boatingonthehudson.com HOLIDAY 2013 21
and ashore in winter. It was then
we first met Manny, he had been
around these docks since the early
70’s, keeper of the stories and a
diehard fisherman. A mechanic
by trade, Manny could figure out
how to shoe horn a 6-71 diesel
into a Yugo, and still close the
hood. Back then, he was busy
stuffing major diesel power into
his 30 foot Silverton under Gren’s
watchful eyes. It was still Rich-
mond Marina and things were
busy, we had two restaurants and
a nightclub at the marina and as
Gren used to say “we had boat-
men not simply boat owners”. It
was during the gas crisis in the
late 70’s that we met TJ, dockmas-
ter at the marina now.
He was a teenager working sum-
mers in his dad’s gas station at
the south corner of the marina on
River Road and accepted us as
locals, so we occasionally got gas
after hours. In those days some-
body was always working on their
boat and that became a learning
experience for the whole group, a
collaboration of tools and knowl-
edge from a broad spectrum of
collective experience. We learned
from each other, we taught each
other, we worked together and
we partied together. July 83 my
daughter was born, came from the
hospital directly to the boat, and
spent the balance of that season
on the boat while our new home
was being prepared, guess she’s
an Edgewater native. A few years
later we sold the Matthews but
kept a small boat at the marina
until home, business and child
rearing took all of our time. A
lot of changes took place in the
late 80’s and 90’s, some good
and some not so good, Gren gave
up Richmond Marina, it became
Grand Cove Marina under Pete
Monte and there was even talk
of dock-o-miniums. New people
came in like Gordy, Bob, Capt
Ed and Mitch, who are still here
some 30 years later. For the
last nine years the marina has
been operated by the town as the
Edgewater Municipal Marina. We
came home to the marina in 07
when I ran into TJ in the parking
lot while looking for a place to
keep our new boat. We caught
up on old times and he sent me
immediately to city hall to get a
slip, they were dredging that year
and the depths would be good
again. As the Municipal Marina
we now have a public lounge
and a ferry stop to the city in a
beautiful park setting, a variety of
restaurants, a new Whole Foods
and assorted stores all within
walking distance, and through it
all some of us old sea dogs have
“TJ” in his outdoor office , Dockmaster and a outstanding indiviual
Ralph at 84 years old, still swinging a mean wrench
HOLIDAY 2013.indd 24
11/7/13 7:49 AM
