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Home » Columnists

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

The Zen of E-Biking, maybe

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Apr 22

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Let’s get something straight right from the rip, here. I’m not a Zen kind of guy so don’t get all alpha- stated and mediative on me. Moreover, I’m not a Yoga-Gumby guy, either. I’m just not that guy; I guess I just like to see the word Zen in front of a noun. For example, if you plug the word Zen...
First on; First off

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Apr 8

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Rather than write about how gobsmacked I was at 0500 on a freezing cold Monday morning before going to load a ferryboat after seeing an Oscars’ clip of a guy smacking a gobsmacked guy over an insult to a guy’s wife in front of millions of people worldwide, and upstaging what could’ve been a fun...
Lapland and springtime nods

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Apr 1

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

My wife got it in her sights to see Lapland in late February; as she roamed the Arctic Circle she spied: reindeer, the northern lights, the IceHotel. (Yup, people sleep on a bed of ice in a hotel made of ice - I guess there is a market for everything. They sleep on furs and in a sleeping bag. Ahem...
Cranes, Concrete, Wood and Steel

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Mar 18

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Concrete and steel go together like chocolate and peanut butter.” —Bill Rose, President of Block Island Concrete Co. Sometimes words and observations can come out of a person’s mouth and grab me so fast that I need to ask them to please repeat them. I just can’t process certain stuff that fast...
The Green Van

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Mar 11

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

It had bald tires, it ran on about four cylinders and was an eyesore. The van was modified for Ernie Woolf, a guy I surfed with in Point Judith, Rhode Island. He was about 6-foot 4-inches, and wanted to stand upright in this rig to put on his wetsuit so he cut a 3 by 3foot hole in the roof, framed...
Shifting years, gears and ears

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Feb 25

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

On 25 March, I’ll be shuffling into my 72nd trip around the sun and being the adaptable kind of guy that I am - ahem, do we actually have a choice? – I have come to embrace rather than despise the technology of the digital age. These extraordinary and life-enhancing changes are inevitable as the...
Mr. Cricket

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Feb 18

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Life can take care of things if we let it; we need to simply get out of the way and let it do what it’s going to do. When we get older we finally figure this stuff out because we’ve all learned through our life’s experience that if we set up an expectation and things don’t go as we planned, then we...
Cool vs. Style

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Feb 4

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

When I was about 17, I would ride my Schwinn Varsity ten-speed to the East Side of Providence and visit Thayer Street. It was a totally different place from my hometown with lots of college-town characters and local color where I’d scope the scene and check out the cute Brown University and RISD...
Jon Campbell: True Wit; True Grit

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Jan 21

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

What propels you along is not the outcome. If you have any maturity, you lose interest in the outcome. You just want to do what you do as evocatively as you can. —Tom McGuane In 1975 I met a guy named Jon Campbell, who I ended up in a band with that played Irish music. The minute I met...
Godspeed, Sailor

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Jan 7

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

One day my wife Cindy came home from work and said something regarding a man she was helping with the work she does as a family caregiver. What she said got my wheels turning on the quick step; hers had been already turning - they always are in regards to practicality, wants and needs. “I don’t...
The drill for 2022

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Dec 31

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

This past year of 2021 felt like it was a decade to this scribbling senior citizen - full-on geezer - not only because of the way things were and are developing in the world, but because of the velocity of these incessant and random developments i.e., storms, the election of a new president, the...
A seasonal lift

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Dec 24

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

On 6 December it was blowing pretty hard and the ferry schedule was questionable because of increasing winds. After the first ferry left at 0630 I grabbed some coffee at home and went to the Sand Hill Cove beach parking lot to look at the ocean. A half hour later at first light, while leaving the...
Horses

J. V. Houlihan

Fri, Dec 17

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

There’s not much that grabs me via the tube these days; I’ll take a good book over vacuously staring at the screen and trying to get interested in the characters and the narrative. However, there are exceptions and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is a said exception. Even though I consider Larry David a...
The Lost Boys of Montauk

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Dec 3

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“See what you think of this one,” said Susan Bush, the owner of Island Bound Bookstore. I was checking in her car at the ferry when she handed me a galley of a book titled “The Lost Boys of Montauk,” by Amanda M. Fairbanks. Susan has never flipped me a book that I didn’t like; however, this...
Captain Matty Rooney

J.V. Houlihan

Tue, Nov 23

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Where the Block Island Ferry runs between Point Judith and Old Harbor lies a patch of ocean that offers a variety of conditions and concerns for mariners. Wind direction, wind velocity, wave height, swell direction, poor visibility, tankers, tugs and tows, commercial fishing draggers, recreational...
Warhorse

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Nov 18

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“I cannot not sail.” E.B. White I had planned to write an homage to Reverie today, which is a day after the 12 November Purple Flag day at the Point Judith ferry docks. The wind showed up from the east southeast at 0700 just as predicted, and the ferry was canceled...
Thank you to all Veterans

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Nov 11

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

My dad lost both his parents when he was 17 years old; they died a month apart. He had no immediate family and had no place to live. He was a junior at Saint Raphael Academy in Pawtucket, Rhode Island at the time, and he had a best friend at school named John Cunningham. John’s mother Molly, a sin...
Fall 2021

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Nov 4

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

The Endless Summer of 2021 is over, done, fini, kaput, and perhaps we’ll have a frost before Groundhog Day, and maybe we’ll even have a white Christmas! I know, the tone of that sentence is one of a curmudgeon, a geezer who is yawping about the weather and there is truly nothing worse than that. (...
Erik Hedegaard, a writer’s life

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Oct 28

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Hey Joey, whaddyagot?” asks journalist Erik Hedegaard. That’s a writer question loaded with sub-textual meaning. It asks: what are you thinking, what are you tracking down, what do you have that will get me thinking and set me off on a search-and-seize mission because I don’t have time for small...
Van Life

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Oct 21

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“L.A. is like an open air loony bin, and there are a lot of vans out there. Everybody seems to have a van.” —Anonymous surfer in the line-up at Narragansett Pier, 1967 We all know that cool and hip trends begin out in California: surfboards, skateboards, movies, clothes, food, hot tubs,...
Van Zandt

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Oct 14

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

I don’t believe in luck; there’s no such thing. Period. What I do believe in is that we make our own luck by throwing down for ourselves and what our deal is. We show up for what drives us, hustle, connect some dots, and take a shot for what we want and need. In other words, we need to be ready to...
Summer of 2021

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Oct 8

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

On 21 September, 2021 summer was packed and stowed into the archives along with some memorable files that stand out, and require a journalistic observation from this sailing scribbler of nouns and verbs. Sailing a boat slows things down so we can actually see things that we’d normally miss while...
Here we are-2021

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Sep 30

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

The Covid -19 pandemic continues to do a Mr. Bill Bojangles Robinson-type tap dance on the psyches of people all over the globe. This virus has caused division, confusion, illness, death and a new kind of media-driven crackpot mentality. Ahem, I will leave the horse dewormer, Ivermectin, to the...
Fog

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Sep 23

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Because of some windy and nasty weather I got stuck in Potter Cove on Prudence Island in mid-May of this year. The winds were blowing steadily and well over thirty knots for a couple of days from the southeast and southwest; it was an easy sail getting to the island but I knew it would not be at...
Spinning my wheels

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Sep 16

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

I’ll bet my nickels that all of you bike riders out there can remember getting your first bicycle. It’s a coming-of-age thing which is firmly imprinted in our memory bank. The reason for this is simply because a bicycle provides us with four profound things: balance, autonomy, freedom and most...
Why Wait!

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Sep 9

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

A kitchen table, in an austere and no-frills setting a few feet above sea level on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, is command central for a musician named Kate Taylor whose life is rooted prodigiously in this raw and natural island place. This kitchen table is where we can see how this woman rolls...
A tale of two ships

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Aug 26

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

My P-47 is a pretty good ship and she took a round comin’ cross the Channel last trip, I was thinkin’ bout my baby and lettin’ her rip, always got me through so far” “Johnny Come Lately,” by Steve Earle I have scant knowledge of World War II; however, I have learned a few pieces...
Grassroots

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Aug 19

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Bob Kelly is a local surfer, a sexton at St. Francis Church in Wakefield, and a guy who has always spoken his mind; in and out of the water. He is a guy who has no filter, and his thoughts and words roll with a seamless stream-of-consciousness feel, with keen observations of the past and present...
Columbia

J. V. Houlihan

Thu, Aug 12

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

It is one thing to see a beautiful and sleek looking sailing vessel sitting in stillness at anchor; however, it’s an entirely different thing to see the same vessel loaded up with wind and moving the way she was intended to move. There is lots of applied math and science involved to make a sailing...
First Sail, 2021

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Jul 15

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

In early May I took a first sail up to Potter Cove on Prudence Island, which for the past fifteen years has been a great sailing destination and a hideout; it’s a nice contrast from the Port of Galilee where I live and work. Most important, it’s a great place for peace and quiet before the summer...
Shades of Summer

J.V. Houlihan

Thu, Jul 8

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

It all started out so simple when I said to my little brother, “Hey, cool glasses, I like that style, where’d you get ‘em?” Then, said little brother did a monologue of the whole process—the good, bad, and ugly—about how he ended up with these cool sunshades. All I wanted was some new glasses for...
The Midnight Rambler

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Jul 2

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Maddox, our cairn terrier, is the wildest terrier we’ve had, and we’ve had three Scottish terriers who have all tested us in many ways. Terriers by their singular nature are a tough breed, and you need to be tough to roll with this type of prey-driven canine— we must be vigilant at all times. Our...
A sailor’s life

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Jun 25

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

When I came bashing back into Newport Harbor from a couple of days of sailing a few weeks ago, I noticed a bunch of racing sailboats that weren’t in town the day I left. Because of the past year of Covid protocols and constant uncertainty, I couldn’t figure out if these boats were coming from a...
Incentive

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, Jun 18

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

According to Merriam-Webster, the word Incentive means: “something that incites or has a tendency to incite to determination or action.” There is nothing like a job we’re not particularly fond of to motivate or incite us to find another job that we may actually like. At age 13 the word...
Coming and going at Fort Adams

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, May 28

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“You better put a life jacket on Mac when you’re crossing the harbor in the morning, you don’t want him to fall out of the dinghy while you’re heading over to Fort Adams,” said my wife Cindy. “He’ll be fine, plus Mac likes to scope the harbor on the way to the fort, and he needs to keep his head on...
Daytona

J.V. Houlihan

Fri, May 14

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Erik popped out of his yellow Ford Econoline van after he rolled up next to me on the beach. With the exception of his long curly black hair he looked like a businessman in his burnt-orange, wide-lapelled suit jacket and tie, with bell-bottoms and platform shoes. He was the first guy I met when I...
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...

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