Ben Bernstein: [00:00:00] This episode of Ramblin' on the River is presented 

Sponsor Message: by BB Riverboats. What does summertime in the Ohio River Valley mean to you? From the deck of a BB riverboat, it means a breeze on the water, lush views, and a historic cruise by the queen city Skyline. BB Riverboats offers an experience as unforgettable as childhood summers.

This season let our crew take care of yours as you cruise the mighty Ohio. BB Riverboats. The river is waiting.

Moderator: You're listening to the Ramblin on the River podcast, presented by BB River Boats. The Bernstein family has been a predominant name in Cincinnati's hospitality landscape since the 1960s, and this podcast will be a collection of the stories, tales, and experiences from their entrepreneurial [00:01:00] endeavors in the restaurant and excursion boat business.

Join as they take you on a A journey through the family's history in their own unique style. Now, here are your hosts, Ben Terri and Alan Bernstein.

Ben Bernstein: Live from Hurricane Helen. We bring you in the bunker, of hurricane, the weather channel bunker here in Newport, Kentucky. We bring you Ramblin' on the River from a hurricane. Thank you for making your way back to Ramblin' on the River. My name is Ben Bernstein joined by my father, Alan.

Alan Bernstein: . Yes. 

Ben Bernstein2: My sister Terri. I think the order in which we are introduced is wrong. You're wearing that one out , pretty bad. Before we get started, like we do every episode, we please ask that you go to your favorite podcast platform and give us a like and [00:02:00] subscribe. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Head to our website at ramblinontheriver. com. And please give us an email. 

Alan Bernstein: I think they ought to give us a love. They ought to go and click on, I love. You know how to 

Ben Bernstein: do that? 

Alan Bernstein: I have absolutely no idea. Okay. Well, okay. If so, it's only a call to like you 

Ben Bernstein: can't love it knows it on some of them you can't oh, well, there you go Yeah in all of your social media Terri's busy on her phone.

Oh, yeah. I know she isn't even 

Terri Bernstein: dealing with an FDA 

Alan Bernstein: issue. Oh my gosh I mean, it's 

Terri Bernstein: not an issue with BB river, but it's just something we have to anyways. The email address 

Ben Bernstein: is podcast at BB riverboats. com. That will go to all of us. We are getting more and more emails every week.

We really appreciate, and we're international. I mean, don't forget all of our international friends talked about that quite a bit. Yep. We are happy for any listener. [00:03:00] Rather you're eight or nine years old. Rankings were going to come out pretty soon. I think we got spoofed over that. I think that was some random spam email.

You think? I mean, we've never gotten one. So maybe we fell off the rank. 

Alan Bernstein: Maybe we're no, maybe we're so popular. They didn't want to announce it. Well, maybe I know we have some very dedicated listeners. We do. And I get told that a lot when I'm out on the street. Oh, I forgot to tell you 

Ben Bernstein: last week, like I said, when we began the the episode, I said, you know, I had just come back from Miami, Florida, straight from the airport to come here.

So I took Elim to see a Miami Marlins game. We're trying to go to all the. Major League Baseball ballparks. Well, we check in, we stayed at a Hyatt House by the Fort Lauderdale airport. And we check in, we go up to our room, and put our bags in, Elim opens the shades and looks out, and he said, Dad! [00:04:00] He said, Grandpa would love this room.

I said, Why, buddy? He said, We're overlooking the pool, he can see all the pools. I meant to say that last week, and totally forgot. 

Alan Bernstein: You don't know. We haven't been on we had a condo party on the boat. 

Terri Bernstein: I have a picture of you with all your pooling. 

Alan Bernstein: I got a picture with all the pool girls.

And 

Terri Bernstein: my mom, I think, took it. 

Ben Bernstein: She doesn't like pictures. How have we not posted that? I don't know. Oh, I just got it. Oh, that's true. I guess so. Well, you just have it on 

Terri Bernstein: this one. 

Ben Bernstein: They're probably more famous than we are, you know, and maybe, so let's see, last week we went through, we decided to break this episode up into two parts because It was too big to handle in one day we were already going late on the clock, right?

Right, Al had places to be so well Yeah, I'm an important guy [00:05:00] so we went through the history of tall stacks kind of went through each of The six festivals kind of give you a rundown of what each each festival was like Internally and externally, I guess I would say, and we had some choice stories that have come about from Tallstacks.

Ben Bernstein2: Before we get too far

Alan Bernstein: gather around everybody. It's time

rambling. , 

Ben Bernstein2: you're a nutcase. You really are a nut case. 

Alan Bernstein: You, do you know how better that sounds? With me at the at the back end doing honor 

Ben Bernstein2: Actually, I think Terri and I are better when we chime in on Ramblin' on the River. Oh, yeah. I don't agree with it Okay. Well what do we let's see last week.

We went through the mutiny of your yeah My brother on the President's. Yep we talked [00:06:00] about the red hat ladies and 800 people getting off the boat and getting on the boat. And I think your sister has nightmares still over the red hat ladies. I think are 

Terri Bernstein: we ready to board? 

Ben Bernstein2: Sure. I'll sure. Whatever you want tara, what do you want to start with today? What's your 

Terri Bernstein: I don't know. I think maybe 

Ben Bernstein2: Let's talk 

Terri Bernstein: about the you winning the race. Oh, yeah on the river. 

Ben Bernstein2: Well, that had to have been 2003, right?

Yeah, you know, I have that trophy Yeah, that's true. You, I hope you've sanitized. 

Terri Bernstein: I drank out of a lot 

Ben Bernstein2: of people. If there were COVID back then, everybody would have had no doubt about it. So let's see, I got my license at 19 years old in 2000. It was actually the very beginning of 2001 and the first tall [00:07:00] stacks that came up.

Was 2003 and I was the master of the River Queen, correct? And we were docked over on the Serpentine Wall. Yep. We weren't. And as part of tall stacks, we had a race. It's probably what that Friday or Saturday. We had a race against the Harriet Bishop, which, ironically enough, we now own. So if you've ever been on our And it's now called the River Queen.

It's now called the River Queen. Confuse everybody as we can. If you've ever ridden on our current River Queen since 2000 and That is the Harriet Bishop. Four or two No, six. No, 

Terri Bernstein: we bought it after the last stock. Oh, is that for the 2006? Yeah. 2006. Yeah. 

Ben Bernstein2: It was 

Terri Bernstein: really 2007. You're right. 

Ben Bernstein2: You are, you are correct.

Right. So if you've ever ridden on our River Queen, that's that's the boat we raced against. That's correct. We had a prior boat, the River Queen, which is now taking people out to Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. That 

Terri Bernstein: was my favorite River Queen. 

Ben Bernstein2: It was a good boat.

[00:08:00] So we had a race and we were put up against the Harriet Bishop, 

Terri Bernstein: Gus Gaspardo, 

Ben Bernstein2: Gus Gaspardo, who I'm sure we'll listen to this at some point. And we had a race here and in downtown Cincinnati, 

 I think we started up at the upper end of the downtown area.

Ben Bernstein2: I want to say probably Cincinnati Sheet Metal, maybe. 

Alan Bernstein: Wasn't an around trip? You started at the Taylor Southgate Bridge. Is that where? You raced up the river and turned around. 

Ben Bernstein2: No, we raced down river, turned around, and went back up. Okay. I don't remember the exact course. Did for lack of something better to say, we raced on a course right in downtown.

Oh yeah. Yeah. And of course, if anybody knows. My piloting capability. We won 

Alan Bernstein: the race. Yes. And I don't think your piloting skills had anything to do with it, but maybe you've lost a [00:09:00] lot of races, but I've won a lot. Well, I mean, 

Ben Bernstein2: that's just when you're more than 

Alan Bernstein: once in your lifetime, that's an experience where you have my experience and race thousands of times.

Your record bound to win a couple. 

Ben Bernstein2: So we run through the finish line. We win the race. We go back to the doc. I think we came up dad was the commentator. I think you and Doc Hawley were on the stage to present the winning. And for winning the race, we got a nice, beautiful, beautiful Trophy cup trophy.

Yeah. Yeah, it was basically a mounted a gold cup. Yeah, 

Terri Bernstein: it was a big one Yeah, it was a big 

Ben Bernstein2: one. It's probably you know, 10 12 inches tall It was a nice heavy. Yes heavy trip So at the conclusion of tall stacks, 

Terri Bernstein: I think it holds about five beers. 

Ben Bernstein2: No, it wasn't that much. You're yeah. I think five beers is a little heavy and I don't know if you've had [00:10:00] five beers in your whole life.

Maybe how many cosmopolitan she's hooked on the hard alcohol. So at the conclusion of tall stacks, for the crews who have all been. Sleep deprived, well overworked on Sunday evening at the end of the event, there was always a crew party. Mm hmm. All the crews crew right crew party or all.

Yeah. Yeah, not all the crews of all the of all the book That's right before most boats would start leaving Monday morning or something There was definitely a recovery period that 

Terri Bernstein: was needed 

Ben Bernstein2: But on Sunday as you can imagine after five early mornings long days You The crews let loose quite a bit.

Yep. So we participated at the party. I'm sure, I guess we hosted the party. I wasn't there [00:11:00] long. I went, was 

Terri Bernstein: the Mike Fink still around? Is that the Mike Fink? 

Ben Bernstein2: That's a whole other story. We could just work this into the story. So we go to the party and we let loose quite a bit. And of course, you know, I just won a trophy and brought the trophy along, carried the trophy along after a couple of beers and just started using it as a cup, started drinking out of the truck, especially when anybody From Paddleford Packet Company from St.

Paul, Minnesota was around, just to rub that in a little bit. Right. So as the night went on, more and more beers were drinking out of it. And you could imagine it gets a little hazy towards the end of the night. And being responsible like I am, decided, you know, I, get in a cab, get a ride home. Yep. And that's responsible. That's very, that's the responsible part. Yeah. They take me home, get out of the cab. [00:12:00] Well, the next morning I realized that I forgot the trophy in the cab. Yes. as luck would have it. 

Terri Bernstein: What? Which we didn't know. 

Ben Bernstein2: We had no idea.

We had no idea for the year the next fair, as luck would have it, the next fair for the, the cab went straight back down to where we just had the party and who gets in the cab next, but Gus Spargo, GU Spargo and the crew and, and his crew. Which at the time he was just the captain.

Right. He did not, I don't think he owned. Right. He did not. He was that's right. In the process. So, right. So he gets in the back seat and he sees, Oh, look, my trophies here and acquired the trophy 

Terri Bernstein: and never said a word, 

Ben Bernstein2: never said a word, not one time. So he gets back to the boat, they head back to St.

Paul, Minnesota, which. . How long of a trip is, that's gotta be 9, 8, 

Alan Bernstein: 9, 10 days more than that. 

Ben Bernstein2: Yeah. 10, 11. At least going 

Alan Bernstein: upstream. They're going upstream. Yeah. 

Ben Bernstein2: Yeah. [00:13:00] So fast forward three years to 2006. Yep. Gus is coming in town. What? Most of the boats come in Monday ish Tuesday. Tuesday at the latest.

Right. And they're supposed to be here Tuesday at noon. Yeah. Okay. So, well then they probably got here on Monday. 'cause I'm out on a sighting cruise. 

May have fault delays 

and locked delayers. And I'm, I'm out running the boat and the Harriet Bishop's coming up river. And you look I get a call on the radio Harriet Bishop to the River Queen.

And I said, Hey Gus, how you doing? He said, Hey, when we pass, why don't you look up in between our stacks? I said, Okay. Well, we, we pass them and we look over, take the binoculars out. And Gus has the trophy wired up in between the two stacks as he makes his way into Cincinnati. And that was kind of the ultimate we [00:14:00] got, and he gave it back.

He did. He gave it back. In fact, luckily, as you said, you still have,

i, I did forget to mention in 2003 after the, the end of the party I decided, Hey, the party shouldn't end, right?

Everybody head to the Mike Fink restaurant. And I was with Alan Rizzo. Yeah. Nelson Jones was there. Yep. And we walk in and Riz is like, no, no, no. You did not walk in, broke in the boat. The door was open, but you broke in. we walked in the building. Okay. We walked in. I'm with Rizzo.

Maybe it was with Nelson too. I can't, Nelson was there. Absolutely. And we get in there and we're like, all right, This is not a good idea. We walked to the other exit, the boaters exit, and we walked off that stage and we left and left everybody in the parking lot. We, we kind of ghosted them, but 

Terri Bernstein: I didn't go to that.

Ben Bernstein2: I didn't go to that either. I don't know. But that was about four 30 in the morning. I mean, I was 21 years old, [00:15:00] 22 years old. 

Alan Bernstein: That was early in the morning. And Nelson, may he rest in peace. Nelson says, I've never been with a person that broke into his own establishment to give people liquor and your son is one of my heroes.

So you're right. Could you imagine 

Ben Bernstein2: if we would have partied there all night and they would have come in? Could you imagine? I can't even. I cannot. I can't even imagine how loud the screaming would have been. I'm shocked you even thought that 

Terri Bernstein: was a good idea to begin with. Well 

Ben Bernstein2: he was under the influence.

I was under the influence. 

Terri Bernstein: I wonder where I was. 

Alan Bernstein: Well, I know 

Terri Bernstein: cause I'm normally the well, I can tell you four 

Alan Bernstein: 30 in the morning. I'm 

Ben Bernstein2: sound asleep. 

Terri Bernstein: Yeah. That's probably where I was. 

Ben Bernstein2: Who knows the things that you don't know. It was my bedtime over 20 years ago, but that's the story of 

Alan Bernstein: Gus and the 

Ben Bernstein2: trophy and, 

Alan Bernstein: and we still had, we did clean the cup we washed it, sanitized it, you, yeah, I think, no, [00:16:00] no, no, I am not making it up.

We sanitized it. What do you have, a Purell wipe? Well, yeah, one of the, yeah, one of those disinfectant things, and it is in our trophy case. Now, there is something to say about that trophy. That is the trophy that does not stand up straight. 

Terri Bernstein: I wonder why. 

Alan Bernstein: Do you know this? No, I don't know this.

There is out of all the trophies that we have gotten over the many tall stacks as we've had, it is the only one that is leaning over at an angle like that. It was, it was also the most used. Most trophies went from the receiving to a 

Ben Bernstein2: viewing 

Alan Bernstein: case to a viewing case. Yes. Yes. But that's a true fact about your return.

Trophy. 

Ben Bernstein2: Yeah. 

Alan Bernstein: Okay. 

Terri Bernstein: Dad and I were out on a rowing breakfast cruise. We were 

Alan Bernstein: on a breakfast cruise in the fog, which everybody loved. And in fact, there are some really great [00:17:00] pictures from that cruise. Because not everybody wanted to do that. Not everybody, not every, not every boat wanted to go into the fog, but we were obviously the hometown boat, and I felt fine.

You wanted to show them the way. Well, no, we had radar, and it was not shut out fog, but it was a good 

Ben Bernstein2: one. It was typical steam fog. Yeah, 

Alan Bernstein: yeah, yeah. And we decided to take I don't know, a hundred passengers out on a breakfast cruise.

And we departed and going up through the bridges, which is the most difficult part yes, a little fog broke, you know, it sort of cleared and there were rowing skulls. And they were in peril because nobody could see them. 

Terri Bernstein: Well, , we heard him. 

We did. We, we heard. Dad had bowel. 

Alan Bernstein: You know that in fog, you can hear a lot better than if it's not fog. We were 

Terri Bernstein: all sitting on the bowel [00:18:00] because dad wanted to make sure. Wait, wait, 

Alan Bernstein: wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What did you just say? In fog, you can hear much better than when there is no fog. What's the science behind that? I don't know, but we could call a scientist and ask.

Because in fog, you can hear noises that 

Ben Bernstein2: you do not normally hear. I think it's kind of like the thing when you lose one sense, the other senses are heightened. And well, maybe, I don't 

Alan Bernstein: know. there might be science I think I will research, can 

Terri Bernstein: you hear better in fog? No, you can't hear better in fog.

Oh 

Alan Bernstein: my god. 

Terri Bernstein: Fogs water droplets scatter sound energy which reduces the distance of what you can hear. Thanks Google. 

Alan Bernstein: Google is not always right. That, that's just funny. 

Ben Bernstein2: Okay. I'm done talking. Go on though. Now that we've established, you 

Terri Bernstein: can not hear better. He put all of us on the front of the 

Alan Bernstein: boat 

Terri Bernstein: to make [00:19:00] sure, 

Alan Bernstein: because I wanted to look out in the low, low down, if you're a man, 

Ben Bernstein2: you know, about fog is there is no safe speed and that's correct.

If you hit something, it is your fault. 100 portions. That is 

Terri Bernstein: dad was high enough that I think he could see better than the rest of us. We call it and we're like, ow, we can hear people. There's somebody in the water and it was 

Alan Bernstein: all stop. Well, no, it wasn't, we were not going fast anyway, but that alerted me to, I better be paying attention, to where they heard the noise.

And sure enough, it was racing skulls out on a training. Which they have a little dock up here on the licking river. And I don't think are allowed to row in fog, but they can get caught in fog just like other boats I don't think that the instructor during tall stacks and to like, 

Terri Bernstein: I think they were trying to get out their training before the boats and the river closed, the rivers closed.[00:20:00] 

Alan Bernstein: But anyway it happened. We did not come close to hit running them over, but it was just a scary Moment that we thought we were the only boat out on the river and my radar Showed nothing on the water. Nothing. Absolutely. Nothing. So well, there's a little fiberglass skulls. They're not gonna pick up No, there's very little metal.

Nobody 

Terri Bernstein: has life jackets. 

Alan Bernstein: Oh, yeah. Oh, that's the whole point I'm sorry, I missed it, which has been a, I want to inform, 

Terri Bernstein: I want to inform 

Alan Bernstein: for Alan Bernstein. It is. I have for 30 or 40 years, decades, been promoting that racing skulls should have some protection. If the boat overturns or goes in the water or a crew member goes in the water that they should have some kind of flotation.

They are not required. They are the only boat in the world not required a life jacket. What is the argument for that? These [00:21:00] are seasoned and healthy athletes that know how to swim. I mean, they give you Eric Christensen of the Passenger Vessel Association, when we talk about this, is one of the most embarrassing people to talk about.

He says, these are athletes, they're well tuned bodies, and I said, Eric, I can't believe that you are behind that they don't have to have a life jacket. An ex coast guard. A captain! A high ranking coast guard. And I said, what if they hit their head going in? They're dead. They drown. There's no 

Terri Bernstein: They have a little boat following them.

Alan Bernstein: Yeah, in the fog. Good luck in that. But the whole point is that I have had a crusade for many years trying to get them, you know the little things that they, the airlines have? Where you can actually inflate, you know, pull down and inflate it. Why don't 

Ben Bernstein2: they wear those? Well, yeah, I'm sure when [00:22:00] this law or when all of this started there.

They didn't have that That is that that might be true. It's tough to have a type one, but you know FD. Well, it's a type three And it's allowed that I'm saying back to when that's right in this law was written. That's right. But when they were exempt 

Alan Bernstein: from having, that's what their option, they didn't want to wear those bulky life jackets.

And I don't blame them that that would have gotten in the way. Yes, but certainly in a modern day era of today. They are still exempt from life jackets, but they are the only vessel in the world. And there are many 

Ben Bernstein2: more options now that 

Alan Bernstein: are 

Ben Bernstein2: very sleek and 

Alan Bernstein: low grade. That is our Tallstack story about almost running into the skulls, but we didn't.

We didn't even come close, really. The noise might have been a little closer. Although you can't tell the noise does not travel well,

Ben Bernstein2: Well, there's a very famous story about a prank and a [00:23:00] golf cart. 

Alan Bernstein: Here's the story as I know it. Troy Manthe, who , the audience has met 

Ben Bernstein2: past episode on the past, 

Alan Bernstein: Has an aunt and her name is joy, sister joy. She's also a captain and a very distinguished cap. Very, very. And she and he were asked to bring the boat up to Cincinnati from Galveston and they did that together 

when they got here, there was a lot of bantering going on between the BB riverboats crew. And the Troy and Joy Manthe group. And it went on the entire week of tall stacks and the BB crew thought that it would be very funny to set the golf cart that they brought up on their boat, not on the front deck of the boat.

bow area like it came with, [00:24:00] but they would take our little crane and put it up on the roof. 

Terri Bernstein: Which I remember was the, the end of the year party. 

Alan Bernstein: That's correct. 

Terri Bernstein: At how at the moon. 

Alan Bernstein: That is correct. 

Terri Bernstein: And we were, they shined a spotlight. 

Alan Bernstein: Over and that's right. Over 

Terri Bernstein: during the party. 

Alan Bernstein: To highlight that. The highlight that they 

Terri Bernstein: were putting the golf cart was up on the roof.

Yeah. 

Alan Bernstein: So they got it up there and they went back to BB and Troy and joy had to take the Colonel back to Galveston with the golf cart on the roof. And when they got back there moody gardens was not in a playful mood because they realized the only way to get that golf cart off the roof was a crane.

And so they hired a crane and they sent me the bill. [00:25:00] And wasn't too happy about the bill. So I called Riz and Mr. Eversol and said, what, what do you want me to do with this? And they said, well, you'll have to deal with it. I said, well, I don't know about that, 

 What they were 

Terri Bernstein: fighting, what they were, oh my God, 

Alan Bernstein: you know, Troy and but Riz and everybody, oh, come on. 

Terri Bernstein: That's true. 

Alan Bernstein: Tim was fighting with everybody. I'm sure. Oh, absolutely. Frankster and Frankster. Absolutely. But it did go back.

Can you imagine the towboats that they passed going, Look at that boat with a golf cart on the roof. 

Ben Bernstein2: Although, I mean, would you really even notice? Ben, think the crew got up there and started, started driving around. The roof 

Alan Bernstein: is flat. The 

Ben Bernstein2: roof is flat and there's a golf cart on the roof.

Do you think there's 

Terri Bernstein: railings? 

Ben Bernstein2: You think the crew got on there and just drove it around the hi? Maybe. I don't know. I don't know. Maybe 

Terri Bernstein: doing, figuring they, 

Alan Bernstein: they could do little races around the [00:26:00] top deck. . 

All right moving on 

Ben Bernstein2: Tara, you have a story about how chaotic tall stacks. Can be that's she has several, it's not one. 

Terri Bernstein: Are you ready to board? That will be, are you ready to board? Still with a boat full of 800 people, 

Alan Bernstein: but it's a good point that on board a tall behind the scenes, tall stacks, boat crews with all the chaos that ensues , there are things that you order.

Terri Bernstein: Well, in the Bella Cincinnati during the event cooked all it's own food. Right, 

right. So our kitchen was supplying other vessels where the Bella Cincinnati was to take care of itself. But I mean, it's quite busy. We had a lot of cruises and we had a lot of meal cruises and we were trying to keep up.

And on Sunday, we do a brunch cruise. The brunch cruise is a little more difficult than any other menu. Yes, 

Alan Bernstein: It's more items. It's complicated. It has eggs. And the crew 

Terri Bernstein: was worn out. Everybody's [00:27:00] tired. And, Gary was our cruise director at the time.

And I remember Tammy Foltz was in the galley and he would call down and he would say, Tammy, I need some eggs. And then next thing you know, the dumbwaiter came up and it was a bowl of fruit. And then he would call down and say, Tammy, I need some bacon. And up comes some Danish. Yeah. Whatever was on the elevator came up.

Whatever they could send, they sent. But Tall Stacks is such a challenging event on its own. But And we do have to say normally 

Alan Bernstein: on a BB riverboat, you get a table number and you get a seat assignment and you get, A lot of things that in tall stacks, we cannot possibly do in our normal operation.

That doesn't happen because it's not a chaotic kind of a situation. I mean, 

Terri Bernstein: dad's trying to board while we're docking. So 

Ben Bernstein2: I will say though, I don't think if you buy a ticket you feel that more so than how [00:28:00] we feel that as a group.

We're a bunch of ducks. I think, you know, you come and you buy a ticket. And I think you get a pretty darn cool experience. It 

Alan Bernstein: is. 

Ben Bernstein2: And of course 

Alan Bernstein: you're right. It's a very cool experience. 

Ben Bernstein2: Just so you know, it's kind of like recognize it's kind of like the duck swimming on the pond. Yeah. Nice. And yeah, he looks very paddling, 

Alan Bernstein: paddling his heart out.

That is a very good definition, right? Yeah. 

Terri Bernstein: I mean, what the crew feels is not. How the passenger feels, but 

Alan Bernstein: you're and the passengers really at all with the ambience of all these boats running around. 

Ben Bernstein2: Yeah, 

Alan Bernstein: there 

Ben Bernstein2: is no cooler Sight than then coming through the city with with all of the boats 12. You talk about the fog in the morning and All those boats on the public landing.

Alan Bernstein: And I have some pictures in my library that are just phenomenal in the fog, just phenomenal. You can just barely see boats through it. And I, [00:29:00] it's just, you could look at them forever, but it is an event that's coming up and I invite all of you, if you don't want to ride a boat, You don't have to you can come down take pictures there are people all hours of the day and night.

I Was amazed I had to get over there early for the Today Show that I was on in 1988 And I was flabbergasted at 4 30 in the morning How many people there were? That are just taking pictures and walking around and feeling just the ambience of all these boats and what it must've felt like in 1860, 1880 with these boats with commerce going on and off.

And I mean, it just, it's just hard to describe you have to really experience it. And anybody that listens to this podcast, if there's one thing you ought to mark down next year, it's October [00:30:00] 7th through the 12th. And Officially October 9th through the 12th. 

Well, but a lot of boats will be here.

Ben Bernstein2: Well, but you know, next week when we talk about it, it's going to be October 3rd through the 12th. No, 

Alan Bernstein: no, no, no. The boats are required to be here on October 7th at noon. AmericasRiverRoutes. 

Ben Bernstein2: com That would take all the guessing game from what you hear from my father. Now, see, I'm 

Alan Bernstein: an old guy and I wouldn't think to announce it that way.

I would just say come down during the event. And that's how you get information. Okay, well, you know, that's a new thing. Do you have a Twitter 

Ben Bernstein2: handle, or a or a Facebook page, or a Snapchat, or TikTok account? Anything, any of that? What are the Anyway, I got a neat story. Okay during tall stacks you meet a lot of great people.

Terri Bernstein: Oh Your lady. Yeah 

Ben Bernstein2: Yeah, 

Terri Bernstein: I forgot about that. Yeah, they 

Ben Bernstein2: shouldn't forget about them back in [00:31:00] 2003, I talked earlier that was the same year of the Infamous race between the Harriet Bishop and the River Queen. I was the master of the river queen and you know did You However, many cruises over there, about 20 probably.

And part of tall stacks. they really leaned into making you feel like you were back in the steamboat days, early 18 hundreds, mid 18 hundreds. And they had a lot of volunteers come down and dress in a tier a tire. Yeah. And being down there as the captain of the River Queen they would come and I believe every cruise that boarded, they would be there to greet people as they came on.

I believe they would go from boat to boat and, or at least had people to go for each boat that that boarded. And the first day , we start our cruises and, you know the two ladies come over and are you know, just saying, Oh, you know, [00:32:00] we love this event and this and that.

And it's, these boats are so great. And yeah, I said, well, do you get to ride any of them? They said, no, we don't, you know, we have to be here for this and for that. And I said, well, you can ride with us. I said, really? Yeah. So they ended up riding, I think just about every cruise. I would say . They had a nice couch in the piled house of the river queen, or a bench, I guess would be the liar thing.

I would not describe that as a couch. It's definitely not a couch. Yeah. It is officially known as the liar's bench. Yeah. Or lazy bench. Lazy, yeah. Whatever you would like. So they came and they rode. We became very good friends. Their names are Linda and Monty and they rode almost every cruise with us and they became affectionately known as Ben's ladies and towards the end of the week, I think it was Sunday.

They wanted to go on a cruise on our boat, which one of our boats was over. [00:33:00] On at our dock and we had shuttles running our crew back and forth, back and forth. And I, in fact, my uncle, Jimmy hold house was the, the captain of the shuttle boat, the Buckeye, and you know, I called him, I said, Hey, Jim, you know, my ladies are going to come over.

I need you to give them a ride from the serpentine wall down to BB. They're going to go on a cruise. And I don't know where I was, but I wasn't there. And Jim said, you know, yeah, I'll go get them. I'll go get them. And he's sitting there and he's looking around and waiting for him to come down thinking, you know, it's going to be a couple 22 year old ladies.

And no, these two, I don't know, in their fifties or so that came down and imperfect Mid 1800s wear or whatever you want to period attire, I guess you would say they come show up and say well we're here. We're Ben's ladies and just Jimmy says whoa. Whoa, I didn't I wasn't expecting so we got him over Well, [00:34:00] the cool part of this story is, you know, you fast forward to last year 2023 And Linda actually reached out to me.

She is a red hat lady now, and they come down for a cruise every year. And she came down, we got to reconnect and actually I've taken her out to dinner a couple of times and we talk here and there, but you never know who you're going to meet and and well, they are expecting 1.

2 million. the event. The event, yeah. Yep. Well, there's gonna be a lot of opportunities to meet new people. . 

Terri Bernstein: Yeah. . We'll have more new ladies here. Yeah. 

Alan Bernstein: Unfortunately, hopefully I can get some other ladies than the pool ladies. Now I, no, no, no, no, no. Listen, that's a, it's maybe should have a pool party.

I think we ought to have the pool ladies greet all of our passengers. There you go. You could do that. And then if they listen to the podcast, they can say hello to the pool ladies. 

Speaker 8: Yeah. 

Ben Bernstein2: Unfortunately Monty, one of the ladies is not in good health, but I do want to say hello to [00:35:00] Linda and Linda and I talk on her.

In fact, I talked to her yesterday, but 

Alan Bernstein: but yeah, well, that's a very nice story. You don't normally have nice stories like that. I have a lot more nice stories. I don't think so. Most of the nice stories are all to 

Terri Bernstein: your little shotgun. 

Alan Bernstein: Me? 

Terri Bernstein: Yeah. 

Alan Bernstein: Oh. 

Ben Bernstein2: Yeah, 

Terri Bernstein: my little, she 

Ben Bernstein2: comes . So anyways. Hi Linda. Hi Linda.

Hi Linda. We have a nice picture. I don't know you Linda, but hi. We have a nice side by know Linda, side picture of Linda and I from 2003 and 2023 20 years apart. Wow. Interesting. Interesting. Very much so. Okay. Linda has not aged a day. Very good. So let's you have, oh, hell yeah, I have. I got to deal with you two every day of my life.

Of course I got let's move on. 

Moderator: Now it is time for Ramblin' on the Rivers.

Word [00:36:00] of the day.

Ben Bernstein2: The word of the day is

That's 

Alan Bernstein: you 

Terri Bernstein: three sheets to the wind I can't say it was my retainer in my mouth Give me a bunch of essence. 

Ben Bernstein2: Three sheets to the wind we found out today. That's actually a nautical thing and we had no I had no idea Terri's got to 

Alan Bernstein: finish texting for no.

No, I know she's pulling up the definition so that she can read it 

Terri Bernstein: I I think at the tall stacks party a lot of us were three sheets to the wind 

Ben Bernstein2: Well, yeah, that is the meaning that I know very well. Yes 

Terri Bernstein: But that's not the real me. That's 

Ben Bernstein2: not, that is not, that is not the origin. Why don't 

Alan Bernstein: we have the or, well, 

Terri Bernstein: the phrase originated from the nautical world and refers to a ship that is out of control because three of its sails are loose and blowing in the wind.

Alan Bernstein: And 

Ben Bernstein2: that's called three sheets to the [00:37:00] wind and that is a metaphor for how I was after the after party Yeah, 

Terri Bernstein: someone is very drunk or intoxicated 

Ben Bernstein2: Yes, when I let my trophy in To 

Terri Bernstein: our restaurant 

Alan Bernstein: Yeah broke into his own restaurant but It's a it. I never knew it was enough. Do we have the origin of this word?

Like maybe it's British, British maybe Irish, Irish, maybe Norwegian made because I don't know who built the most sailboats. I don't know. I don't know either Irish drink a lot. So 

Ben Bernstein2: yeah, well, there you go.

It depends on which definition, the origin of which definition. 

Alan Bernstein: Oh, do we have, well, we have the definition and we have the origin. We're just going to say it's Scottish or whatever. You gotta look at it and see what you think. Yeah but [00:38:00] That's a very good and very appropriate Word of the day today. It is.

Ben Bernstein2: It really is. I use it quite a bit. You don't have your own definition of it But you do use it quite a bit. Well, 

Alan Bernstein: And learning the real meaning, I think, is very informative. But Mark Cruder, my dear friend from the United States Coast Guard. Mark has a little sailboat and I am going to call Mark and ask him if he knows the definition, the real definition of three sheets to the wind.

I will bet as a sailor he does. I just bet. You want to call him right now? Oh, I could. Let's see. Let me, we could, we 

Ben Bernstein2: could put them live on air. Yeah, let's see. 

Hello? Oh! Oh my goodness. Mark, I apologize. My microphone. My father pulls the microphone out of the stand every single episode. I don't know why. It wouldn't 

Speaker 8: be the first time. No, 

Ben Bernstein2: definitely not. [00:39:00] 

Speaker 8: He's not wearing his grass skirt. 

Terri Bernstein: He is not. He is a train wreck. 

Ben Bernstein2: No, Mark, Mark, thank you very much. You're with my sister, my father, and I.

Yes. And we do a word of the day every week. From Al's vocabulary, as you know, Al has a very distinct vocabulary. And today's word is three sheets to the wind. And my father said, you know what my friend Mark Kruder would 

Alan Bernstein: know this because you're a sailor. See, Eric Christensen is not a sailor.

He's a brewmaster, so. He's a beer drinker. A beer drinker. That's 

Speaker 8: how I. 

Alan Bernstein: And he causes three sheets to the wind. , I said, I know a guy that's going to know the answer to three sheets in the wind. And this is Mr. Mark Cruder. He worked for the United States Coast Guard. For I don't know, 50 or 60 years or whatever.

only about 40. Only about 40. Only about 40. Okay. Well, that's all right. He likes to add 

Ben Bernstein2: years on everybody's lives. Yeah. . [00:40:00] 

Speaker 8: Well, he adds years down. Everybody's life just being himself . 

Ben Bernstein2: He does. So the question is, mark, do you know the nautical definition of three sheets to the wind? 

Speaker 8: Well, I know it generally 'cause I'm not looking it up, you're catching me flatfooted here.

But it does go back to. As far as I know, it goes back to Square Ridge ships, and it's, it's along the line of letting all the sheets go, so that you can bring the ship head to wind, and, and heave to in a storm. So basically, you're at the mercy, once all the sheets are loose the boat is at the mercy of the wind in the proper position.

So, connect that to drinking alcohol and whatever. It's a little bit like not under command you know, without the 

Alan Bernstein: Yeah, without sails you can't go anywhere. Yeah, that's exactly right. So that's kind of it. And Mark, I never knew that three sheets to the wind was a nautical term, but it really did happen back in the old sailing days, I guess.

When they [00:41:00] had to do that. 

Speaker 8: Well, remember those guys had a rough life. So as soon as they went ashore, they did nothing but drink. So somehow there must've been a connection. Yes. The ship not being in control and the sailors not being in control. 

Alan Bernstein: Well, we should introduce Mark a little bit.

Yeah, we can. Well, he doesn't have forever. He doesn't. And we don't either. But Mark and I became well, we weren't exactly friends at the beginning. Because Mark was the rule writer for passenger boats when they decided to rewrite the subchapter that governed small passenger vessels. And Mark and Eric you two were the official?

Speaker 8: Well, so I was the project manager for that rulemaking when we were having all the public hearings. And then when I got transferred, I had to pick a successor. To complete that regulatory process so eric completed it and I was in the middle of it [00:42:00] 

Alan Bernstein: Very good, and that's how mark and I met and at the beginning We were sort of adversaries because mark was writing a lot of things that I didn't agree with or didn't understand or whatever And it was 

Speaker 8: Mother's Day in Covington 

Alan Bernstein: And 

Speaker 8: somehow that was a problem for everybody Yeah And Al didn't get The kind of turnout that he wanted in the audience.

So after a while, there were repetitive comments and I had to say, Kevin Pertinstein was here for something else. We were being recorded. Kevin Bertinstein was here for something else. We understand that point. This said that, yeah. You know, that's hard for your father. 

Ben Bernstein2: Yeah. Oh, there are many other things that are hard for our father.

We, we find new ones out every single day, 

Terri Bernstein: every minute. 

Alan Bernstein: Well Mark, thank you very, very much. I didn't mean to just call you out of the blue, but we thought this was a perfect place. You might be. Many times more on this show, because we have 

Ben Bernstein2: issues to talk. We're kind [00:43:00] of like one of those spam calls.

If you answer it, then we're going to keep calling more. 

Speaker 8: Let me just tell you, along with your theme, I'm at a retirement in New York City for a guy named Brian Fisher, who I started as a first tour inspector with in New York in the early eighties. He's got 47 years and he just retired. So we're at the reception.

After the ceremony, so I'm trying to get three sheets to the wind So you got me up away from my beer. 

Alan Bernstein: Well, i'm, sorry, you can go back and we will have 

Terri Bernstein: to do a episode With mark. Oh, yeah, there's some good stories. Oh, there 

Alan Bernstein: are some good ones 

Terri Bernstein: Go ahead. 

Speaker 8: Yeah, we could have a whole discussion about Alan Rizzo and SIP.

Speaker 7: Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Ben Bernstein2: Yeah, we can. Well, Mark, go enjoy yourself. Thank you. Thank you very much for answering the call. Yeah, thanks guys. Okay, Mark. Take care. Take care. 

Well, that was nice. Yeah, it was. Alright. 

Moderator: Welcome [00:44:00] to As the Paddle Wheel Turns, our look at pertinent current events happening right now in the world.

Ben Bernstein2: All right, Tara, this is your topic. Well, it's really that. I 

Alan Bernstein: mean, we No, I think it's a very apropos topic. We started during 

Ben Bernstein2: Well, I no longer participate because I have other things that I have to do, unfortunately. But during COVID we started a Zoom call between all the operators around. That we knew, and it started with six or seven.

Oh yeah, maybe, maybe not even that many. And it probably grew at one time to 25 or 30. I think there were 30, yeah, maybe. And we continued doing it. Well, Dad and Terri continue doing it on a monthly basis now. Yes. We, we did it first as kind of group therapy. And we were doing it weekly. Yeah. We, we were doing it weekly.

We did was it on a Friday? I can't remember. I don't know. Monday [00:45:00] maybe. it started as a premise where we could all see each other and drink together. I think it was Tuesday. It's always been a Tuesday. It's always been a Tuesday. And it was kind of a group happy hour, right.

Kind of a sob test. Everybody had a drink. We all had drinks. Lots to drink. We kind of just talked back and forth about all the issues and challenges during. 

Alan Bernstein: Well, everybody had different COVID, you know Pittsburgh was getting clobbered with COVID and you know, Covington wasn't in Cincinnati. Wasn't every place was shutting down.

And it's a great group because it's across the country. You have West coast great lakes. Upper east side with New York and Florida Portland 

Terri Bernstein: and Seattle. 

Alan Bernstein: Yeah, so we, we have a great group and that group has stayed together now and we now talk monthly about excursion boat issues, about the economy, about, you know, everything.

And not in a political way. I should say it's more of a business discussion group. For example, the economy was this last [00:46:00] call, which was, 

Terri Bernstein: we were all wondering how everybody's business is shaping up for the fourth quarter. 

Alan Bernstein: Right? And we were talking about that, and I thought that that would be a good thing to bring to the show.

We, have a cross section of the United States. And there are places like New York Dave had a gangbuster. 

Terri Bernstein: He 

Alan Bernstein: said, we have been just balls to the wall on business. And I think he was the only one in 

Terri Bernstein: Florida, which Florida has been. One of the big states that have been busy all the time.

And he's seeing a slowing down. A slow 

Alan Bernstein: down. And so we just thought that the economy might be a good current event. And if any of our listeners want to chime in on giving us what their area is like, or what is going on. It would be nice. So what's, what's our area?

Terri Bernstein: , 

historically, a presidential election year. 

Alan Bernstein: Yes. 

Terri Bernstein: In the fourth quarter it slows down 

Alan Bernstein: [00:47:00] approach 

Terri Bernstein: as you approach the the election I think people get a little more nervous. They hold their money closer, right? They don't spend and I guess depending on the outcome Is whether they continue to do that or they start spending their money.

I don't know, this year is going to be a 

Alan Bernstein: consensus was on the call that it was a downturn time. People were seeing some drop off on weddings and big events and corporate events and. Things like that, I guess made a lot 

Terri Bernstein: of the Christmas business was looking good. 

Alan Bernstein: Yes. Even Florida said that the Christmas business was going to be slower than it was from the year before.

So I think it's important for us in the industry to know if the industry is going to, Be good or bad or, you know, if but I think there was a sense of downturn more pessimism than optimism. Well, and Terri, you're on the board of the CBB 

Terri Bernstein: and what 

Alan Bernstein: are they 

Ben Bernstein2: showing? 

Terri Bernstein: They're showing a lot of the [00:48:00] room nights are down, not just slightly.

I mean, it's, it's really virtually flat. And I would say, we've kind of seen that too here. I mean, it's a little slower, but I mean we're pretty We're pretty flat. I mean, I don't think that we're, you know, 

Alan Bernstein: and I think that unless you're in an unusual situation Like Dave, Dave is a transportation.

Who is Dave? I'm sorry. There you go. Fire Island Ferries in New York. Fire Island Ferries in New York is Dave. Is he the only way on? I believe he is. Now they might have a little airstrip, so you might be able to go out there by helicopter. Oh yeah. But basically he takes supplies over.

He takes people over the residents. There's. There's red, but if you're not in a case like that, if you were BB Riverboats, I think that our winter may be flat. And then hopefully if things are optimistic, people will start spending again. So it depends [00:49:00] where you are, the great lakes the operators up in Chicago and Detroit and that area I think are flat.

At least that's what they're reporting. So, and I think that's consistent with most of the others. So the economy was the real current event that I thought might be interesting to everybody. I hope that the election goes the way you want it to go, however that is. And that we can get this.

You can't watch TV. It's just every minute is political. Let me give 

Ben Bernstein2: you a key to happiness in your life. Turn it off. Stop watching the news. All of it. There you go. I have not watched the news in years. Well, that's because you don't know what's going on. I 

Alan Bernstein: see Terri and I are right up to speed.

Ben Bernstein2: What am I missing? What's going on right now, Al? The 

Terri Bernstein: Presidential Election 

Alan Bernstein: hurricane hell in hurricane. Yeah. See, you don't know anything about the hurricane, but [00:50:00] Terri and I know all about that. Are 

Terri Bernstein: you saying I watched the news? Cause I don't at all. 

Alan Bernstein: Oh, 

Terri Bernstein: no, 

Ben Bernstein2: it is. I don't 

Terri Bernstein: even know how to get regular TV.

Ben Bernstein2: That is my number one. If you don't get news. How do you know all the current there's plenty you get enough tidbits by social media and 

Speaker 6: then you can google it 

Alan Bernstein: Yeah, and then if you're that interested you well now, I know that social media is 100 percent accurate 

Ben Bernstein2: Well, you know, this is a very unknown fact You know, you're not allowed to put something on the internet unless it's true.

Alan Bernstein: Oh, I did not know that. So once 

Ben Bernstein2: you find something, it's, I mean, it's certainly true, right? Oh my gosh. See, I did not know that. I hope everybody hears my sarcasm. Yeah. If not yours, mine. Yeah, you know, as an aside here, just, you know, about, Three minutes ago, you used the term balls to the wall. What do you think is the origin of balls to the wall?

It's another one [00:51:00] That's another one of your we don't need to Google it there who knows what's gonna come Probably like racquetball 

Alan Bernstein: I'm a that is that is a good that should be in the next part of the day 

Terri Bernstein: walls and Idiom that refers to a maximum commitment or effort Full throttle. 

Ben Bernstein2: Cut! Edit! Where's the little bleepy button?

Beep! Oh my gosh. The 

Terri Bernstein: expression is first found in the military aviation sources that date from the Vietnam War. It was recorded in the slang of the US Air Force Academy Cadets in 1969. 

Ben Bernstein2: Wow. Look at that, you get a bonus word of the day. Medal to 

Terri Bernstein: the medal. 

Ben Bernstein2: Well, that's fun, okay, well that is part two of our tall stacks, I'm sure tall stacks the part duh

Terri Bernstein: I'm 

Ben Bernstein2: sure we will talk plenty more about tall [00:52:00] stacks or at least refer to it as Quite a bit. It's certainly it's a year away. It is certainly a big part. River roots is a 

Speaker 6: year away America's 

Ben Bernstein2: river routes calm for the newest installment of Tall stacks it don't call it all stacks boats will be there. Yes tall stacks boats will be there other than that that's it for today's episode.

Do you have any other parting thoughts? The two of you, I'm going to say, you're going to say bye. Do you want to say hello to anybody? Oh, my pool girls. I have to 

Alan Bernstein: say 

Ben Bernstein2: hello to the pool 

Terri Bernstein: and my mother 

Alan Bernstein: and my mom, my mother, my wife. Yeah. 

Terri Bernstein: Hi mom. 

Ben Bernstein2: That's about it. We'll see you next week.

Moderator: Thank you for listening to The Ramblin' on the River podcast presented by BB Riverboats. Stay tuned for the next episode of our podcast and remember to like, subscribe, and follow us on all your favorite podcast platforms.[00:53:00] 

Ben Bernstein2: The previous episode was brought to you by BB Riverboats. 

Speaker 9: The moments that await just around the river's bend are what we look forward to each day. Watching high school sweethearts tie the knot, or watching them celebrate 50 wonderful years together. A group of old friends reuniting for one more adventure, or young minds embarking on their first.

At BB Riverboats, we believe a cruise on the mighty Ohio is where lifelong memories are made. And that once you experience it, you'll want to share it with others time and time again. Plan your group event at BBRiverboats. com. Journey Aboard.