Issue 71 - April 2021

The Heron & The Gondola: A Sailor’s Story

By Marianna Morè

I remember having noticed that gondola last summer during a nightly walk. The little dock was dimly lighted and the black line of the boat gently rocked on the surface of the sea. Gondolas always look sumptuous and sophisticated, but that one seemed to possess a magic of its own. It was in the shade but shining, swinging but still. While I was captured by this vision, a grey heron landed on it, the pale-coloured wings closing like the arms of a thin, ghostly figure. It stood on the gondola as we walked away, its eyes gazing at the open sea.

One year after that night, we see the craft docked there again. An old man is in the hull, sitting thoughtfully like a Gauguin thinker. A gondola is not a common sight in the suburbs of Venice, so we decide to approach him and ask him for some information. We then become acquainted with Dino, an energic and sometimes scurrilous sailor, a man with an athletic figure, dark skin and a white ponytail.

He is very talkative and lingers on all the difficulties he faced to find a job and make a living. He defines himself as an assistant gondolier: “An assistant,” he underlines widening his eyes and pausing to check if we are listening to him, “because gondoliers are almost like a caste.” The job is, in fact, traditionally transferred from generation to generation within the same family and there is little if any place for outsiders coming from the backcountry.

Nevertheless, Dino soon became a gifted sailor. To row a gondola,” he confesses with a sigh, “is actually a mission: it is a kind of art. One thing is to row a gondola, and another thing is to practice competitive rowing”. “I was born in a casone, and I was born rowing,” he tells us proudly inflating his chest. “I learned it the hard way: I was beaten with an oar on my head!” he says half-jokingly. “But competitive rowing? It is a different thing. I was thought that” he gives us a meaningful glance and wrinkles his nose in disapproval.

Not unlike many in the countryside near Caorle, he has a story or two to tell about Ernest Hemingway. The American writer set his book “Across the river and into the trees” not far from here and was used to spending his evenings in a tavern, where Dino’s aunt served as a waitress. “Go and ask him whether he needs to have his boots cleaned!” she often suggested to the young nephew. “You might get a little money.” Life at that time was not easy,” Dino tells us, “but the American writer was a celebrity. He went hunting. He drank a lot: anyone who met him can tell you that. These stories might be false or might be true, but the tavern is still there” he adds. While we are wondering about his encounters with Hemingway, he suddenly shifts his attention: “Does your cell phone have an internet connection? Can you search on Google Maps? Sansonessa, that’s where I live.” On-Street View appears a house covered with shells, like an ancient embroidery on a blue tablecloth. Shells rise from the concrete railing of the garden, decorate the house walls and even reach the chimneys. “I wanted to bring the sea home with me,” he confesses. He fulfilled his wish. But a little maintenance is often necessary: “Sometimes a shell falls and breaks, and I have to change it. It takes patience,” he admits. “Yes, it takes patience in life.”

Dino is widowed and lost his son many years ago. Life hasn’t been easy for him, but he still retains a broad smile and a generous soul. He is so proud of his eleven-meter-long gondola, that he will be pleased to take you for a ride almost for free: “You can bring me a couple of beers in exchange if you like,” he tells us, “but you have to be in love. Are you in love with each other?”

The clouds are covering the sky in grey layers and the day is windy. “It’s not a good idea to ride on a gondola today,” he announces. “The weather is changing and the gondola is a frail craft. It is not easy to row on it today. The Bora wind will blow: there will be a clear sky, but it will be windy, I am sure. A day like this is not good for gondolas,” he repeats.

I look at the anchor tattoo on Dino’s arm and I know I can trust his forecast. Our gondola ride is postponed, at least for now. We say goodbye to him and he greets us with an amused suggestion: “Don’t marry, be-free!”. On behalf of a sailor, I would have expected it.
I am not sure of the truthfulness of his advice, though. Dino can play the role of a boaster pretty well. But as we leave him alone in the craft, the memory of a heron comes to my mind again: the enigmatic figure of a bird in the night, one year ago. Old sailors love mysterious stories. They can tell you many, like the one about a heron, do you know that one? It’s the one about the ghost of a long lost love, that flies each night on her wings back to her husband’s boat…

Marianna Morè

I am a writer and I live in Padova, Italy. I have a passion for the sea and its stories, for diving and swimming. I am an avid reader and a rather imaginative and creative woman. My stories were published by Sevenseas, by Bolina, by Gonomad.com and by Il Mattino di Padova, a local newspaper.

Follow my blog at https://shapeofclouds.wordpress.com/

Ps. The boat in the pictures is not a gondola: a simple matter of not having a camera at the right time!

Book Suggestion

An Almost Zero Waste Life: Learning How to Embrace Less to Live More By Megean Weldon

Author Megean Weldon, aka The Zero Waste Nerd, gently guides you on an attainable, inspirational, mindful, and completely realistic journey to a sustainable living lifestyle. Find tips, strategies, recipes, and DIY projects for reducing waste in this approachable, beautifully designed and illustrated guide.

Book Suggestion

The Eco-Hero Handbook: Simple Solutions to Tackle Eco-Anxiety By Tessa Wardley

As we face a global environmental crisis, The Eco-Hero Handbook addresses all your eco-anxieties and dilemmas to empower you to become part of the solution. From recycling to eating sustainably, ethical fashion to being an eco-conscious tourist, this book is the essential guide to the little changes that will make a big difference.

About the Author

Tessa Wardley is a river-lover and mini-adventurer who has worked and played in waters worldwide from New Zealand to the Arctic Circle. She is a senior policy advisor with the Environment Department and before that, principal in a global environmental consultancy and policy advisor to the Environment Agency. She has written The River Book, The Woodland Book, and The Countryside Book, inspirational titles encouraging readers to have adventures outdoors.

She is also the author of The Ocean Hero Handbook and Mindful Thoughts for Runners.

Issue 71 - April 2021

SEVENSEAS Travel Magazine – April 2021 – Issue 71

Do you want to light up your life? Find inspiration and peace of mind at Norwegian lighthouses?

Do you dream of falling asleep to the sound of ocean waves? Find peace of mind, new energy or adventures by calming waters? A night at a Norwegian lighthouse with views of the ocean, sunsets or might storms, could be what you are looking for. In Norway, the first lighthouse was lit in 1656, and ever since large ships and small fishing boats have navigated by the lights and sounds from more than 200 lighthouses along the Norwegian coastline. Read more…

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ShoreRivers is the Voice for Clean Water on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

Restoration_Water Quality Monitoring_Runoff_ShoreRivers_Eastern Shore_Maryland

Situated between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, the Eastern Shore of Maryland has remained a relatively rural region known for agriculture and its beautiful tributaries. Because of its coastal geography and low altitude above sea level, the region is extremely vulnerable to weather events and larger environmental issues such as climate change. Read more…

The Deep Ocean Reveals Surprising Discovery About Human Immunity

Scientists have discovered bacteria from the deep sea with components that are unrecognizable by the human immune system and may hold important properties in the development of cancer treatments and vaccines, according to a collaborative study published in Science Immunology. Read more…

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Five Reasons to go Whale Watching in Riviera Nayarit

Every year, hundreds of whales migrate in search of the warmer Pacific Ocean waters of the Banderas Bay, on the shores of Riviera Nayarit, to feed, mate or give birth. This whale watching season (December 2020 – March 2021) promises to be one of the best and below outlines the five top reasons travellers should visit Riviera Nayarit before mid-spring to catch a glimpse of the gentle giants of the ocean. Read more…

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How To Be a Responsible Underwater Photographer

Love taking photos of the fascinating critters you see on your diving or snorkelling trips? Follow these best practices to make sure you’re photographing responsibly and not harming marine life. Read more…

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The Heron & The Gondola: A Sailor’s Story

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Raet could Become Norway’s First Marine National Park Meeting International Standards

Raet national park was established in 2016 at the South-Norwegian Skagerrak coast, right at the doorsteps of Linking Tourism & Conservation’s (LT&C’s) office in Arendal. With its 607 km2, it is Norway’s largest marine protected area (MPA). The planning time of this park has been with only four years the shortest of any national park in Norway. Read more…

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Seaspiracy may be infuriating ocean conservationists but the silver lining is larger than we think.

The Netflix documentary inaccurately reassigns all ocean problems to fishing, attacks NGOs, while ignoring complex social, economic, and political factors at play. BUT people are talking. Read more…

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Nudibranchs – Jack’s April Underwater Photograph

Nudibranchs are an order of marine gastropod consisting of more than 3,000 species. They are soft-bodied, slug-like animals many of which are adorned with bright colours and extravagant body forms. Most nudibranch species live on reefs in temperate and tropical seas and are a popular species to observe by SCUBA divers around the world. Read more…

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Mako and Whale Sharks Are “Racing” to Help Save Their Fellow Sharks

Do you have COVID-19 burnout? Are you suffering from quarantine fatigue? Need a break from watching story after story on the vaccine rollout? Well, fear not – Nova Southeastern University (NSU) has just the cure to take your mind off of all things COVID! The Great Shark Race 2021 is here! It’s a race unlike any other, and it includes some of the fastest competitors as well as some of the, well, slowest. Read more…

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PADI, World’s Largest Dive Community, Joins Forces to Protect the Great Barrier Reef

Divers hold Great Reef Census banner during survey expedition on Spirit of Freedom (must credit_ Grumpy Turtle Creative)

PADI®, the world’s leading scuba diver organization, is teaming up with Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef on a first-of-its-kind citizen science project to help protect the earth’s largest reef system. The Great Reef Census provides the opportunity for divers everywhere to impact the long-term health of one of the most iconic dive destinations on the planet through online image analysis. Read more…

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Purdue Study Finds Limited Economic Impacts from the U.S. Rejoining the Paris Climate Accord

President Biden has recommitted the U.S. to the Paris climate accord and also moved forward with a climate plan calling for carbon-free electricity by 2035 and net zero emissions by 2050 — policies compatible with and beyond the 2 degrees C mitigation effort called for in the original Paris agreement. Read more…

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The Eco-Hero Handbook: Simple Solutions to Tackle Eco-Anxiety By Tessa Wardley

As we face a global environmental crisis, The Eco-Hero Handbook addresses all your eco-anxieties and dilemmas to empower you to become part of the solution. See more…

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An Almost Zero Waste Life: Learning How to Embrace Less to Live More By Megean Weldon

Author Megean Weldon, aka The Zero Waste Nerd, gently guides you on an attainable, inspirational, mindful, and completely realistic journey to a sustainable living lifestyle. Read more…

Travel Norway: Are you a modern pilgrim?

It all started back in 1030 AD with King Olav the Holy who walked with his men to the battle of Stiklestad. King Olav fell in the battle and was buried in what is now the Nidaros Cathedral. Already in 1070 people from all over Europe started to do pilgrimages to Nidaros (now Trondheim). The walk has inspired nine pilgrimage routes, all leading to the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. Read more…

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James Bowyer: Solitude & Survival in The South

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Cue a moment of panic. After an hour-long interview only that morning, I have just signed up to work in Antarctica for eighteen months, providing medical cover for a research station of 27 people in the winter, 160 in summer. I would be the only doctor for at least half of that time, with only narrow windows for medical evacuation in case something goes wrong. Read more…

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Green Berets Earn Blue Stars After Debris Removal Off Key West

The U.S. Army’s Green Berets are known as the most specialized experts in unconventional warfare. This week in waters off Key West, they took part in an unconventional assignment, removing more than 1,200 pounds of debris in waters where they train. Read more…

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Camels Are Dying From Ingesting Plastic Bags

new scientific study showing that desert camels are dying from mistaking plastic bags for food has lead pioneering plastic pollution researchers and others to call for a radical shift in how we discuss the problem that’s harming life in all environments on Earth–on land, not just in the sea. Read more…

Advanced Recycling Strategies Needed to Clean Up Plastic Pollution Problem, Says Baker Institute, Expert

Sustainability across the entire value chain — rather than advances in technology alone — is required to solve the United States’ plastic waste problems, according to a new brief from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Read more…

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Release of Nutrients from Lake-Bottom Sediments Worsens Lake Erie’s Annual ‘Dead Zone,’ could Intensify as Climate Warms

Robotic laboratories on the bottom of Lake Erie have revealed that the muddy sediments there release nearly as much of the nutrient phosphorus into the surrounding waters as enters the lake’s central basin each year from rivers and their tributaries. Read more…

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SAWFISH NEWS by Tonya Wiley: Havenworth Coastal Conservation ESA Listing Anniversary for Smalltooth Sawfish in the U.S.

The population of smalltooth sawfish in the United States experienced a significant decrease in numbers and distribution during the 20th century due to overfishing, habitat loss, and limited reproduction. Given the decline, NOAA Fisheries listed the U.S. population of smalltooth sawfish as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act eighteen years ago on April 1, 2003. Read more…

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Since 2004, SEVENSEAS Media has fostered an informal and non-partisan platform to promote understanding of key issues and challenges while building partnerships across an increasingly diverse group of marine conservation professionals and students.

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