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Angler's Profiles
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This is a series of continuing articles introducing RISAA members to the rest of the club. 
This month's profile features ROBERT SANTURRI |
Bob Santurri likes boating. So much so that it’s become a part of his
lifestyle, his fishing, even his automotive business. Sporting a healthy
tan and a white shirt embroidered with the name of his boat, Bob is committed
to the sport, and he’s eager to help out others who are interested.
In fact, Bob was recognized at the July RISAA meeting for his generous contribution
toward the first printing of a new boat ramps brochure. It contains an extensive
listing of ramps and facilities around the state, and is available for free
at RISAA meetings and at select bait shops. On a recent summer
evening, I sat with Bob and his wife Beverly aboard the “Buck-aneer”, Santurri’s
28-foot Wellcraft Coastal, and talked about his business, his boating, his
family, and his interest in RISAA.MIXING BUSINESS AND PLEASURE
“My dad started the business around 1947,” says Bob, describing the origins
of Bucky’s
Automotive, the bustling shop he and his brother now own in Cranston.
The shop acquired its name from a nickname Bob’s father had.
“I remember when my father built the first building. I started working
there when I was just a kid, and I went full time when I was sixteen. We
started with a gas station, then gradually spread into selling and fixing
cars.” Eventually, the business moved away from autos and into truck parts.
Today, Bob’s RISAA newsletter ad for Bucky’s lists “Expert Installation”
of items like running boards and accessories, as well as sales of Fisher
snowplows and sanders. Still, it was the company’s foray into trailer
hitch installation that initiated his contact with RISAA. “I first met (RISAA president) Steve Medeiros when he came to me for a trailer hitch,” recalls Santurri. “He was talking about boats and this club he was starting up.” Santurri read one of the early newsletters and was impressed enough to join. “These guys really knew what they were doing. You could see that in the newsletter and at the meetings. I liked the fact that there was none of the politics that you sometimes see in other fishing clubs. These were dedicated guys who were serious about the sport of fishing.” As Bucky’s trailer hitch business grew, Santurri became an important source of information to boaters on available ramps. “Guys who had just bought a boat would come in to get a hitch put on. We’d talk about a place to launch,” Santurri says. “Slips are expensive, and Rhode Island can be a tough place to find a good ramp, so I’d help out where I could.” At the same time, Bob would pitch RISAA membership, often sending his customer off with a copy of the latest newsletter. “I see guys at the meetings today and they come up and say, ‘You installed my hitch. You were the guy who introduced me to RISAA.’ I like to help out if I can.” OUT ON THE WATER
Unlike many fishermen, Santurri’s interest in fishing came not as a youngster,
but as an adult. He bought his first boat back in 1984 with the help
of a contribution from his father. “I wanted the name of the boat to
kind of recognize his help.” Santurri thought of the word “buccaneer”, and
altered the term a bit to accommodate his father’s nickname. Thus,
the first “Buck-aneer” set sail. At first, the “Buck-aneer” was a boat to cruise the bay on. It wasn’t long, though, before Santurri had had his fill of simply cruising around aimlessly. He had gotten some exposure to fishing from trips with his brother-in-law, and he began going after winter flounder. “At that time, the blues were all over the place. But they were almost a nuisance. You only went after them when you had kids on board to give them a thrill.” Bob’s interest in fishing expanded to include stripers, tuna, and sharks. He recalls a trip for sharks off Block Island with his brother-in-law and a doctor. “They thought I was going to have a heart attack!” he laughs. “I was fighting with him for the longest time. Got him up to the boat and he was just twisting over and over on the leader. I thought for sure we’d lose him. I finally got him in, though. Turned out to be a seven-and-a- half-foot blue shark.” A tuna fishing expedition brought Bob another fond memory. “We were trolling off Block Island when the rod next to me started to go. I called to my brother-in-law, and he said to grab it.” Over an hour and a half later, Santurri was still battling the fish. “The boat didn’t have a tuna chair, so I was standing up with just the belt on. After all that time, I think the guys were getting worried about me. They kept asking, ‘How you doing?’, ‘Are you okay?’ Oh man, that was tough! I kept thinking, ‘Who’s going to go first – him (the tuna) or me?’” As he finally drew the fish to the boat, Bob had a new worry. “Because of the way you had to land a fish like that, I had to back away from the stern as I brought him in. I was afraid I would lose him when he got up to the boat and never even get to see him!” He needn’t have worried, though. A short while later, he had a good look at the fish he would indeed land and bring home: a 425-pound yellowfin. “He was delicious!” quipped wife Beverly. LIVIN’ LA VIDA LOCA
Back on board the “Buck-aneer”, long shadows begin to form as the
sun settles in. At the nearby marina restaurant, a band is playing the popular
tune “La Vida Loca” (“The Crazy Life”). The crazy demands life has
on Bob’s time have kept him from being out on the water as much as he would
like. It’s been a mixed blessing for him. He does extensive volunteer
work for his parish at Saint Mary’s in Cranston, and his brother’s recent
retirement from the family business has put a bit more pressure on Bob.
Of course, some demands are more enjoyable than others: Bob and Beverly now
divide their time between a home in Cranston and one on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Despite his many commitments, Bob remains devoted to boating. “I like the water, and I like the people I’ve met on the water. I take boating seriously, and if I see that I can help a guy out who’s new to the sport, I like to help him.” |
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