Ahoy, all! Dana Mentink here. I just love the idea of boating, don't you? Sailing along over crystal clear waters, feeling the gentle rock and tug of the waves. Hmmm. That last bit is the problem. For a person who gets airsick, elevator sick, train sick and rocking chair sick, boats just move entirely too much. I have found a solution to this problem, a boat that doesn't sail! For my new release, Sailing in Style, I visited the Delta King parked (do you park a boat?) close by in Sacramento. This historic wooden paddlewheel vessel stays put, it is now a restaurant and inn. The owner was kind enough to give me a tour. What a lot of history packed into that one vessel. It was built in 1929 and plowed the Bay Area waterways as an elegant wining and dining craft, was pressed into military service during WW2 as a net tender, barracks and hospital ship. It sank in 1984 and was partially submerged for 14 months until the Coyne family bought and restored it. As I looked out the windows at the lovely Sacramento River, I thought to myself, "I've finally found the perfect boat for me, one that never leaves the dock!"
link to Sailing in Style: http://amzn.to/1K9ESAb
Do you have any fond sailing memories? I would love to hear some of your adventures!
Toronto had a docked ship operating as a restaurant and tourist destination for many years: Captain John's Harbour Boat Restaurant. The ship was the MS Jadran, a former Adriatic passenger ship that was permanently docked at the foot of Yonge Street on Toronto's waterfront.
ReplyDeleteOnce a prestige destination, the restaurant was open every day of the year for almost 40 years. It's no longer there but most Torontonians remember it.
I am sorry about your motion sickness, Dana, as I love being on the open water.
Dramamine. LOL
DeleteYep. Dramamine and I are well acquainted!
DeleteKate, that's too bad the old ship has left Toronto.
DeleteWe have several friends with sailboats, a few with cabin cruisers, and one with a speedboat (my least favorite, but don't tell them!). You're so right, Dana...there is a lot to love about being on the water, watching the rest of the world float by! I opened one historical on a steamboat, and the hero in one of my books lived on an old tug boat that he turned into a houseboat. You're so right...touring the real thing is a memory I'll always treasure. Can't wait to read SAILING IN STYLE! Have a terrific Tuesday! :-)
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of your hero living on a tugboat turned houseboat!
DeleteDana, your book sounds intriguing. I like small boating better than cruise ships. I'm the only one in my family that always feels the motion of a cruise ship, so I stopped going. I love the paddle wheel boats that still sail on the Mississippi. I'd love to take some of the European river cruises. (I think) For some reason I couldn't see the photos you put up. I'll check back later.
ReplyDeleteMy mom went on a riverboat cruise in Germany. She had a blast!
DeleteI believe the sister ship to the Delta King (Delta Queen) still sails in the Mississipi, Roz.
ReplyDeleteThe Delta Queen is being refurbished, I believe, and then it will be back on the water. I'm planning a cruise this fall on the Mississippi.
DeleteHow cool! I hope you'll blog about it!
DeleteMy husband and I had a small sail boat for several years that we sailed on the bay in Huntington, Long Island. It was great fun. Didn’t realize I suffered from motion sickness until I went boating in the ocean with my cousin in Maine. I pretty much have avoided boats, on the water since then, but I do enjoy boats that are anchored against a dock. I couldn’t see your pictures, either. It’s possible the blog didn’t accept them. Look forward to reading your book.
ReplyDeleteI have trouble with this blog. It just doesn't like my pictures! You'll just have to imagine a spiffy cover and a paddlewheel steamboat photo!
DeleteIf people click the "Coming Soon" tab at the top of the page, they'll be able to see your gorgeous cover, Dana!
DeletePeople usually don't want me near their boat. Everytime I get on one, something goes wrong...like the time we put in at McKellar Lake near Memphis and took off, shearing the motor from the boat...or the time we were cruising toward a lighthouse in the waters near West Palm Beach and the motor blew up. Took an hour to get back to shore...all the while my daughter was seasick. Or the time...I think you get the picture. :-) But, I would love to learn how to sail!
ReplyDeleteThat's so cute, Patricia. Would make a great novel!
DeleteI love to watch boats go by, but am very uncomfortable on them. Like you, Dana, I start getting sick on the dock. But two paddlewheelers dock in Astoria - Queen of the West, and Empress of the North (she goes to Alaska - sounds great to me, but not for the faint of heart, I understand.) Fun post - congratulations on the book.
ReplyDeleteI've been on a few cruise ships which was nice. My favorite was Princess cruiselines back in 2006. And I've been on a couple of dinner cruises. One of my most favorable experiences was the opportunity to go on a yacht in NYC back during my working days. What a nice experience. I would love to do a river cruise some day. One of the few things I don't get is seasick. I hope that doesn't change.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is very interesting, Dana, because as a kid I always got sea sick. Once I took my first cruise in the Caribbean, I was hooked. My husband and I have a houseboat in Marina Del Rey, California and fortunately, it's tied down all the time, has no motor and isn't going anywhere!!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is very interesting, Dana, because as a kid I always got sea sick. Once I took my first cruise in the Caribbean, I was hooked. My husband and I have a houseboat in Marina Del Rey, California and fortunately, it's tied down all the time, has no motor and isn't going anywhere!!
ReplyDelete