Growing up in Aptos, California, I practically lived at the beach... Specifically, the two public beaches right down the road from the house I grew up in: Rio Del Mar State Beach, and Seacliff State Beach. The two beaches are "loosely" separated by Aptos Creek. During the course of the year, Aptos Creek changes the location where it empties into the sea. Since Rio Del Mar Beach was closer to my house, I considered it my main "stompin' ground." I remember my friends and I would say "sometimes there's a little less beach, sometimes a little more, and sometimes, the two beaches are equal".

No matter which beach I was hangin' out at, there was always a "presence" that, while living there, I apparently took for granted...

The Cement Boat is, and always will be, a part of my life. During the years I lived in Aptos, I didn't really give it much thought - since it was "always" there, I just sort of figured it belonged there, and left it at that. Through my childhood and teen years I've played on it, I've fished off it, I've had lunches on it, I've met friends and family on it, I've watched sunsets from it, I've paddled a rubber dingy around the bow, I've placed my hand on the exact center of the bow when boating around it, I've hopped the fence and went farther forward than you're supposed to, I drank my first beer on it, I caught a Stingray off it and, the same day, had my picture taken by our local newspaper on it! And... last but certainly not least, when I was around 10 or so, a friend and I broke the rusted hinges off a bulkhead hatch and clambered down rusty metal stairs on an illegal 4 hour exploration below the main deck.

A few weeks ago, as I was sitting in my office looking at the beach scene on a vacation brochure that had crossed my desk, my thoughts drifted to The Cement Boat... Curious, I fired up my Internet connection and did some searching for "Cement Boat" listings...

From that search, I found Doug Johnson's Cement Boat Webpage. The material incorporated here, is a direct result of my experience while viewing Doug's page. After viewing his site, I began what was originally intended as a quick email message introducing myself as one who shares a common interest, with the inclusion of a big thank you for the time spent making his material available. As I continued typing the message, I began to, for lack of a better word, relive the experience of my below deck exploration. What was supposed to be a quick introduction and appreciation message, grew to a full-blown novel recounting from memory, the events of that day "20 something" years ago. I can only imagine Doug's reaction having received such a correspondence from a perfect stranger... The very next day, I received a wonderful reply, thanking me for sharing my story. A friendship was born!

If you're interested in reading about my Cement Boat adventure, Doug has posted it here. My most heartfelt thanks goes out to Doug for enlightening me as to the existence of David W. Heron and his truly wonderful book:

The history of the Palo Alto is truly remarkable. When I received my copy, I couldn't put it down. I read it cover to cover in one afternoon. Forever Facing South and the story of the S.S. Palo Alto begins on May 29, 1919, when the newly completed, 435 ft concrete ship Palo Alto slid from dry dock into the San Francisco Bay. The author then explains in great detail, accompanied by wonderful historic photographs, the events which led to Palo Alto's arrival at Seacliff Beach, the ensuing years when the ship functioned as an amusement & entertainment center - with dining facilities, a ballroom with dance floor, an arcade, even a swimming pool! You'll be amazed as the story unfolds... The black & white images below are from Heron's - Forever Facing South - and are displayed as a preview of what to expect from the book. The color images are from a recent trip to Aptos and were acquired using my own digital camera.