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Home » Columnists

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

It’s your move

J. V. Houlihan

Fri, Apr 23

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

In 2004 off Newport, billionaire Larry Ellison was match racing his America’s Cup boat named BMW Oracle , against another well-heeled Italian guy named Ernesto Bertarelli, and his boat named Alinghi . They were participating in Newport for the UBS Trophy (Google this). On the day...
Shifting gears

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Apr 16

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“You know, it seems that the world is opening up and I might be able to finally get a flight to Argentina, but if I came home to see my husband with a haircut, well that would really be something to see,” said Cindy. “You can’t just trim it a little bit,” I asked, “you did a good job last time.” “...
Shedding distractions

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Apr 1

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

I call my sailboat Reverie my shed, and it’s where I crunch out words so people can absorb and perhaps assimilate my ideas. And, maybe become informed, or entertained about whatever topic I track down intel for, in regards to a column or maybe some fiction that I’m writing. My shed is a hideout in...
Smart as a pile of what?

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Mar 25

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

We’ve all heard the following epithets at one time or another, being hurled at man and beast: “Yeah, that one’s as dumb as a stump.” “That one is dumb as a box of rocks.” “This one is as dumb as a pound of minnows.” “This one is as dense as the Black Forest on a moonless night.” These simple...
Unbridled youth

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Mar 4

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Lock ‘em up!” said a senior citizen. “He’s a criminal!” “Yeah, get that hippie out of town!” howled a grandmotherly type. “Your Honor! Can’t you see! He’s dangerous!” “Quiet!! Order in the court!” said the gavelling Judge, as more yelps, yawps, guffaws and applause followed as the young man being...
Unbridled youth

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Feb 11

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Come with us, son. You’re under arrest,” said the Newport Policemen. “Just walk with me and don’t do anything stupid.” I’d already done something stupid, that’s why I was walking with two policemen. In 1967 while at the Newport Folk Festival and hanging out with a bunch of kids near the festival...
The Big Apple

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Jan 28

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

I’ve taken very small bites out of the Big Apple in my seventy years; a little bit of that town goes a long way for me. Too many people inhabit the place for my liking; however, I doff my hat to anyone who has the sand (grit) to roll and make their bones in this ever-evolving metropolis. On the...
The Luddite

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Jan 21

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Back in my school teaching days I proudly called myself a “Luddite raging against the machine,” because back in those days I truly hated the linear and newfangled technology of computers and word processors. Moreover, like the Luddites of the textile industry during the 19th century - who sabotaged...
To Windward in a pivotal 2021

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Jan 14

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Just shy of a year ago we started hearing about the word coronavirus; however, it hadn’t yet entered the news cycle on a mind-numbing twenty-four and seven blast of baffling information. On 11 March, I had just returned from a trip to Martha’s Vineyard and I distinctly remembered going to George’s...
The Year 2020

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Dec 31

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

One day recently I was running our cairn terrier Maddox down at the Charlestown Navy Base and got to thinking how this year felt like it has been one of those decades. This has been a wakeup call for all of us to see the good, the bad, and the ugly of the human condition and figuring how to play...
Crossing oceans, redux

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Dec 17

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Newport Harbor has always been a place where boat people come and hang for the summer; however, once the weather turns and the thermometer drops, some yacht owners will move their boats to warmer climates. These owners must rely on yacht transport services, and have their own professional crews...
Crossing oceans, fast

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Dec 10

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“I hate being frightened, but, even more, I detest being prevented by fright.” — Sir Francis Chichester During the 1840s and 50s, ship designers started to push the boundaries of what ocean- and coastal-going vessels could be expected to do in all weathers; they had to make time in strong...
The Shamrock and other memories

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Nov 26

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

It was a sunny day in late June 1970, and the new and freshly painted ferry plowed and lumbered into a light southerly swell. I was heading to Block Island for the first time since 1960 and my childhood buddy Tim and I were going to check this place out, and he’d help me schlep my gear up to the...
Summer of 2020

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Nov 19

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“The island got eaten alive.” — Anonymous. Is there anyone on the south coast of Rhode Island who didn’t think that this summer was a combination of a Federico Fellini film and an apocalyptic zombie movie? Especially during and after the Fourth of July weekend? If there are, they must not...
The right to read a book in your own way

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Nov 5

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

A French writer named Daniel Pennac created, in 1992, the “The Rights of the Reader,” which is about a reader’s right to read anytime or anywhere as long as it is a joyful experience. Here is my spin on these inalienable rights: The Right to not read. This is my favorite right because it gives me...
Theme Radio

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Oct 23

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Singer, songwriter, troubadour, wiseass, painter, and businessman Bob Dylan is stumping his own whisky brand around the ether these days, and is part of what brought him back to doing his radio show. He had such a show 11 years ago and then took a hiatus. The new show recently aired on Monday, 21...
Sailing Ships

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Sep 24

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

I’ve been around Newport Harbor since the 1960s and I’m never bored in my roaming and hacking. The place has been the locus for centuries of maritime tradition and history since the early days of the American Revolution. It’s where the French fleet mustered their ships and land forces — about six...
Of foils and sails

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Sep 17

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

One day this August I was sailing across Narragansett bay toward the Pell Bridge and saw this kid tear-assing by me on a foiling boat called a WASZP. It’s a sailboat with a foiling rig and the kid displayed some skills as he powered by my bow. He flew by me going 10 to 14 knots — maybe faster. This...
Weather anomalies

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Sep 11

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“If you don’t like weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes.” — Mark Twain Twain’s quote is baked into the psyche of many New Englanders who reside in the mountains or along the coast. We can all cite our own personal experiences regarding, hail, twisters, squalls, blizzards,...
Two wheels

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Sep 3

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“I’ve had this particular bike going 180 miles an hour. It feels like you’re floating at that speed,” said biker number one. “A guy ran a red light up in Providence and missed me by an inch. He was on his iPhone because I saw him never look up while nearly running into me,” said biker number two. “...
Hideouts

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Aug 27

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

In mid-April during the early days of pandemic isolation, my little brother called to tell me about a place along the south coast of Rhode Island that very few people frequented. It was a little hideout he’d found and he was wanting to tell me about the place to hang out and avoid people and walk...
Deep Pockets

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Jul 31

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

The word around the campfire of late is that music mogul David Geffen’s boat, Rising Sun, was anchored off Block Island, along with Johnny Depp’s former boat. These are big sleds. Geffen’s rig is on the ostentatious side at 452 feet, while Depp’s old boat is a much smaller ride at a mere 156 feet...
Normal routines

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Jul 23

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Since mid-March the world as we know flipped over on us, and now we are all seeking to find a sense of normality and stability in our daily lives. We all need and want routines, schedules, timetables, appointments, and deadlines. Things get done because of these daily structures, and because of...
Two geezers acting un-geezer-like

Fri, Jul 17

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Eight weeks ago, I was standing in the Dog Park at the old Charlestown Naval Air Base, and was pondering what to do to help our new charge, Maddox, also known as “Mad Dog,” burn up some of his unbridled, Cairn terrier energy. Yup, I felt pretty stupid standing there with arms akimbo and looking...
A nod to the new way

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Jul 9

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

In early March, I took a trip over to Martha’s Vineyard to see some friends, and grab some slack time before the season cranked up at the ferry docks. I do the same trip every year in late March; however, this year I went early and I’m glad that I did because a series of events were in play; going...
Wind, redux

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Jun 25

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

On a late April weekend in 1965, my parents piled their four kids into our 1962 red Plymouth Valiant and we took off on a day trip to Falmouth, Mass. Our dad liked to visit the Cape when we were kids; we’d visit the outer Cape beaches, Truro and Provincetown. I can see now that he and my mom were...
Rumrunners

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Jun 4

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Hi there,” said the man on a Ocean Avenue front porch. “Nice night.” The man’s home was midway between Old Harbor and New Harbor. His name was Murphy and was from my hometown of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. I noticed the austere and gabled house had a brass plaque that read Spartan — it was once a...
Purposefully forward

J. V. Houlihan

Thu, May 14

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Last week I was in Newport to check on our sailboat, and was shocked at seeing the harbor completely empty. There wasn’t a single sailboat on a mooring, and there were very few people out and about in town. This is not what the City of Newport is supposed to look like on a mild day in early April...
Horizon Bound

J. V. Houlihan

Fri, Mar 27

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

John Walmsley grew up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and spent his summers at Point Judith’s Breakwater Village. Walmsley started angling at the age of four and would fish the east wall or go out on his dad’s boat. (I remember his grandfather, Samuel Walmsley, when I was growing up in the Village — he...
Breaking nice

J. V. Houlihan

Thu, Feb 27

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“I don’t like Walter, and the writing is weak since Gus died. I don’t like this program, anymore.” This is how the hit series “Breaking Bad,” ended in our household. It was not a negotiation for the bride to continue for a few more episodes to see how the writers would wrap up the hellacious...
To windward, charge! (Or, how did we make it this far?)

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Jan 30

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

This coming year of 2020 my wife and I are both charging on the quick step toward our 70th trip around the sun, and sometimes we have little discussions about how we got this far — in one piece. We both came up in Scotch/Irish/Yankee working-class families in Pawtucket, R.I. in the 50s. We came of...
The Collaborators

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Sat, Jan 4

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“ You get something remarkable and unique when it’s a combination of collaborative, that you just can’t do with your own DNA. You just can’t.” — Jakob Dylan The night I witnessed Jakob Dylan’s dad play his Fender Stratocaster in Newport in ’65, it was clear that a shift was happening in...
The Watermen

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Dec 20

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Never leave the playground and you won’t grow old.” — Anonymous South County resident Paul Murray and Block Island’s Jeff Cowles have known each other for years and share a couple common interests. They work — Murray’s retired — on home heating boiler systems, and they both have passions...
The Watermen

J. V. Houlihan

Fri, Dec 13

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Never leave the playground and you won’t grow old.” — Anonymous South County resident Paul Murray and Block Island’s Jeff Cowles have known each other for years and share a couple common interests. They work — Murray’s retired — on home heating boiler systems, and they both have passions...
Corpus delicti

J. V. Houlihan

Thu, Dec 5

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

The first three-and-a-half minutes of the new movie, “The Irishman,” is tightly packed with the story’s expository information of the main character, Frank Sheeran. Right out of the gate, there is a long tracking shot of the interior of a nursing home; clients in wheelchairs accompanied by...
Making memories, bumpkin-style

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Wed, Nov 27

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

By definition, a bumpkin is “ an awkward, simple, unsophisticated person from a rural area .” I meet many New Yorkers who pull into Paradise Alley in Point Judith on their way to spend some slack time on Block Island. I always feel these people have a leg up on me; they’re quick on their...
Wind

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Nov 7

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Fall is the best time of year to pump the halyards and go sailing in Narragansett Bay. Late September and October of 2019 provided this sailor with some challenging trips up the bay to the north end of Prudence Island. There were five days in September that I got to burn some vacation time and put...
Boat Books

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, Oct 17

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“About books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” — Jhumpa Lahiri Reading is my favorite pastime and it’s ironic because as a young guy I never read anything except Surfer Magazine, and feeble runs at “The Hardy Boys.” Books got in the way of my Type A personality and my...
Summer 2019

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Oct 3

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

It was a busy and fast paced summer season and here are some nods from the day-to-day in Point Judith: *The weather folks had a field day on 22 June. A cold front went north of Point Judith; the wall was black and ominous as it headed east dumping hail on Newport, and points east to...
The Discovery Deck

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Sep 19

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“This is one of those little museums that you walk into, and you can actually learn lots of great information in a very small space,” says contractor Mark Holden. I do lots of reading and writing at Seamen’s Institute on Bowen’s Wharf in Newport. It’s a hideout. I was recently setting up my laptop...
Reservations

J. V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Aug 22

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

In 2016 I wrote a column simply titled, “Standby.” I wrote the piece while I was out sailing, and was laughing like a loon as I punched the keys — I’m easily amused. I told my wife that I thought the column was funny in a Mark Twain sort of way. “Well, we’ll see when it runs,” she said. My wife is...
Old Sailors

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Aug 15

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“If you haven’t played the Garden, you haven’t played anywhere.” — Anonymous In 1968 while playing center for Providence College, Ray Johnson strode to the middle of the basketball court at Madison Square Garden. There, he stood face to face with a local New York City street player named Lew...
A random inspection

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Jul 26

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Hello, sir. When was the last time you were boarded by the United States Coast Guard, sir?” asked the crewman aboard the 30-foot Defender Class vessel. “I was boarded in Point Judith about 30 years ago for a random inspection, sir,” I replied. “Thank you, sir. We’d like to come aboard to inspect...
The General Slocum

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Jul 18

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

The Hyannis home’s basement contained brass wheels, binnacles, brass lanterns with green and red glass, barometers, binoculars, a brass diving hard hat, various frayed charts of Vineyard Sound, Cape Cod, and Nantucket shoals, postcards of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard steamships, compasses of...
Grounded, redux

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Jul 11

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Only two sailors in my experience never ran aground. One never left port and the other was an atrocious liar.” — Don Bamford Running aground on any type of boat can be a humbling experience, and such an experience does, indeed, leave one grounded — complete ego deflation —...
Tempus fugit

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, Jun 27

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

While rowing out to my sailboat a few weeks ago, I passed a 70-foot sailing yacht named tempus fugit — time flies in Latin. Leave it to the Romans to figure out such a precise phrase like that to give the good citizens of Rome something to think about while they were paying their taxes and...
Sailing season is on!

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, Jun 13

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Last October, I wrote a column about sailing and mentioned that my boat, Reverie, needed a new headsail — jib — because I wore the other one out from several years of constant use. The sail was patched, sail taped, careworn, and frayed; however, it had served Reverie well. I had...
In good hands with Jennifer Egan

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Jun 6

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

One of the greatest things about reading a good book is that we are able to learn something as we flip through the pages. A fringe benefit of reading is that we don’t need to travel, because good writing is like traveling. Whether we are reading fiction or non-fiction—if we get the sense that we...
Rule of thumb for the summer: situational awareness

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, May 30

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

The phone rang and a voice with a southern drawl said, “Hey, Joe, how’re you doin?” “Good, long time no hear Captain, how are you and yours? You still flying the big wagons?” I asked. “Yup, but I’ll tell ya, last week I crashed my Stinson Gullwing in New Mexico, some guy hit me while I was on final...
Class of 1969

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, May 2

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” — Samuel Beckett In 1969 I graduated from Saint Raphael Academy in my hometown of Pawtucket, Rhode Island — I was last in my class. The road to this ranking was rife with academic failure; school was not something I...

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