Party Fishing Boats - Page 15

1 BRONX QUEEN, Bronx, NY – 1962 The "BRONX QUEEN" from Bronx, NY circa 1962. She was built in 1942 by the Mantis Yacht Building Company in Camden, NJ as the US Navy Submarine Chaser "SC–635". After the war, she was sold as surplus and became the party boat "YANK" from Point Pleasant, NJ. She was sold to Captain Henry Williams in 1958 and became the "BRONX QUEEN". Captain Edwin Berlin took over the operation in the early 1970s. She sank on a gray and stormy December 20, 1989 while on her way home from a fishing trip for Whiting and Ling. Photo courtesy of Captain Dan Berg Wreck Valley Collection.	2 CAPT. JOSEPH, Captree, NY – 1962 The "CAPT. JOSEPH" getting its finishing touches in March 1962 at Gillikin Boat Works, Harkers Island, NC. This 65-footer was built for the Joseph family (Captain Bill Joseph and his sons, Captains Bobby and Stanley) and had three GM 6-71 diesel engines. She later became Captain Bill Huntley's "JULIE C" from Point Judith, RI, and then the "MISS FRANCES" from Point Judith, RI, and then as Captain Anthony Gregory's "CAPT. GREGORY" from Captree, NY. The boat presently sails as Captain Tony Notaro II's "LUCKY LADY" from Clinton, CT. Photo courtesy of Ed Keefe Jr.	3 CHIEF, Brooklyn, NY – 1962 The "CHIEF" from Pier 5, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY circa 1962. Captains Phil Wright and Sid Wilsey operated her and they later sold her to Captain Harold Wrege. The "CHIEF" was a converted 110–foot World War II Subchaser and had four GM 6-71 diesels (she was built as the "SC-1355" in 1942 at Stamford, CT.) She sailed daily at 10:00 AM and most of her customers arrived by subway. Interestingly, the crew gave each customer an embroidered "CHIEF" towel to use as a fish rag during the trip. The crew also laundered the dirty towels in the on-board washing machine at the end of each day. Photo courtesy of Ken Ekberg.	4 COCK ROBIN, Point Pleasant, NJ – 1962 A brand-new "COCK ROBIN" is shown prior to making her maiden voyage in 1962. Built in 1962 by Stevenson Boat Works at Great Kills, Staten Island, NY, she was owned and operated by Captain Ralph Pennel. She was later renamed the "BIG-2" and then sailed as the "RANGER II". She last sailed as the "SEA QUEEN" from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY and finally fell victim to a pier fire in 1994 that destroyed her.	5 FLASH KING, Highlands, NJ – 1962 This advertising postcard of Captain Ed Qualey's "FLASH KING" is from 1962. The "FLASH KING" was part of Roxy's Flash Fleet that sailed from the Shrewsbury River at Highlands, NJ. The boat was built in 1949 by Peterson Boatyard at Great Kills Harbor, Staten Island, NY as the "SUNBEAM III". She later sailed as the "MISS WATERLOO" from Oswego, NY as a sightseeing vessel on Lake Ontario.
6 GILLIKIN BOAT YARD, Harkers Island, NC – 1962 Inside the shed at the Gillikin Boat Yard, Harkers Island, NC. Shown in various stages of completion is the bow section of the "BLUE HERON", the "MISS TAMBO" in the center and in the background, the "BEACH QUEEN". Photo courtesy of Ed Keefe Jr.	7 GILLIKIN BOAT YARD, Harkers Island, NC – 1962 Another view of inside the Gillikin Boat Works shed at Harkers Island, NC circa 1962. Shown in various stages of completion is the stern section of the "BEACH QUEEN", the "MISS TAMBO" in the center and in the background, the "BLUE HERON". Photo courtesy of Ed Keefe Jr.	8 GLORY, Brooklyn, NY – 1962 A 1962 photograph taken during a show commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Works Projects Administration's improvements to the Sheepshead Bay waterfront. The "GLORY" displays the banner "…Sheepshead Bay… Million Dollar Fleet". Today, the same million dollars will buy about one boat. Photo Courtesy of Bryant Martin.	9 HAPPY, Atlantic Highlands, NJ – 1962 The "HAPPY" from Atlantic Highlands, NJ circa 1962. She was built in 1948 for Captain Tom Spitznagle by Peterson Boatyard, Great Kills, NY. The fare was $5.00 for a full day of fishing (bait included.)	10 HOLIDAY, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ – 1962 Captain Jack Endean's "HOLIDAY" is nearing completion at Deebold Boat Works, Atlantic City NJ circa 1962. She later became the "QUEEN MARY 2".
11 HOLIDAY, Point Pleasant, NJ – 1962 The "HOLIDAY" from Spike's Fishery Dock, Point Pleasant, NJ circa 1962. She was owned and operated by Captain Jack Endean. This newspaper photo announces the addition of the "HOLIDAY" and Captain Ralph Pennel's "COCK ROBIN" to the Point Pleasant party boat fleet. You could go on an evening Bluefishing trip for $2.50.	12 MISS TAMBO, Brielle, NJ – 1962 Builders are laying up planking on the "MISS TAMBO" at Gillikin Boat Works, Harkers Island, NC in this 1962 photo. Captain Ed Keefe Sr. sailed her from Harbor Inn Basin, Brielle, NJ. In 1984, she was sold and became the "VAMP IV" from Bower's Beach, DE. Photo courtesy of Ed Keefe Jr.	13 MISS TAMBO, Brielle, NJ – 1962 The "MISS TAMBO" from Brielle, NJ in October 1962. She was built in 1962 by Gillikin Boat Works, Harkers Island, NC for Captain Ed Keefe Sr. and sailed from Harbor Inn Basin, Brielle, NJ. She is shown during her first-ever haul-out at Johnson Brothers Boat Yard, Bay Head, NJ. Photo courtesy of Ed Keefe Jr.	14 PARAMOUNT, Brielle, NJ – 1962 The "PARAMOUNT" from Brielle, NJ circa 1962. This steel vessel was built by Blount Shipyard, Warren, RI in 1962 and had a lovely coat of white paint during her first year. The following year, the hull became rust-stained and it was painted black to hide the imperfection. She is now the "JAMAICA II" (it's now forty years later and the hull is still painted black.) Photo courtesy of Brielle Bait & Tackle.	15 PARAMOUNT II, Brielle, NJ – 1962 The "PARAMOUNT II" from Brielle, NJ circa 1962. Built in 1955 by Stowman Shipyards at Dorchester, NJ as the "PARAMOUNT", she was the first party fishing boat in New Jersey equipped with radar. She was renamed the "PARAMOUNT II" in 1958, and later remodeled and renamed the "MARINER". Afterwards, she became the "ATLANTIS" and in 1977, Captain Fred Bird purchased the boat. Captain Bird relocated the boat to Montauk, NY and renamed her as the "FLYING CLOUD". She still sails from there today and specializes in Fluke fishing during the summer and Porgy fishing during the off–season, making her one of the oldest active party boats in the fleet.
16 RANGER, Belmar, NJ – 1962 Captain John Kocsik's Price-built "RANGER" hauled out in the Spring of 1962.	17 SEA SQUIRREL, Point Judith, RI – 1962 Captain George Thompson's "SEA SQUIRREL" from Point Judith, RI circa 1962. Built in 1931 at Fairhaven, MA as the "SEA GULL", the boat later sailed as the "DAMARIS IV" before becoming the "SEA SQUIRREL" in 1959. In 1964, she became the "JULIE C" from Galilee, RI, and in 1970, she switched owners once again and became the "CAPT. PETE" from Narragansett, RI. She last sailed as the commercial fishing dragger "SHADY LADY" and was removed from official documentation in 1987.	18 TEAL, Great Kills, NY – 1962 The "TEAL" from Shoals Dock, Great Kills, Staten Island, NY circa 1962. She was built in 1961 by Gillikin Boat Works, Harkers Island, NC and was considered by many to be one of the nicest boats Gillikin ever built. The "TEAL" was powered by three GM 6-71 diesels and was considered a fast boat for her day. However, engine ventilation was still an unknown science back then… The three engines were very close together in the 18' wide engine compartment and didn't get enough air to operate at full power/throttle. Captain Freddie Moore once stated "If I had no passengers aboard, I could lift the engine room hatch in the cabin, and she would breathe and get up to 13 or 14 knots." Photo courtesy Ken Ekberg.	19 WHITBY, Brooklyn, NY – 1962 The "WHITBY" from Pier 8, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY circa 1962. Built in 1946 by Captain Sid Wilsey at Brooklyn, NY for Captain Franklin Hammer, she was one of the few 45-footers ever built with a steel hull. The "CHIEF" from Sheepshead Bay is in the background of the picture. While it is hard to discern in this picture, the hull of the "WHITBY" is painted a dark green. This was a 'trademark' of the original "WHITBY", A.K.A. the 'Green Dragon'. The "WHITBY" was one of the oldest names in Brooklyn party boat fishing (the original "WHITBY" began sailing from Canarsie, Brooklyn in 1909.)	20 AMERICA, Brooklyn, NY – 1963 Captain Jackie Michaels’ "AMERICA" from Pier 8, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY circa 1963. She was built in 1942 at the Electric Boat Company, Bayonne, NJ as a World War II US Navy PT boat (PT-314). Captain Michaels purchased the PT boat in 1961 and converted her for party fishing. She started fishing from Sheepshead Bay in 1962 and was the third vessel to bear the "AMERICA" name. The "AMERICA" was ahead of her time with her modern angled windows in her deckhouse. In 1990, she was sold and became the "SEA STAR" from Sheepshead Bay thus ending one of the oldest names in Sheepshead Bay (the "AMERICA" name dates back to 1914.) She was sailing as the "SENECA DREAMER" and fishing in the Great Lakes until she was dismantled in 1996. Photo courtesy of Ken Ekberg.
21 CLAIRE, Bronx, NY – 1963 The "CLAIRE" from Bronx, NY circa 1963. She was operated by Captains Howie and Edwin Berlin. Built 1944 at Bristol, RI, she was a converted 63-foot Air-Sea Rescue Boat and was powered by three GM 6-71 diesels. Photo Courtesy Ken Ekberg.	22 DELMAR II, Atlantic Highlands, NJ – 1963 Captain Al Gable's "DELMAR II" from Atlantic Highlands, NJ circa 1963. Built in 1948 at Brooklyn, NY as Captain Anthony 'Tony' Sapio's "TRADE WINDS III", she originally sailed from Forked River, NJ. Captain Gable replaced the boat in 1965 with the Price-built "DELMAR III". The new owners relocated the boat to Connecticut where she continued to sail under the same name. Photo courtesy of Ray Soyka.	23 DIANA, Brielle, NJ – 1963 The "DIANA" from Brielle, NJ and skippered by Captain Bob Zeigler circa 1963. She was built in 1931 on the banks of the Raritan River in New Brunswick, NJ using full-length planking that ran from the stem to the stern in one piece. The US Navy requisitioned her during World War II (starting July 1943) and used her as a coastal patrol boat (the "YP-323"). She later became the "ODIN" from Captree, NY. Photo courtesy of Ed Keefe Jr.	24 DOROTHY B. and ROCKET II, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY – 1963 Shown here at Sheepshead Bay's Pier 7 are Captain Frank Bradshaw's "DOROTHY B." and Captain Dave 'Laddie' Martin's "ROCKET II". The "DOROTHY B." was built in 1943 at New 1781 and first operated as a party boat in 1959 when she became Captain Fred Mullen's "BUDDY II" from Elizabeth, NJ. In 1962, she became the "DOROTHY B." and sailed from Sheepshead Bay until replaced by a newer vessel in 1971. The "ROCKET II" was built in 1942 at Atlantic City, NJ as the 104-foot US Navy Air-Sea Rescue Boat "P-106" and first sailed as the "SILVER STAR" before joining the Sheepshead Bay fleet in 1953. She was sold in 1967 to Captain Matthew Hughes and joined his Boston Harbor Cruise Fleet at Boston, MA where she continued to sail as a party fishing boat until moved to the Bahamas in 1974.	25 EFFORT, Brooklyn, NY – 1963 The "EFFORT" from Pier 8, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY circa 1963. She was operated by Captain Fred Wrege, but when he passed away in 1961, his son-in-law, Charlie VanDerVoort, took over the operation of the "EFFORT". The "EFFORT" was a converted World War II sub chaser built in 1942 at Wickford, RI as the "SC–1300". She was finally dismantled in 1970.
26 ELMAR, Brooklyn, NY – 1963 The "ELMAR" from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY circa 1963. This neat picture shows her just starting to move to another fishing spot after picking up her anchor (notice a puff of smoke from the stack, the prop wash at the stern and the water and mud dripping from the anchor.) The "ELMAR" was a converted World War II sub chaser built in 1943 at Dorchester, MA as the "SC-1329". Originally owned by Captain Frank Rau, she was later sold to Captains Sal Dragonetti and Harold Wrege. She was sold again and relocated to Florida; she sank on the St John's River, FL in November 1979.	27 GLORY, Brooklyn, NY – 1963 The "GLORY" from Pier 7, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY circa 1963. The "GLORY" was skippered by Captain Jacob "Chubby" Martin who was the son of Captain Jake Martin from the "SACHEM". She was built in 1896 at Weymouth, MA as the yacht "INDOLENT". She was one of the last old-time boats with direct reverse gearing, meaning you had to stop and restart the engine so it spins in the other direction to get reverse thrust. Obviously, you had to be an "ace boatman" to dock these vessels! In the summer of 1923, the "GLORY" was enlarged, but in a very unusual way. The boatyard built a larger hull that surrounded the old one and then cut holes in the inner one so the space between the two hulls could breathe. In 1971, Captain Martin sold the "GLORY" to Captain John O'Leary. She ran aground at Sea Bright, NJ on a foggy day in June 1975 and her wreck is still fished today.	28 ISLAND QUEEN, Great Kills, Staten Island, NY – 1963 Captain Ed Persichetty and Stacey Sandberg are shown at the helm of their "ISLAND QUEEN" at Great Kills Harbor, Staten Island, NY circa 1963. She was built in 1955 by Van Dyke Boat Yard at Cornersville, MD. The "ISLAND QUEEN" sailed from Great Kills until 1971 when she was sold and relocated to Delaware as the "PHYLLIS KAY III" and after that, sailed as the first "STACEY LEE" from Wilmington, DE. She last sailed as Captain Richard Brindle's party fishing boat "INDIAN" from Kennebunkport, ME before being dropped from documentation in 2007. Her present fate is unknown.	29 MISS REGNILLES II, Point Pleasant, NJ – 1963 The "MISS REGNILLES II" from Point Pleasant, NJ circa 1963. The fare for codfishing trips was a whopping $6 (bait included.) She was built in 1961 by Gillikin Boat Works, Harkers Island, NC and was owned and operated by Captain Ed Sellinger (spell his name backwards and you have "Regnilles"). She specialized in bluefishing during the summer months. Later on, she became the "SPEEDY VII", the "RANGER", the "MISS SEA ISLE II", the "CHALLENGER" and is now sailing as the "CAPT. COLLET" from Atlantic City, NJ.	30 MOHAWK I, Brooklyn, NJ – 1963 Captain John Bebevento's "MOHAWK I" from Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn, NY circa 1963. Peterson Boatyard built her in 1946 at Great Kills, Staten Island, NY as Captain Walter Stuker's "BABE" from Belmar, NJ. She later relocated to Montauk, NY and then to Elizabeth, NJ as Captain Fred Mullen's "BUDDY". Sold again, she made her way back to Great Kills, Staten Island, NY as Captain Cliff Stonier's "SEA KING", and she later sailed for one season as the "TEAL II" from the same port. She was then sold to Captain Joe Burns and became the "MOHAWK I" from Brielle, NJ. After that, she was purchased by Captain John Bebevento and sailed as the "MOHAWK I" from Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn, NY. Captain Tony 'Mo' Barbato purchased the "MOHAWK I" in 1965 and relocated her to Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY. Captain Barbato then sold the boat in 1974 and she became the "HI-BALL" from Island Beach, NY. In 1978, she returned to Sheepshead Bay as the charter boat "HIGH BALL" and she is presently sailing from Milford, CT as the commercial fishing vessel "MOHAWK". Photo courtesy of Captain Tony 'Mo' Barbato.