"Friends"

Monday 17 April 2000 - Published Weakly

Serving members of the Monday Morning Mariners Meeting

Direct Correspondence to the chair at the bkhd - outboard, or email slowbell@cfl.rr.com

PUBLISHED IN FLORIDA

THE MMMM IN DETAIL

Ed, running late called Carl approx 1055, saying if Carl wanted to wait, Ed would be along, Carl replying he'd wait, O/A 1120 Ed arrived 1735 Basin St, Carl, as usual, pacing, kicking several butts out into the street. With a sigh of extreme relief boarded the Jimmy. Ed could feel Carl's happiness anticipating the several heave arounds.

The ride to Capt's Grill was uneventful arriving 1120. Entering the restaurant a happy greeting was made by Diane and the gang Gene Si, Bill V., Earl, Dick,Gary. Diane was somewhat flustered due to having to change Carl's heave around several times because the ice was diluting them to excess. Diane really hovers over her charges. Needless to say the gang was very much relieved that Ed & Carl appeared, especially Earl who just cannot feel complete without Ed sitting across from him, also breathlessly handing copies of MMMM report & pictures of Ed & wife Shirley, Ed's being surveyed by all with adoration.

A strong odoremanated the area, Earl investigating found that workers were cleaning the patio using acetone or the like. Carl wanted to sound the general alarm, but there being no gas masks, Earl chased the workers to another area, using his sargeant ways. Very interesting seeing Carl & Earl bring their past actions to bear.

All wanted to hear of Ed's experiance in delivering the boat in which he was involved for the several days. The boat broke down in Jacksonville, both engines down, the boat has to be hauled out. Maybe the complete journal will follow.

Bill V. wanted an explanation about a msg about an accordian meant for Carl, Carl denying any knowledge. Bill also saying his neice left for the north after a visit, seemed somewhat relieved.

1200 Bobbi M hobbled in with lt leg still in constraint. Earl told ofhis ride on the USNS Pope a P2 & the USNS Black, a C4. Dick complained Bobbi being very caustic in her e-mail. Earl was complaining about, oops, I can't read my notes as to this, oh well it probably wasn't to serious. Gary was in a happy mood, wife Mary got a job with the census, also keeping the table aware of the bikinis around the pool. Gene came with a startling fact, while relating the history of Disney World, told of the love bugs originated on the west coast of Fla., was transported here by tourists. Wish those tourists would take them back. Gene also described Epcot Center, saying it was better suited for the adults.

Gary, again in a very elated way told of Playalinda Beach now is legal for the nudies. Trying to picture Gary naked strolling the beach would surely keep the place vacant.

1300 In strolled Shirley, Ed quickly turned his attention from a briefly clad gal at pool side. Shirley's appearance the last three or so weeks is due to her being in the area for business or dr's appointment. The subject of the Empire State Bldg came up, Ed saying he was staying in a hotel when a bomber hit the Bldg. Earl divulged that the bldg swings in a arc of 30 degrees.

The food was good ham/w/pineapple, pasta, meatloaf balls, mushroom gravey, white fish , chicken, good variety of salad items, two soups, topped off with chocolate or white cake. O/A 1320 the group broke up, Ed & Carl following Dick home to show the new unit Dick installed a few days ago. Thence on to Carl's and further west to Cocoa.

Remember the Sagitta?

Reported by Captain Ed

Support A Friend

Switching to Road Runner? Tell them Dick sent you.

Dick, Plank Owner in the MMMM, invited Carl, and Ed to his place to see how fast Road Runner is. Firing up his trusty computer, Dick was already online - no dial-up was necessary. He then selected his homepage URL from his favorites listing, and literally in less then a few seconds, the opening page was "done".

He then chose SLOWBELL'S DECK from his list, and where ordinarily with a 33.3 MHz modem it would take two to three minutes to load the opening page, Road Runner was done in five-seconds.

While admitting to no technical expertise in this system, we can say the proof "was in the pudding"...it is fast. Apparently the system uses cable, the same as cable TV does, though Dick has a dedicated cable to the box by the curb. It isn't WebTV, as Dick uses his own PC as if he were online using phone-lines. The justification in cost...it is half again as expensive as regular service, is that it does free up the phone line, and in the case of a dedicated phone line, negates the need for that. The initial hook-up...they supply a special modem, costs about a hundred-dollars.

The Sagitta - left, was an N3-M-A1. Not many N3 class ships were built for WW2, so are not to familiar. Both steam, and diesel were built, the steam class looking like a miniature "Three-Island" ship. With 294 foot length, 43 foot beam, and 2500 dwt ton, she looks almost like a C1-M, or "Knot" ship. That "Cat Head" had to be fitted for some project. So...who knows this ship?

View South From Shore Pkwy

With the South Tower of the Verezanno Bridge, and Staten Island in the distance, the lone ship transits the Narrows.

Traffic Inbound

Wilhelmson Line Roll on Roll off - Ro/Ro proceeding to the Upper Bay.

The Harbor Remembered

Armed with his trusty digital camera, Gene Si. ventured down to Shore Parkway in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to take these pictures last March.

By the state of the sea, we can see it was a blustery day, and no doubt chilly, but for a former "Coney Island Kid" it was a piece of cake.

For those of us brought up in Brooklyn, New York, Shore Parkway was a great place to bike ride, or just plain walk on the miles of promenades along the water. Though today, the ship traffic would be nothing like it was back in the pre, and post "War" days...when one could almost step from ship to ship across the Narrows.

Mondays were when all the large passenger ships would leave their North River berths on the West Side of Manhattan and steam out through the Narrows bound for Europe, and South America, some for South Africa, and the Caribbean. It was a virtual parade of ships...too numerous to mention here...real passenger ships, not like the "Cruise" ships of today with journeys to nowhere. You could seat yourself on the benches lining the Parkway, or up in Fort Hamilton, and watch this precession for hours, and many did.

Of course this was the high-light of the week, but daily there was the hustle, and bustle of the port - the inland water tugs, barges, and excursion boats. You could meander onto 69th Street Pier, and get up close, and personal with alot of these craft...the excursion boats arriving, or leaving for Keanesburg, or Bear Mountain - up the Hudson. Many would anxiously stand ready to receive a mooring line from a tug coming in for water, or orders. In those days, most harbor craft, even the excursion boats were steam, and took on water where they could. The "orders" were gotten on the pay phones on the dock, instructions from the tug office dispatchers in lower Manhattan pertaining to what job was next. Of course as the years progressed into the fifties, and sixties, diesel, and ship to shore radios took care of that colorful aspect.

For a nickle one could take the ferry to Staten Island, and once on board, just ride back and forth...if you dodged the officials.

Probably the most nostalgic aspect of the harbor in those days were the whistles, and foghorns...from ships, tugs, and all descriptions of vessels, lighthouses, navigation aids, and ships' bells struck while at anchor, and the bell, and gong buoys in the bay. Whether day, or night, clear, or foggy, you knew that harbor was there...it played its own tune.

For the most it's all gone, though Hollywood still uses these old sounds from yesteryear even today.

..........

GALLERIES