The Summer of '44

In this blog you will find stories and images related to growing up on and sailing around Staten Island.  Since this is the maiden voyage, we will christen this vessel with a story about the young "water rats" in the Summer of '44.

 The Summer of’44

T’was the summer of ’44. I was a he- man getting ready for high school. My friends, Jim and Dick, were there already, so was Charlie. Jim and Dick in Tottenville and Charlie in New Dorp.

I was the leader sort of, when they let me, which was most of the time. Well, you know, I had an intellectual advantage over them. I was bigger.

One day while walking along Annadale or Huguenot beach, we spied a life boat about 24 feet long that belonged to  Howie Jorgenson and Chappie Chapman, who left it derelict while they went away to fight a war. Jorgie to Italy and southern France and Chappie to France and Germany. Can you imagine seeing France, Germany and Italy too -at the government’s expense?

Well, as I stated in Reminiscences of a Kid, we were all water rats and our hang out was Sig Sorenson’s boat yard. That summer I bought a 13’row boat. It only leaked when you sat in it. Paid $2.99.A penny fell into the bilge of Capt. Johnsons’ house boat. I also acquired a Bank Dory which I sold to Charlie O’Connell for $3.00. I leased out the first row boat for $3.00 for the season. What did I know? I leased it out but used it all summer. Things got sticky when he came down and no row boat. Hey it was my boat – right? What is this lease anyway?

Later or was it earlier, I saw this 16 foot life boat taken off a ferry boat or tug, probably condemned .It was a life boat and it had holes in it about t the size of one finger along the waterline. I was convinced and therefore convinced the the holy three it was an Italian life boat machine gunned by the Germans or dirty Japanese. Couldn’t be! We were told as they were all on the side, so who “done it?’ I “dunno know” who you think. We Americans wouldn’t do a dastardly act like that, could we? Naaaah.  The stupid Nazis were machine gunning their own allies. I paid $5.00 for the boat. We “acquired “two sets of oars, oar locks and a steering oar. Who used that? Silly reader, I was the biggest, remember? Ah-I remember it well—I think. Oh, yes, back to the life boat Her name was Sinbad and the 13’row boat was Sin-worse and a small canvas covered box was the Sin-worst.

The Yacht Club groups in their Penguins and Comet class sailboats used to harass us.  We stayed on the westerly side of the harbor and except when racing, they stayed to the east. They were great sailors and we didn’t know nuthin’ about sailing. Those Comet sailors included, Frip Doersbacher, Larry Owen, Henry Durely, Willie McCullough, Don Peters, Frank Hansa, Sally and Annie Wilcox. Penguin sailors were Betty Hammal (Hall), Derb Wallace, Larry Owen, Don peters and a host of others.

Such was the summer of ‘44

Oh yeah—that was the year I became the youngest junior member of the Richmond County Yacht club!