Marinero News

Winter - December 2009 

Thanks go out to Scott Ray and his story about how he and Pat Secker joined the SQRMF club with the help of Brian Donnely and a good bit of "Spike" (His recipe: Cruzan Rum, Tang and whatever else you had to mix with.....). Other recipes included this from Jeroen (Dutch): Cruzan white, gallon or so of fruit juice, usually Tang, sometimes with 1 or 2 qts of pineapple juice. Pat Nelson recalled: Peach or Apricot Nector, Orange Juice, brown sugar, Cruzan Gold, Coconut juice mixed and served in the Igloo.

Many good memories came by way of Mrs. K's Marlinspike concoctions. I'm going to experiment with the above recipes and toast the Kimberlys and their ROMANCE. Hope each and everyone one of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. - Tony

Fall 2009 

Ross Campell sailed aboard ROMANCE in the Summer of 1982. He emailed with his recollections of his time aboard. He wrote, "I joined the ship in Tortola. Don Lindsay was the mate. A college student named Rob was already on board. I don't recall his last name. I believe Rob was from Kalamazoo College; I am sure it was a Michigan school. We were later joined by Clayton Overton, who was from Ole Miss (I think). We had a 5th crew member, also a college student, but I can't recall his name. He was assigned to be our engineer. Check out his email linked to his name in the Marineros & Guests area.

Summer 2009 

Scott Beard just emailed me with some great photos. Scott sailed aboard ROMANCE in 72 and 73, about the time of Ace Goldberg, Guy Herman, Barney Goldblatt, Doug ? and Clark Voss. He later sailed aboard the USCG Barque Eagle for 3 years doing 2 Europe trips and the Bi-Cenenial Op Sail 76. In '81 he co-captained the Continental Sloop Providence. Later he served as Harbourmaster at Useppa Island in Florida for 21 years and just got back from Costa Rica where he co-managed Banana Bay Marina in Golfito for 3 years. He often visits New Smyrna on a family vacation most years and was amazed to read on the Windship Way that Skipper lives there. Last Monday they went to lunch to catch up. When Scott asked him if he was available for lunch, Skipper replied," I have my whole life ahead of me." Skipper is of great spirit, strong handshake and still very active for his 87 years. His dog Lucky is a constant companion and his retirement home is nice with his own room decorated with Romance stuff. He seemed to enjoy lunch immensely and would love to see or hear from ex shipmates. You can reach Scott by E-mail.

Winter 2008-2009 

Eileen Jones called to say hello after hearing from Pat Feeney about the ROMANCE website. Eileen sailed first with Capt. Mike Burke and was transferred to the Yankee where she met Skipper. She joined ROMANCE in 1966, sailed to the Galapagos and also took part in a delivery cruise from California to Miami.

Note: I previously mentioned in this area that Art Read has passed away. He emailed me today from Florida, not the other side. My apologies for providing that incorrect information.

Peter Wholihan found these ROMANCE Christmas Photos and writes: Here are some photos of Kimberly's last Christmas aboard the Romance. We were anchored at off Prickly Pear island at the North Sound, Virgin Gorda. We went ashore on Prickly Pear to cut a traditional Virgin Islands' Christmas Tree: Century Plant Flower, brought it aboard. I had much more hair back then!

HOLIDAY GREETINGS FROM THE SKIPPER!
Skipper's sister, Jane Kimberly Meyer was in touch. She writes:
During this holiday season, Skipper has thought about all of you and wondered what you've been doing. In the past he has sent out Christmas cards telling about life on shore in Detroit, but now that is just too big a chore for him. As you no doubt know, he is now living in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, steps away from the Atlantic Ocean. His dog, "Lucky", and he walk every day in his neighborhood. It's a life of contentment, without worry about the weather, or what the course is, or when the clutch will fail again. If you can, he would like to hear from you, either with a note to him at 402 Riverside Drive, NSB 32168, or an E-mail, through me. I will see that he gets it. Thanks.

Fall 2008 

Michael Graff sent this photo of the Kimberlys taken in 1974 from the balcony of the Nutmeg on the Carenage in Grenada.

I wonder how many Marineros sat there, enjoying the same view over the years.
Anyone have stories of Grenada to share?

Awards Dinner 
24 October 2008.
by Peter Wholihan

The National Maritime Historical Society acknowledged those of particularly distinguished service to the maritime community at it's gala Annual Awards Dinner at the magnificent New York Yacht Club, on October 24, 2008. Captain Kimberly was one of those to be so honored, along with Sir Robin Knox Johnston.

Guests were serenaded by the Coast Guard Academy Glee Club upon arriving, while Romance Marineros caught up with each other. A reception was held "down below" where many a Marlin Spike were downed, stories told, and good times revisited.

Friends, family, and Marineros were seated around three tables and sat through a wonderful meal in anticipation of the award ceremony.

Vice Admiral Robert J. Papp (USCG) introduced Skipper, eliciting applause from the room by quoting Eric Hiscock and Bert Rogers, Hiscock who circumnavigated the world in Wanderer III, with his wife Susan, was quoted as saying, "The only way to get a good crew is to marry one." Vice Admiral Papp went on to say, "Captain Arthur Kimberly certainly understood that, and he married well; marrying his wife Gloria, while they were serving aboard the the Yankee sailing across the Pacfic." This insight to the Kimberlys' life brought applause and cheers. Papp continued, "They went on to well over 30 years of training young men and women in the Brigantine Romance from 1966 through 1989. I found the words of the President of the American Sail Training Association, Bert Rogers, most appropriate, when he said, "Theirs was the way of the ship, no more, no less, and to sail in Romance was to drink deep of the traditions and values of seamanship."" With that, Vice Admiral Papp called upon Captain Kimberly to come forward, to bestow upon him The NMHS Karl Kortum American Ship Trust Award.

The room filled with standing applause as Skipper worked his way to the front of the room. After receiving the award, Skipper's words... "I am not really accustomed to all of this. It is a privilege to be here, in front of all you folks, and I, certainly want to thank you very much for this award, which, I would be very honored to accept." At this, the room exploded into "Hoorays!" and Cheers as Skipper returned to his table of Marineros. Vintage Skipper; no more, no less.

At the end of the evening, a video was shown while the Coast Guard Academy Glee Club sang. As the Romance, Mrs. Kimberly, and Skipper each appeared, cheers went up, for ship and its masters.

The National Maritime Historical Society should be commended for the wonderful evening they organized, along with Deirdre O'Regan and Bert Rogers who were so instrumental in making this happen, but most especially Skipper and Mrs. Kimberly, to whom many of us owe our current stations in life.

To quote them, "We couldn't have done it without you." Hip, Hip Hooray! Hip, Hip, Hooray! Hip Hip HOORAY!

Back Row: Mike Jehle, Bert Rogers, Phil Brotherton
Middle Row: Pat Nelson, Clyde Sanadi, Angus McCamy, Walter Rybka
Front Row: Betsy Bowen, Skipper, Brian Donnelly, Peter Wholihan

Thanks to Peter for this report and PHOTOS.

Bert Rogers emailed a link to the Awards Ceremony info page recognizing Skipper and Mrs. K. As you probably know, Skipper, Mrs. K. and ROMANCE are being honored by the National Maritime Historical Society in a fancy banquet dinner at the NY Yacht Club in NYC on 24 October 2008. Skipper will be there, of course, to receive the award. It would be great to surround him with Marineros. Individual seats cost $375 (it’s all a donation to NMHS), but we have a single table reserved at $200/seat and as of 9/15, most seats are taken! This is the real deal, and perhaps the last time Skipper will be publicly acclaimed for what he gave to the likes of you and me. I hope you will come. Let Bert know, 401.846.1775 as soon as possible, by 9/21/08.

Summer 2008 

A number of Marineros have emailed with new email addresses. Heard from Anne Elsberry, Phil Brotherton, Pete Valentine and Scott Ray.

Mike Dodge reports that the interviews all came out well and that the PBS people are now working on producing a trailer to raise funds for the production. The final cost will likely be $350,000. - $400,000. Peter Wolihan sent along a photo of Skipper as they cruised on John Dodge's boat when everyone was in Detroit. (see below)

Great news about the films, photos and Gloria's manuscript from Mike Dodge. A trust had been established which will preserve the precious written and photographic history of the ROMANCE intact for the benefit of all Marineros and the public. And, a PBS documentary is in the works.

Through a chance meeting, John Dodge met Donna Ryen, a 5-time Emmy award winner at a party where her most recent film was being shown. He mentioned the 48 reels of 16mm film, the 10,000 color slides, and Gloria's manuscript and arranged a showing. She was amazed at the professional quality of the materials and formed a production company to produce a trailer. All of the 16mm has been digitized and is exceptional, some even with sound!

A few weeks later, a film crew arrived in Detroit. Skipper and his sister Jane flew in. Mike Dodge, John Dodge, Peter Wolihan, Mark Seski were there for the interviews. Skipper was great and hours of these initial interviews were completed.

The first production, which will go out to investors, is a trailer/teaser to raise money for the actual documentary. Several hundred thousand dollars must be raised. Also, there is talk of a book to present the best of the photos and writing. Book profits will fund the trust and go toward providing access to sail training for young people.

To capture the recollections and great stories of all Marineros in the final version of the documentary, a MARINERO REUNION is being planned. Films will be shown and Marineros interviewed for possible inclusion. DATE, LOCATION, and SHIP for the reunion to be announced.

The visit also afforded some sailing time and quiet time. John took Mike and Skipper out aboard his 32' Bristol. It was late with some weather coming in. Skipper was again in his element, this time though as crew. It was a thoroughly enjoyable sail with Skipper reverting to his early days, now taking orders "Full and By" and "Trim the Sheets". It was also a chance for Skipper, Jane, Ross, Mike and Peter to visit Gloria's grave.

Michael Graff sent his new email address (see his letter in the crew list) and some photos, all taken in the Fall of 1974: Dan Moreland and Mrs. K., Paul Ballau, Dan M. and Skipper and one of himself.

Spring 2008 

Hard to believe but 2008 is the 10th year of "Projects & News" about the Kimberlys, the Brigantine ROMANCE and the crew and guests that sailed with them. It has been a very special and rewarding project. Spring 2008 brings more news:

The HIGH SEAS SCHOONER documentary by SEA-TV Productions about the Harvey Gamage won double Platinum Awards at the 41st annual Worldfest film festival in Houston, Texas. The video features interviews with Skipper during the 3-week voyage from the Virgin Islands to Gloucester. Worldfest is one of the oldest and largest film festivals in the world, with over 4,000 entries received from 37 countries.

BOB WALLACE was in touch about the feature film produced by Randy Jones, 3rd mate on the '75-'77 circumnavigation. He received a DVD copy and was surprised that so few of the places they visited weren't included in the film. He hopes someone will gather together the 16mm footage that Gloria shot on the trip and put together a film, done in a 'properly' way! Bob has a cassette of some of the native music recorded on the cruise that could be used. Bob's Father, who recently passed away, was in the merchant marines '43-'46 and went to some of the same western Pacific islands visited by the ROMANCE. They were able to watch and enjoy the DVD together.

SEA HISTORY MAGAZINE, the quarterly publication of the National Maritime Historical Society will be honoring Captain Kimberly next fall with the Karl Kortum American Ship Trust Award.

It is actually being awarded to him, along with, posthumously, Mrs. K., and their legacy from their days in Romance. Hopefully Skipper will be able to attend the awards dinner at the New York Yacht Club in NYC next October. Dee O'Regan, Editor, Sea History, will be writing several articles about Capt. & Mrs. K. The first, to be published in the next issue of SEA HISTORY and written by Dee and Dan Moreland, is on Skipper's PRE-ROMANCE days. Planned additional articles will include the ROMANCE era and the Kimberly's legacy to the maritime heritage community. Dee and Martha Rheinhardt, whose grandfather was Skipper's Sea Scout Mentor, met with Skipper recently for a few hours to discuss the early days.

Winter 2007 - 2008 

Skipper traveled to St. Thomas in February and stayed with Peter Wholihan and his wife, Nicole. He visited 6 islands in 7 days: St. Thomas, Water, Tortola, Hassel, St. Croix, & St. John. He was able to catch up with an old shipmate from his Burke Line days, Manfred Dittrich who has been the VI's premier sailmaker for over 40 years. Manfred opened his home island and sail loft to students from St. Thomas. He and skipper shared tales of their sailing adventures and imparted skills including sail making and knot tying. Skipper and Manfred were able to catch up in visits, meals, and of course a few occasions to splice the main brace.

Skipper was also able to visit some of his old haunts from his days in the Virgins; the shipyards in West End, Stanley's at Cane Garden Bay on Tortola, and the Greenhouse on St. Thomas. It has been 20 years since his last visit. According to him things have changed so much, but still seems so familiar.

Winter 2007 - 2008 

Chip Croft just sent me a copy of "High Seas Schooner", a story of a voyage of the HARVEY GAMAGE when Capt. Kimberly was aboard. Skipper is interviewed. A "Thank You" goes out to all who sent Chip photos. This documentary was produced by SEA-TV; check out their other sea-going videos. Katie Sloan emailed. She was aboard ROMANCE on a school trip in Feb. of 1981. Then David Stricker wrote; he had crewed on the ROMANCE in the Spring & Summer of 1971. His photos here include one of himself(left) and also one of "Dutch" (right). He recalls other crew including Joe Rivedi and possibly Roger Conrad. At a recent Beloit College reunion he met several other ROMANCE alums: Arthur Trexton, Ken Bryant, John Reichert and Tom Dudley. Read his recollections and details about the "American Adventure" film about ROMANCE. Fall 2007  A number of people stopped by inquiring about Capt. Kimberly and reminiscing about their time aboard the ROMANCE. Ruth Helmich was aboard in the early 70's, sailing in the B.V.I., with David Stricker, Joe Rivedi and Bill Turnbill. There was a film crew aboard and she was wondering what happened to the film - if it ever really gotproduced. Also received several of the Cape Windjammer Newsletters. If you are interested in their sail training activities, visit them at their Cape Windjammers website. Chip Croft, executive producer at SEA~TV Productions is working on a documentary about a voyage on the schooner Harvey Gamage back in 1991. Capt. Kimberly was aboard and there are great shots of him aloft and working on board. The documentary should be out by the end of October. In September, Clyde Sanadi and Skipper visited Carl Friberg in Melbourne, Florida. Clyde writes, "Skipper & Carl talked of old Captains and tankers they were on and other stories. Skipper refers to Carl as a "nautical genius" and when Carl was out of the room, he remarked "Carl Friberg... I can't believe it!". The level of respect Carl has for Skipper is hard to describe. Carl retired as Captain of 22 different ships." Bruce Cameron was in touch. He's currently searching his old photos for Rick Perras and may be visiting FLA soon. Projects UnderWay & News Spring 2003 - Spring 2007