At last we got in the boat for 2 days in a row. The wind gods said no yesterday but by Friday, all had calmed down. After a big pasta dinner on Thursday, Friday morning turned into a sausage, mozz and gorgonzola Frittata at the House. We had some espresso Read more…
This day is always a great day. Its registration day for the Vogalonga team sign up. Because of the amount of years, I have been doing this, I have some pretty old memories of this day. At my beginning of this tradition, there were no cell phones or internet at Read more…
TEAM USA Vogalonga 2019 Landing in Venezia at Marco Polo always feels like arriving home. It has become my second home in my heart. Though my stay is usually just a week, I have been doing it for more than 35 years, with some years having multiple visits. We just Read more…
ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS UNIFORMS IN THE WORLD Stripes of the Gondoliers are an important Venetian icon and remind us of a glamorous lifestyle. They represent one of the eldest trades in the city. There is however still a lot of mystery around the gondoliers’ world. It is a world Read more…
A little History of two locally world famous boats, As I write this I am looking over the bay at the perfect October “Adult” Summer. Air temp Still in the 80’s, Water temp still in the 70’s and the waterways wide open! I could literally sail my “Double Sabot” Read more…
Naples, California — Naples History-Circa 1906 shows Hotel Napoli, a beach resort where guests could arrive by the electric “red car” and stay at the beach some 35 miles from Los Angeles. The image shows a boater in the bay and two Pacific Electric Red Trolley Cars. Read more…
TWO BOATS, A FEW ISLANDS AND A THOUSAND YEARS OF HISTORY! The Gondola In the very early 1900’s, Naples Islands were developed as a Venetian inspired island community replete with canals, bridges, Italian street names and of course Gondolas! Our neighborhood boasted a Venetian experience right here in Southern California Read more…
The first thing you “don’t” notice is the spelling. At first glance, most folks think it is Carolina, like the North or South State in America. Well it’s not, in fact it’s far from it. In fact, its origin is exactly 6,154 miles from where I sit as I pen Read more…
My first Campari spritz was in Venezia of course, in 1984. I was hanging out with a couple of gondoliers after the Regata Storica. It was a hot and humid sunny day in September and the boys had a short break in the “taxi” line. Lino grabbed me and we Read more…