Article by Capt. Franky Pettolina
The folks in my father’s generation say that they will always remember where they were when they heard that President Kennedy was assassinated. For my generation the tragedy that will never be forgotten is the terror attacks that took place on September 11th, 2001. I know exactly where I was the moment I heard of the atrocity. I was standing on the finger pier in between the “Last Call” and the “Fortune Cookie” at the southern end of Bahia Marina. Captain Dan Cook, owner of the “Fortune Cookie”, came out and told me what had happened. He had satellite TV on his boat so myself and my father hopped on board to see the terrible events unfold on Fox News.
Captain Dan was very astute politically and active in government circles in his home state of Pennsylvania. In his early life he was a farmer. As the story goes, had President Bush (41) been elected to a second term, Dan was going to be up for a cabinet position. But we all know that didn’t happen. Instead Captain Dan was given the consolation prize of directing the Pennsylvania State Lottery. When I went to homecoming my first year out of college, a guy I knew came running up to me and said he owed me a drink. Since I didn’t ever recall having a beer with him in college (and Lord knows I drank with plenty of people in college) I was kind of surprised when he said this. I asked him why. He looked at me and said, “Two Words. Pennsylvania Lottery.”
I replied, “What did you do, hit it?” It was then that he handed me Captain Dan’s business card. I laughed and told him that Cookie and I had been friends for years, but I mostly knew him in fishing circles and not the political arena.
When I got back down to Ocean City later that week, I asked Dan what had gone on. You see, the fellow he hired was pretty much the exact opposite of me. Very snappy dresser. Would never think of touching a fish, let alone hurting one. He could have probably hosted his own show on the Bravo network. Captain Dan laughed and said that he happened to walk by the office while one of his underlings was interviewing my classmate. He went and picked up the resume that was on the desk and saw Ursinus College on the page. So he asked the guy if he knew me. My classmate replied, “I sure did, but Franky and I ran in different circles.” Dan put down the resume, went into his own office and called the underling and said to hire the guy.
Captain Dan looked at me and said, “I knew there was no way at all you would have been friends with that fancy pants. Since he was honest with me that he wasn’t buddies with you I figured he was a trustworthy guy, so I gave him a shot!”
Over the years I had many good times with Captain Dan. We shared many of the same political beliefs. When it came to fishing we both preferred to catch billfish more than anything else. His son Brian fished with him like I fish with my Dad. Which in both of our cases the company mattered more than the catch. We were blessed to be on the water together with our family. When Brian wasn’t with Captain Dan, the mate on the “Fortune Cookie” for a number of years was my buddy Wayne King. “Wayno” and I go back a long ways, to Islamorada in the mid 80s to be exact, so I was glad Captain Dan had a good guy in the pit. “Wayno” and Dan hit it off well enough that Dan took the “Fortune Cookie” to Islamorada and made the Keys his new home port in the latter half of the first decade of the new millennium. The shorter runs and the good sailfishing suited Dan just right. Plus, Dan’s wife Jennifer loves the sun so she could keep her perfect tan going naturally all year round.
Before Dan left for the Keys, he was keeping his boat at Ocean City Fishing Center. He had made the move over to the Fishing Center a few years before Dad moved the “Last Call” there. It was nice to have a familiar face in the marina when we got there that first season. I could always count on good conversation and camaraderie at the marina whenever Captain Dan was around.
Two mornings ago I got an early phone call from Dad. A mutual friend had called to tell him that Captain Dan had passed away that morning. Just the night before, Dan was at happy hour making plans to do some remodel projects on a rental property he owned. If I can be thankful for one thing it is that Captain Dan went out peacefully and without any extended pain or illness. Heaven gained a heck of a guy and I am sure Dan is making some suggestions on improving the efficiency of running things up there. In between taking Saint Peter out fishing that is. Fair Winds and Following Seas old friend, until we meet again.
Capt Franky Pettolina is Co-Captain of the charter boat, “Last Call”, owner of Pettolina Marine Surveying, Inc. and multi-term President of the Ocean City Marlin Club. If you would like to book a charter on the “Last Call”, please call 443-783-3699 or 410-251-0575.