Capt. Bob Douglas is an extraordinary man. Not only does he love [old] wooden boats (anything old in fact), he also loves his family, old trains, dogs and horses as well as any “stuff” remotely maritime. The Black Dog Tavern on Martha’s Vineyard houses but a tiny potion of Bob’s collection of maritime gear and photos. If ever you are in Vineyard Haven, you really should get breakfast or lunch there just so you can admire everything. And for every photo, name board, or maritime artifact in there, there are dozens more in his office, his house, his cement storage building, and aboard his vessels in the harbor. They are all genuine…no kitsch nautical decor or fakes.
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Katherine Strater says:
Nice to hear Ginny’s stories, as a former 15 year resident of the Vineyard. Thank you Ginny, from a happy and new resident (but native of Maine) of Down East Maine.
David Tew says:
I helped steer Shenandoah under tow to Maine for a work period (best not recalled) a few years ago during a few cold days in December. Bob didn’t know me from Adam but pointing to the helm as the tow started from Vineyard Haven told me to ‘just follow in the tug’s wake’. I did so for the next two hours, across the Sound, through one of the Holes and up Buzzards Bay to the Canal entrance. It was a beautiful but bitterly cold day and I’ll never forget the wonder of it as the sun set behind us and the stars came alight so brilliant and sharp. The tow went all night across a calm Gulf of Maine and in the morning Charlene made one of the heartiest, most delicious breakfasts I’ve ever had afloat. Soon after, we tied up at the shipyard as it started to snow, and my wife arrived to pick me up to go home down the street for a welcome hot shower.
Richard W. Jacks says:
As a boy aboard my father’s sloop anchored in Block Island’s Great Salt Pond (in the late 1960’s I think), I watched SHENANDOAH roar through the narrow entrance channel and come majestically to anchor. More than forty years later that memory is still thrilling.
Rick Jacks