The Red Hook Water Stories team was very gratified to learn that author Mark Morrin, used RedHook Waterstories as a source for his 2019 e-book Farewell and Adieu Old Boatmen of Red Hook,  and even more grateful that he has allowed us to make it available here.  

The work of historical fiction tells the true story of Michael McAndrew, a boatman working the Erie Basin during Prohibition.
The old salt has dreams of getting rich by raising a hoard of sunken rum from the Hudson. Getting the good stuff out of the river is one thing, avoiding the attentions of the Dry Agents and the local goons long enough to sell it is another (from the official press release).

Author Mark Morrin is directly related to the main character in the story:  "Michael McAndrew was my great great uncle and he did live at 170 Beard Street as well as other addresses in Beard Street and Conover Street."

In his Dedications and Acknowledgements Morrin hails Sunny Balzano and his longstanding bar on Conover Street.  Hear Red Hook WaterStories interview with him here: 

Oral History: Sunny Balzano: Beloved barkeep and community figure. 2016

---

PRESS RELEASE: FAREWELL AND ADIEU OLD BOATMEN OF RED HOOK

 Farewell and Adieu Old Boatmen of Red Hook, by Mark Morrin is the second e-publication from ‘Sons of Thunder’ a collection of short stories spanning Liverpool to New York and three generations of a seafaring family.

 Michael McAndrew is a boatman working the Erie Basin during Prohibition. The old salt has dreams of getting rich by raising a hoard of sunken rum from the Hudson. Getting the good stuff out of the river is one thing, avoiding the attentions of the Dry Agents and the local goons long enough to sell it is another.

 There are few historical or literary accounts of the working lives of Red Hook’s boatmen. Farewell and Adieu Old Boatmen of Red Hook is an affectionate tale about Old Red Hook, its once-bustling waterfront and the junkmen that worked New York Bay.

 Available from Amazon, goodreads,  KOBO, ibooks and other suppliers of ebooks.

 Also available for free via Smashwords, and in other electronic formats for those without a Kindle device or Kindle app.