After we arrived in Manhattan and all the rowing was done, we needed to transport the gondola to a yard in Staten Island where she would be hauled out on her trailer and prepared for the Columbus Day Parade.
The distance, combined with the short amount of time we had, mandated that we tow the gondola to Staten Island. Our friends at FDNY were very helpful and did a great job with the transport. I must admit that I can be a “control freak” when it comes to handling one of my boats. Usually I insist on doing everything in a situation like this, but after talking with the fireboat crew, I realized I was among real pros. I let them do it, enjoyed watching them tie a towing harness and walked away, confident that they had it under control. My instincts about the guys on the fireboat were correct. They got the gondola to her destination safely and on schedule.
Someone had to ride in the gondola to make sure she didn’t “fish tail” back and forth, so Chris Harrison and one of the firemen had the honor, and Nereo got a great photo. Bow up, Chris’ hair flying, and as an added bonus, the Statue of Liberty in the background.
2 comments:
Hi Greg, I was one of the firemen on the Hudson River in Manhattan that escorted the gondola to Staten Island when you did the trip down the Hudson to the Twin Towers in October, 2007. I am finally making my way to Venice next month and was wondering if I could get a real gondola ride and a picture in Italy instead of NYC. My wife & I will be there at the beginning of November. Please let me know how to contact you if that is possible. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Hi Dean.
Great to hear from you!
Feel free to e-mail me at greg@gondola.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
-Greg
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