Adult Years

The "Starstream II"

The original Starstream was sold to make way for the sleek, ultra-modern 85 foot aluminum vessel under construction at Gulfcraft LLC in Patterson, Louisiana. Richie had been working on the blueprints and designing his “dream boat” while Dottie worked out the financing and a contract that was signed in 1973. I’m reminded of a trip as a young teen that I took with Dad and Victor Becker from the “Tampa” fleet in Sheepshead Bay. It was my first ride on an airplane and we flew into New Orleans and drove down to the bayous of southern Louisiana.. First hand, Dad and I got to see this beauty take form in the few days we spent with Roy Tibbs at his marshland shipyard. As a piece of trivia, the hull for the "Startsream II" was initially intended for the "Tampa V." Midstream during construction, owner Rocky Becker came up with a change in plans and wanted a larger vessel with three engines.

In the Spring of 1974, Capt Richie, Chris Specht, Bill Grimley, and a close friend Ronnie Appel made the trip to bring her home from Cajun country to her home port in Long Island. The journey took six days and brought them through the Okeechobee Waterway through the middle of Florida. Ironically, they stopped in Fort Myers to fuel up. Richie now calls the Cape Coral/Fort Myers area his winter residence.

The "Starstream II", to whom this website is dedicated, supported Richie and his family for the next 20 years. Richie had agreed with Dottie, to start nite blue fishing during the summer months, to help pay off the mortgage. The greater range with the 18 knot cruising speed spawned the motto used in advertisements “more time fishing, less time riding” The rest of the history, stories, and photos is contained herein with this website. Dottie Berkowitz passed away in 1979 from heart disease. Richie was granted the rights to purchase the business and became the sole proprietor. His wife Louise would become his new business manager