What's in YOUR Bag? - The Follow-Up

Alright my friends, the time has come to follow up on the “what’s in your bag” forum from July 30th, and to answer the question myself.

First, I need to point out that there’s fantasy, and then there’s reality.

I sat down and composed my list. Then I went and got my bag, to dig through it and see if I’d forgotten anything.
The sad truth was that many of the items on my list were not in the bag!

I have since remedied that situation, and my bag weighs a lot more than it did last week!

I guess not every item in the gondolier’s bag of tricks is necessary on every cruise.

Now, to address the comments from our beloved readers:

Sean gets the award for being the first to respond, for being a minimalist, and for mentioning one thing I never considered – a bottle of wine.

All of our cruises come with a bottle of champagne or sparkling cider. I’m guessing that in a BYO operation, having a bottle for the clueless guy who forgot to bring one, can do wonders for a gondolier’s tip.
Then there’s the issue of drinking while rowing.
I think in Newport, I’d get nabbed by the Harbor Patrol in a New York minute If I were caught drinking on the back of a passenger vessel.
I know that certain other gondola operations have, shall we say, “lax rules” on such things, and all I can say, to any of you lax rules gondoliers is…I envy you.

Cassandra was the next person to comment.
She’s not a gondolier…yet.
She’s actually my eleven-year-old daughter.

(everybody say “oooooohhh” like someone just opened a gift at a baby shower)

This year Cassandra will be learning to row.
It’ll be an awesome father-daughter experience, which you’ll probably read about here, whether you like it or not.

Bepi, paisano, you were right about some of the items, but you brought up one that I hadn’t thought of – baby wipes. You’re a dad, I shouldn’t be surprised. Those things have easily got a thousand-and-one uses. When we travel, my wife has always got them handy.

I’ve considered getting a small GPS, I probably will for the next expedition, and I’d probably need one in your harbor, but I know my canals well enough that I don’t need one in Newport.

There have been times when I wished I had a bull-horn, and as I think back, it’s probably a good thing that I didn’t.

Forcola lube is kept on each boat, but I have been known to fall back on my Chap Stick when someone swipes my Crisco.

John Synco, your post made me laugh out loud.
I want to hear about the fight that almost happened – tell me about it at Captain Jack’s.

A safety whistle is a good idea.
I carry a bosun’s whistle on my keychain, it’s great for calling the kids, but it’s also handy when there’s a drunken Duffy driver headed right at me.

The paint brush is another clever item.
Some boats need that more than others. Heck! Some boats need to be dipped in chemical stripper, hosed off with acetone, and then dipped in paint or varnish, repeatedly.
You probably know some boats like that.

I received an e-mailed response from Pierre Meunier in Miami, he wrote:

“Whats in my bag? well hummm let me think.
You know I’m French, so in my bag is a bottle of red and damn good cheese, then a knife (very handy with the cheese), a flashlight to find the food at night,
then a cell phone (if I ever run out of food I can order in) and on one of my knives I have a tiny corkscrew opener in case I forgot to ask the client if he had one.”

Pierre is a very funny guy.
If you find yourself in Miami, definitely look him up, if only for the cheese.

And now for my list:

Bag list

Messermeister corkscrew/bottle opener – at some point I thought I’d be a better gondolier if I got a really good corkscrew.
Later I realized that all I’d done was spend more money than I needed to on a stupid corkscrew.

Small bottle of water – lately, I try to always keep a small 8 ounce bottle in my bag. Most of the time I step on the boat with a larger bottle, and sometimes a Thermos of coffee too. But now and then I forget, and that little bottle can be a lifesaver, especially when you need to sing.

Laminated bird chart – it weighs nothing and can make a huge difference for that passenger who starts asking about the different shorebirds they see.

Protein bar – I don’t go anywhere without one of these. You never know when your one cruise is going to become three cruises with no time to eat in between.

Sunscreen – just a little for the beak.

Duct tape – small travel-size or the end of a regular roll – preferably black.

Zip ties – for years I’ve said “If it can be solved with zip ties, duct tape, a bungee cord or a little bit of cash – it’s not a real problem”.

Sharpie marker – a great “quick-hide” for scratches in black paint

Counter duster – this is a small hand-broom that makes cleaning up crumbs, rose petals, and other debris go a lot faster and easier.

Tissues – little mini Kleenex or Tempo tissues.

Small battery tester – no bigger than a Bic lighter. I hate throwing out good batteries.

Pitch-pipe – a long time ago, I went through a phase where the singing was my highest priority. I learned a lot of the stuff I sing today during that period. I bought a pitch-pipe which has stayed in my gondola bag since. I think I’ve used it a dozen times in the last eight years.

Towel – it’s a small one, often lines the bottom of the bag. Anybody see Hitchhiker’s Guide?

Mini Maglite – the AA size Mini Maglite fits perfectly in the canon (little brass rose vase piece on the bow), and when you twist off the lid, it becomes a great running light.

In my pockets

Typical pocketknife w/ 3” blade and pocket clip.

Victorinox Swiss Army Knife – I like the smaller ones that have a little red flashlight and ball-point pen built in. Also, a cap lifter (that would be a bottle opener) is essential when you need to open someone’s Martinelli’s…or your own frosty beverage of choice at the end of the evening.

Business cards

Micro-light on my keychain – this is a true life-saver. It’s the size of a nickel and weighs about as much. It’s a pinch-light with a super bright diode. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a drunken Duffy driver heading my way, completely oblivious of my running lights, and by pointing the Micro-light at him and flashing it, I’ve gotten his attention and avoided a nightmare.

Chap Stick – gotta have it. Good for lubing a forcola in a pinch.

And yes, Bepi, I do carry a camera – in a separate bag. After a certain “adventure”, I like to keep my lenses in ziplock bags. ;o)

Other things I’ve seen and heard of

Translation guide – in some areas, the passengers are from other countries, and communicating with them requires additional study, or text.

Big Mac meal from McDonalds – obviously this one works better on a canopied gondola with a motor. It’s very hard to row while eating a Big Mac.

Change of underwear (insert you favorite wise crack here)

Night vision scope – Yep, I once saw a gondolier carry a night vision scope with him on his gondola. I’m not quite sure if he was paranoid of black helicopters, or just hoping to see something “interesting” on the shore. He had way too much time on his hands.

Personal wine glass – this has to be one of my favorite “optional items”. For reasons of liability, I’ll keep the identity of this guy under wraps, but I will say that he’s one of the most skilled and established gondoliers outside Venice. He operates on a lake where there are no other boats or authorities to worry about. He also has many passengers that bring their own wine on cruises. Because so many passengers offer him a taste of their vino, he often carries his own wine glass on the back of the boat. As I mentioned earlier, drinking while rowing would probably get the “Exxon Valdez treatment” in Newport. But every time someone comes aboard my boat with a really impressive vintage, and offers me some, I think of this guy…and how I should’ve brought an extra glass!

I grew up in the Boy Scouts, and the motto “Be Prepared” has served me well over the years, but the best way to end this post has got to be with a quote from John Kerschbaum in Minnesota:

“Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it”.

photos from Arzanà - the Wall of Forcole

photo by Nereo Zane

Here's another great image from the Associazione Arzanà display in the old Squero Casal.One of those photos you can stare at for a long time.

Fresh Photos from Amsterdam

Tirza is a sight to behold. It's one thing to see a beautiful, black gondola in a place like Amsterdam. It's quite another to watch that gondola pass by with a young lady in a red dress doing the rowing. This is not the first time Tirza has been seen rowing in a dress. Here's a link to a news piece worth checking out:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=photo&photo_id=05yB0DrgY40G5&tid=03Lb0vQcbSb45&pn=0

Tirza definitely gets points for style!

This next shot was taken a few days ago. Hans, another Amsterdam gondolier is seen during the "road portion" of a transport. Tirza and Hans had to bring the mascareta into the shop for some work. Most of it was by water, but the last leg of the trip was over land. I like the Superman shirt - it really makes the shot.
Go Hans!

To visit the Amsterdam gondola website, go to:
www.gondel.nl

Side-by-Side Comparison of Newport Beach and Alamitos Bay Postcards

As promised, here is the side-by-side comparison of two significant gondola postcard images from the early twentieth century.
The top one is from Newport Beach, with the gondolier believed to be John Scarpa.
The bottom one is from an Alamitos Bay postcard. At this writing, the gondolier's identity is unknown.
It is highly likely that both of these gondolas were originally brought from Italy to Venice, California, and then relocated to the ports they are depicted in for the postcards.

Both of these postcards have been featured here individually.
the Newport Beach one on June 8th, 2008,
and the Alamitos Bay card on June 24th of 2008.

Production methods of postcard images have been addressed a number of times on the Gondola Blog. Like so many of the postcards we've seen, I believe both of these were based on monochrome photos, with colors and details added or enhanced later by artists.

I suspect that some artists who produced such images, may have taken liberties and/or made enhancements to their images.

When examining images of such uncertain accuracy, we need to look for details that wouldn't likely be included unless they were present in the original photo.
Putting flags on the bow and stern are easy to do, and an artist who'd seen one gondola with flags flying, could easily paint them into another image.
Deck detail is quite another thing. Take a look at the bow deck detail on the two gondolas above.
Scarpa's gondola has the same sort of "triple figure-eight" design as we've seen in photo postcards of his boat - it's an older bow decoration method that we don't see much these days.
The Alamitos gondola has a smooth deck up front, which is a lot like the decks we currently see on standard passenger gondolas.

Both gondolas have five-fingered ferros, which were more commonly seen in the early 1900's. What's different between the two ferros is the angle: Scarpa's ferro leans back more than the other one.

Scarpa's gondola has additional seats occupying the area just aft of the main seat (or "divan" as some call it). This extra seating was typical of gondolas in North America during that era.
I was surprised to see no extra seating in the Alamitos Bay gondola. Such seating was so prevalent, that I almost want to guess that it was removed by the gondolier once she was brought from Venice, CA to Alamitos Bay.
There is a board missing which usually sits flush to the deck, just behind the main seat. The only reason for that to be missing would be if it had been removed for some reason (like extra seating) and then lost.

The "pusioli" are the long "arm-pieces" that sit on the rails on either side of the aft half of the passenger area. Pusioli come in many forms. The ones on the Alamitos Bay gondola appear to have been the standard type with black paint, while the Newport pusioli look like they had the fuzzy shag-carpet trim.

Many of the details I've mentioned above have to do with removable parts.
The greatest difference between the two gondolas is a subtle but significant one that has to do with the structure.
I could be wrong here, because artists may have had a hand in things, but it seems that the Newport gondola has a slightly longer bow deck, while the Alamitos bow deck is shorter - allowing for a bit more passenger area.

If there really was a difference in deck length, I would guess that the two boats were built in different squeri.
Of course, there's always the possibility that a gondolier, like John Scarpa, asked for a gondola with a longer bow.
With what I've learned about him, that would not have been out of character.

Utrecht

photos by Marlies de WitI've mentioned Amsterdam's Tirza Mol on the Gondola Blog several times, but recently I was contacted by another Dutch gondola operator named Arjen Heida.
He operates a beautiful Venice-built gondola in the ancient city of Utrecht.


Arjen's gondola is estimated to be between 75 and 80 years old.
She was imported from Venice when she was about 45 years old, owned and displayed by a few museums, and even a zoo, before Arjen bought her.
I've known about the boat for many years, and actually nicknamed her the "Zoo Gondola" because of her last location.
After Arjen acquired the "Zoo Gondola", a major restoration was performed, and now she is a working passenger gondola once again.
Looking at the gondola, you'd never know she was over 25 years old.

Tirza was very involved in the restoration, and Arjen credits her for teaching him to row.
This is precisely why I like gondola people so much.
They love the boats and the rowing so much that they'll gladly enable a potential competitor.
I've had a lot of fun getting to know Arjen via e-mail.
He and Tirza make me want to get on a plane and row in another canal city.
Arjen officially launched his business on 7/7/07 - a lucky number for both him and his gondola.

To visit Arjen's website, go to:

www.degondeliervanutrecht.nl

Central Park Gondola on a Spanish Blog

Andres Garcia Pena, the gondolier in Central has one of the greatest jobs in the gondola world. I've told him several times that I'll be happy to "cover him" for a week if he wants to take a vacation. Sometimes I think that outside of Venice, Andres is the most photographed gondolier out there. Here's a Spanish blog page with a good shot of Andres and his gondola taking off from the Boathouse restaurant.

http://xnem.blogspot.com/search?q=+NYC%2C+el+agua+y+Central+Park.

photos from Arzanà

photos by Nereo Zane

In August of 2006, Nereo visited the old Squero Casal, which is now used by the Associazione Arzanà as a sort of museum.
I love this shot.
I'm not sure if it's because I think it would make a great gift basket (for me), or if it's because when I look at that basket full of forcole, I think about grabbing it and taking off out the door!

Outside the old Squero Casal, you can see some classic Venetian boats.
The big one on the left is obviously a caorlina, while the one on the right is a very old batela.
I can't quite make out what the others are because they're behind other boats or not fully in the frame. Anyone want to take a guess?

One other unique thing in the shot is the way the boats are fendered.
There are no old tires or inflatable bumpers here - the boats of Arzanà have traditional fenders made from rope.

A Rare Sighting of the Dreaded "Parade Gondola"

photos provided by Mike Novack

Are you ready for it?
Here it comes.
Towed by a big heavy-duty Ford pickup.
It's the dreaded "Parade Gondola"!
These things are normally seen in parades in small town Middle-America.
Most of them are modified rowboats, but once in a while we run across a bigger vessel, like this one in New Jersey. It looks like some kind of bay boat or regional version of a trawler.
The bow extension with "faux ferro" is actually one of the better ones I've seen.
Someone also went all-out with the vinyl lettering that says "La Bella Gondola".
Yes, someone enjoyed building the bow extension and "faux ferro" so much...that they built another one for the stern!
Mmmm.
and then there's the Honda outboard.
I love it!

Venice, California - Then and Now

Yesterday I spent some time exploring Venice, California.
I've done a fair amount of research on the place, but this was my first visit since I really took the research seriously.

If you live in the area, I recommend seeing it for yourself. Of course, it helps to have a navigation system so you can find your way around. The place is a maze in some areas.

Over the years, Venice, California has become home to more and more new, flashy, modern homes, but you can still see the little bungalows that were so prevalent during the days of Abbott Kinney.

The real thrill however, is driving down a street and realizing that it was once a canal.
It's sad to think about all that once was, and is now almost forgotten.
At one point I stood in a traffic circle - that used to be a turning basin, and looked up two streets - that used to be canals.
Here's a photo I took yesterday of the "Traffic Circle" in Venice. The street on the right is Grand Blvd. and the one to the left of it is Windward Avenue. In 1923, when the postcard image below was rendered, things were a little different.

Let's take a look:
Here's the same place more than eighty years ago.
Back then the "Traffic Circle" was known as the "Venice Lagoon".
Grand Blvd. was the "Grand Canal", and Windward Ave. was "Lion Canal".
I'm really not sure what the duck-blind in the middle of the lagoon was all about.
On the far right, you can see part of a rollercoaster.

My visit to Venice, California was short-lived.
I took a number of photos, and I'll probably post some more up in the days to come.
It was depressing, fascinating, and educational.
I need to go back, better prepared, and spend a whole day taking photos.