Enjoying retirement at the Port Washington dock

Marty Caporaso, 71, a licensed commercial pilot and former real estate broker, has lived in Port Washington for the past 25 years. Now that his daughters are all grown and he is retired, he spends much of his time at the North Hempstead Town Dock, watching the boats go by and fishing. Newsday caught up with him on the dock Tuesday evening.

Have you caught anything today?

The only thing I caught so far is a cold. I come down maybe every other day now that the season’s started. Last year, I was doing good. I was coming every day and catching these baby blues, little snappers .?.?. They have teeth on them, so you have to be careful when you take out the hook. They’ll get you.

Have you always been into fishing?

No, I was a commercial pilot. I was in aviation .?.?.  and I have my commercial license. Then, I became a flight instructor. I was teaching girls like you how to fly years ago. Now, I just fly for the pleasure. I had a little 150 Cessna, a two-seater, and I would take friends up and people I knew.

Have you ever flown a seaplane out of Manhasset Bay?

No, but I would love to. They used to fly the seaplane around here, the Clipper, which was Pan American.

How many years have you lived in Port Washington?

Oh, about 25 years now. I had a house here. I have four daughters, no boys. They went to St. Peter’s and then to Schreiber High School .?.?. Now, I live in Mill Pond Acres, a senior citizen development. My wife works until 10 p.m., so that’s why I’m always looking for something to do.

What do you like about living in Port Washington?

Just look around. It’s kind of really beautiful .?.?. We have the best schools, the best police departments .?.?. one of the best fire departments, a library that’s out of sight and then, the train station. It goes zip, right to Manhattan. It takes like a half-hour.

How would you describe the people in Port Washington?

Like me, they’re very friendly .?.?. We kind of help each other, even here on the dock. It’s really a nice place to live.