gondola that was built in '94, down to bare wood.
It was a lot of work, but well worth it.
After that they prepped and painted her again.
Here we see the gondola "Firenza" with her fresh paint - all shiny and black.
She looks like a brand new gondola.
On Monday night, Firenza was the subject of a great game of show-and-tell
with a room full of New England boat builders.
These folks were not your run-of-the-mill fiberglass guys.
They're classic wooden boat craftsmen.
Joe Gibbons of Gondola di Venezia was honored to show off his gondola to a group of people who appreciate such artistry.
Joe writes:
The showing of the Venetian gondola was a big hit.
Some of the boatbuilders showed up from Essex, Mass. - America's wooden boat shipbuilding Capital for many generations.
The photo I have attached is Mr. Burnham himself with his grandson. This family's been building wooden boats in Essex mass for 11 generations. His son Harold is the current boat builder and I urge everybody to check out their blog.
Also check out the Thomas Lannon this is a pretty impressive wooden ship that the Burnhams built about 20 years ago.
I get to see the Thomas Lannon almost on a daily basis all summer long at Rockport, Mass.
It was a very nice feeling to be around these wooden boat builders. As they awed at the Venetian Gondola in Tom Perkins' squero at Wise Marine.
Thom Price should be proud there was considerable conversation about him and his accomplishments in Venice.
A lot of gondola operators don't realize just how unique their boats are,
not only in appearance, but in the way they're built and maintained.
Even the most traditional wooden boat experts find gondolas fascinating.
Thanks for the report, Joe.
We look forward to seeing Firenza afloat on the Charles River soon.
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The Burnham blog can be found at: http://boatbuildingwithburnham.blogspot.com/
Wise Marine's website is:
http://www.wisemarine.com
and the schooner Thomas Lannon is at:
www.schooner.org
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