CLASSICS ON PARADE
People aboard the Bantam of Mystic wave during the boat parade Sunday on the last day of the Antique & Classic Boat Rendezvous at Mystic Seaport.
Mystic — People had a lot of questions for Bob Elmer on Sunday, but most of them just wanted to know if he had ever worked in radio.
The short answer is “yes,” but that's not necessarily why Elmer's announcing style at Mystic Seaport's annual Antique & Classic Boat Rendezvous is so popular.
Elmer and his wife, Ada, have volunteered for more than 30 years at the mic at the nautical parade, and Sunday was just Elmer's latest opportunity to show off his smooth baritone and deep knowledge and love of historical boats.
A longtime Seaport volunteer, Elmer, who spent an earlier career in broadcasting at various radio stations in New England, said the staff asked him to read the names and descriptions of the boats as they passed under the Mystic drawbridge all those years ago.
“I'm the guy that can't say no,” said Elmer, who is also the emcee for the Chorus of Westerly's annual Summer Pops concert.
The Elmers, who live in Stonington, have volunteered at the parade ever since.
Bob Elmer said they have tried different configurations over the years. For a while, they announced the parade from a boat in the Mystic River, and one year a technical mishap almost forced Elmer to do his job from the drawbridge control tower.
On Sunday, Bob and Ada were seated side by side under a tent in Mystic River Park. Ada listened closely to a walkie-talkie and relayed updates from the Seaport's staff about which boat was coming under the drawbridge next to Bob, who would read the name out loud along with a brief history of each boat.
During a slight delay before the parade started, Elmer picked up a harmonica — a gift from Ada — and played a tune into the mic.
Parade-goers across the river cheered.
“Never encourage a harmonica player,” Elmer told them.
Finally, a low tone could be heard from the Seaport announcing the arrival of the steamship Sabino, built in 1908 and nearly ready to return to service after a lengthy restoration.
“The whistle of the Sabino,” Elmer exclaimed into the mic, dropping back into a radio talk show voice. “This is the parade where the floats really float.”
Elmer said his role is to translate his love and knowledge of boats into a language that even passers-by could understand, giving them the context to see each vessel in a new light.
One boat in Sunday's parade had been found abandoned in a field before its owner restored it. Another was designed for Greta Garbo. One had been in the same family for decades.
A sailboat named “Kid” passed under the bridge, and Elmer kept his cool but still couldn't help gushing a little.
“Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boat,” he said pensively.
Adding a running commentary to the parade helps the boat neophytes in the crowd understand what they're seeing, beyond just a collection of sails and wood and varnish, he said.
“You develop a new appreciation for it,” Elmer said. He tries to answer every question people have, including those who ask, with their backs to the river, where the parade is going to take place.
“If I can't (answer), I can give them the name of someone who can,” he said.
The parade is also an opportunity for the boat owners and restorers to get a little public recognition of the time and money they've poured into making the boats, some more than 100 years old, shiny and new again.
Elmer said he hopes to highlight for the less boat-savvy parade attendees “the drive, the dedication that these boat owners have put into preserving pieces of history.”