Shipwrecks, Omelets, and Baklava

Our late return from the Andrea Doria put the crew into double time to ready the John Jack for its 6AM departure to Block Island with our good friends from the NYC Sea Gypsies. Each day began with a "how would you like your omelet" prepared by Chef Jeff and, later in the day, a freshly prepared lunch. Dinner and dessert was in the Block Island marina, a refuge for wealthy boat owners and an itinerant over-21 crowd looking for a good time. Without a doubt, it was a "there goes the neighborhood" moment when The Big Red Boat pulled into the Block Island marina where every boat is white fiberglass on the outside and lacquered mahogany on the inside. As a finishing touch, the John Jack was adorned with a multi-colored assortment of drying dive duds on the upper deck rails. Many locals, including one fellow who introduced himself as "Baklava," came by to gawk and ask questions about the John Jack, scuba diving, and the local shipwrecks. In truth, the marina was a curiosity; we came to dive. Because most of the Block Island wrecks are in sheltered waters, we can usually get in two dives - and sometimes three - each day. We dove shallow wrecks like the Grecian, Black Point, Idene, and deeper wrecks like the U853 (130 fsw) and USS Bass (155 fsw). The weather and surface conditions were great and the wrecks didn't disappoint either. The Sea Gypsies Block Island trip has become an annual event that the entire John Jack family looks forward to; perhaps you can join us next year.

Captain Rich