialto is probably the most photographed bridge in Venezia, but the one that has all the legend-lore, the one that all the couples want to kiss under, is that odd enclosed bridge that's a floor or two above the main level.

 

The romantic belief is that if a couple kisses under this bridge, while the sun is setting, and the church bells are ringing...their love will last forever.

 

This idea was significantly propagated with the movie "A Little Romance",

with Diane Lane back in 1979.

 

Since then everyone in the english-speaking world has wanted to enjoy the same experience, and gondoliers who row that route, have, of course enjoyed fulfilling the demand.

 

So after all the excitement of the regata had passed, our intrepid Kiwi friend

(yes, the guy's from New Zealand) stepped behind the Ducale Palace to see what all the fuss was about.

 

Here he is in position, and ready for the thrill.

Now if we could just get Diane Lane in that seat next to him.

Afterwards, Andrew captured this little snippet of video
with the Bridge of Sighs in the background.

Of course there's more than one bridge over that canal, and if you're in the right place, you can snap a nice shot with several of them spanning over the water, with gondolas gliding beneath.

So that's what the tourists all line up for.
It's nice, really. I can see why a trip down this particular waterway has become so darn popular.
I can also see why so many gondoliers aspire to row there.

Thanks to Mr. McHardy for making us all a bit jealous.

Chalk in New Orleans

Roberto in New Orleans, like just about every gondolier I've ever met, is fun, interesting, creative and loves what he does. That creativity has brought about a neat tradition there in City Park, which you can see in this video clip:
"Join the Under the Bridge Club with NOLA Gondola"

I've often said that at the heart of any successful gondola operation, you'll find a true fanatic.
Roberto refers to it as more than a job; he says it's a "calling".
I love that, and I can certainly identify.
But my favorite quote from this video is this gem:
"This is what I was put on this big rock to do"

To read more about this chalk tradition, check out my post from April of this year "The Under the Bridge Club".

Regata Storica - Procession Video

Once again the Grand Canal played host to one of the most unique and beautiful parades in the world.
Before the races, a traditional procession takes place,
and this year Nereo Zane caught some nice video footage of it.

It's about 15 minutes long, so it's easy to watch with either a cup of coffee or a glass of wine in your hand (your choice, of course), and you can either watch it on his site vogaveneta.it (see "Regata Storica 2012"),
or you can catch it on YouTube in HD.

Bravo Nereo!