Uncle Dave, Abe, and Lindberg

Sounds like my father was sort of raised by his older brother Dave.   They were both adventurers.   Here's a story about the "crazy Beckers" I'm not sure I even believe.

The Beckers were living near Sheepshead Bay.   Uncle Dave had a big sailing canoe.   Apparently the Becker practice (Dave and Abe) was to sail out into the Bay and meet incoming passenger ships.   Then they would call for help and be picked up out of the water and given a free meal.  The story goes that they once pulled this scam on the ship that was bringing Lindberg back from his nonstop trip across the ocean.   This makes a pretty good story, but don't you think there's a bit of an antisocial thread to this?   One thing I never figured out is how they got themselves and the canoe back from Manhattan where the ships docked to Brooklyn.

So if this is just an apocryphal tale, what would it be telling?  Two jews with nothing, adventuring spirit ask the world for help, help received, happy ending???

Or what if the story is accurate on the facts, but they actually got in trouble out on the bay and needed the help?  I'm comfortable I'll not know the "true" answer because, this way I'll keep chewing on the story.