MosaicGloucester

By day, the Dory Shop is a woodworker’s dream, full of tools and sawdust and a boat-in-progress in the center of the room. On a Saturday afternoon, you might walk into a group of musicians playing sea shanties, a pot of stew on the wood stove.

Built in Essex in 1926, the Adventure’s restoration process was completed in 2015. Now it’s one of many schooners that participate in the annual Schooner Festival, along with the Lannon and the Ardelle.

The original Thomas E Lannon was a fisherman in Gloucester in the first half of the 20th century. The Schooner Lannon was built by Harold Burnham in Essex in 1997, and can be seen raising its sails in Gloucester Harbor, giving landlubbers the view so many fisherman have had coming back with a load of fish.

Just as many of Gloucester’s historic fishing schooners were built in neighboring Essex, Harold Burnham built the classic pinky schooner Ardelle in 2011.

Joseph Garland was a writer and historian — he published 24 books in his lifetime, including Lone Voyager, about Howard Blackburn. He also wrote a column for the Gloucester Daily Times. He enjoyed looking out at the boats from his home on Eastern Point, and looking back at his home from the deck of a boat on the water. I had a wonderful time talking with his lovely wife and number one fan, Helen. She described how a collection of boats sailed in a circle outside his window in his honor during his final days, so I placed him on the mosaic among books and the schooners.

James Tarantino can often be seen rowing his mustard-colored Banks Dory in Gloucester Harbor. He is a gregarious and enthusiastic booster of our fair city. He appeared as a contestant on Survivor, 2010. His approach to balance on the water is to “embrace his inner seagull”.

Many Gloucester fishermen shared relatives and names. So as to be able to refer to them without confusion, people adopted nicknames. From left to right, these are a sampling of such nicknames and their origins. (DISCLAIMER: I based the representation of these men on their nicknames alone….I never met them).

Gerome “The Lone Ranger” Fronteiro (Name of boat);

Sammy “Two Thumbs” Parisi (Thumb smashed with hammer);

Charlie “Skunk” Ciaramitaro (White hair streak);

Jimmy “Mop” Parisi (Lot of hair);

Jimmy “Beak” Parisi (Big Nose);

Sammy “One Eye” Cucuru (Lost an eye on fishing trip);

Tony “Ollie” Palazola (Tooth Stuck out);

Jimmy “Schrodie” Verva (Small Guy)