Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • S p r i n g 2 0 1 7 10 BEACHCOMBER continued from page 9 David Turton Photography Take to the Seas on a Jersey Shore Party Boat Party boats at Broadway Basin and Ken's Landing Marina in Point Pleasant Beach. courtesy of Mike's Maritime Memorabilia Party boat fishing at the Jersey Shore dates back almost one hun- dred years, with the role of the family most pivotal. The original Paramount party boat was operated by Captain John Bogan Sr. (standing at the open helm above the cabin), Captain John Bogan Jr., and Captain James Bogan Sr. The vessel was built at Brooklyn in 1930 and had a length of forty-eight feet with a sixteen-foot beam. A single 100 HP, 4-cylinder Fairbanks Morse diesel engine provided power to the propeller. The gangster 'Dutch' Shultz originally owned the boat and operated her as a rumrunner during the Prohibition Era. The boat was "busted" on her very first smuggling run and later sold at government auction to the Bogan family in 1930. The Paramount began her fishing career sailing from Bayonne until the Bogan family relocated to Brielle in 1931. In 1934, she responded to the Morro Castle disaster and rescued sixty-seven passengers from the ill-fated ship. The federal government seized her for coastal patrol use during World War II. She ended her most interesting fishing career in Bermuda. O ne of the quintessential Jersey Shore experiences, for both locals and visitors, is a fishing trip aboard one of the many party boats that call Ocean and Monmouth counties home. Whether it's a child's first time or an octogenarian's one hundredth, there's nothing like heading out to the open sea, eagerly awaiting that first tug on the line. With each fish that's caught comes another fish story, and with each hook that comes up empty, the next tale about "the big one that got away" is born. "Party boats are run by veteran captains who know the local fishing scene well. The boats are generally large and stable with various ame- nities such as galleys, sundecks, and heated and air conditioned cabins," said Jeff Gutman, captain of the boat Voyager out of Point Pleasant Beach. "Party boats provide an economi- cal way to spend a day out fishing, whether for a half, three-quarter, or full day," Gutman added. Party boat fishing at the Jersey Shore dates back almost one hundred years, with the role of the family most pivotal. Consider the Dorothy B out of Atlantic Highlands. The original Dorothy B was purchased by William Bradshaw in 1918, who named it after his daughter. During the Depression, he began taking peo- ple out fishing for fifty cents, and in turn, they'd catch enough fish to feed their family for a week. Thus party boat fishing began for the Bradshaw family who has kept a Dorothy B vessel on the seas ever since. The Dorothy B sailing today is the ninth in the fleet and is run by Captain Kevin Bradshaw, William's grandson. Likewise, Brielle's Bogan family has deep roots in the fishing industry, operating deep sea fish- ing boats for over eighty years. The Paramount vessel moored today at Bogan's Basin is named after the family's original Paramount, a forty- eight-foot wooden boat that the Bogan family acquired in 1930. In 1934, the Paramount was one of the first boats to arrive at the Morro Castle disaster off Asbury Park, rescuing sixty-seven passengers and crew from the burning cruise ship. Docked next to the Paramount is the Jamaica II with a story all her own. Built in 1962, the original Jamaica II sailed from Bogan's Basin for fifty-two years. One of its more memorable trips happened in February 2010, when fisherman Billy Watson of Landsdale, Pennsylvania A boy catches a fluke on the Norma K III. Paramount, Brielle, NJ – circa 1932

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