American Caorlina - Done right!

These photos come from Sean Jamieson in Coronado, California.

For years, The Gondola Company has been treating passengers to rides on gondolas. Well, just this week, they launched a brand new 33' caorlina.

Built by Sean with group cruises in mind, this boat is a beauty. Painted black, with bright red seats, she's got black non-skid surfaces and rail trim similar to that of a gondola.

The caorlinas in Venice are usually set up for group rowing, although I have seen them used for cargo use.
Once, I saw one carrying a string quartet and an opera soprano.

What we have here, is a passenger variation on the caorlina theme.
Passenger caorlinas are a somewhat American phenomenon, and I must say, that this one was done right.

I like the varnished hatches fore and aft, and the deck trim on both ends.
Many of the passenger caorlinas we've seen in this country are beamier than their Venetian counterparts. This boat is about 18 inches wider, giving her a seating capacity of 14 passengers.

The boat has hand-carved forcolas and custom-made remi - all done by Sean according to traditional designs. The remi are 15 feel long and thicker than those used on a gondola.As if the gondolino wasn't enough to make us all jealous, now we see this. Thanks a lot Sean!

To learn more about traditional caorlinas, read Gilberto Penzo's description:
http://www.veniceboats.com/eng-fleet-boats-fishing-boats.htm

The Gondola Company:
http://www.gondolacompany.com/