What you do in real life?

[markpierce]

Isn't boating "real life?"

 

[Haloo]

My graduate fellowship involved research on the development of democratic thought. My mentor was a constitutional scholar and political theorist. I morphed into a policy analyst at a large “think tank” (a term I’ve always found quite funny). Dabbled in a few education reform projects, then more policy analysis. Ended my career as a solo consultant, helping clients think their way through challenging decisions.

Although I had a kind of egghead career, fun involved whitewater boating, motorcycles, backpacking, and nordic skiing. Now my wife and I are embracing the boating life. We’ve just started our online navigation course via StarPath. More fun!

 

[ctjstr]

Lawyer. Still working doing injury and civil rights claims. Gradually retiring. Part owner of a commercial construction company. Have run a motorcycle shop in my "spare" time for the last 30 years or so, mostly to support my motorcycle racing addiction.


toni

 

[BruceK]

Here in Canada, we have a modified British system.
Barristers and Solicitors have way less to do with one another than in the UK, where a criminal matter, for example, will start off with a Sol being hired by the client, having most of the client contact and most of the contact with the prosecution. The Solicitor then hires the Barrister to appear in court and argue the case.

Here the Barrister assumes both of those roles in all aspects of any matter that will go to Court. In order to go to Court, a Barrister must be "Called to the Bar".
Though we wear gowns in Supreme Court trials, we don't wear wigs.
Our Solicitors are the lawyers who do wills, real estate transactions, draft contracts, etc. All those things that are necessary to keep society running and hopefully, out of Court.
I am both Barrister and Solicitor, though the Barrister part occupied me 90-95% of my time and Solicitor part only 5-10% throughout my career.

In the US, Barristers and Solicitors are called Attorneys, Counsellors and probably many other things, but never Barristers or Solicitors.

We had something called "direct access" whereby a client could engage a barrister "without the intervention of a solicitor". Not many barristers wanted to avail themselves of that.
The wig/gown/bar jacket/jabot or bands thing seems very outdated. But it has a function, one progressive Judge sat all the time in bar jacket, no wig/gown etc. He got death threats from an unhappy "punter". On went all the regalia! Somehow it creates a protective presence and anonymity. But wigs sure did itch!

 

[Baker]

I too was originally going to post what I “did” once versus do as I am semi retired now. I have been working in one sort or another since I was 13 and the old man made it clear he wasn’t paying but for the roof overhead and food on the table. So, a lot of jobs since then. The career was with the FAA. Initially ATC and eventually program management for ATCT/TRACON modernization. FAA senior PM for O’Hare Modernization Program was a highlight for me. Ended doing Quality Control on operations. As the water is a way of life for me (first boat I purchased (at 13yo) was a 1961 Crestliner. Pull start 40hp Envinrude. How I used to envy the rich kids with “electric starts” [emoji6])

I believe I will always being “doing” something water related. Lately, it’s reading a lot more on this Forum. This three has been very enjoyable thus far.

Ahhhh...so you are to blame for that crazy place KORD!!!!!

 

[JLD]

I’m a public servant. I joined the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) right out of college with the plan on staying one year, saving up enough money, and going back to grad school. I loved the job so much that I went to grad school in the evenings and I will have 37 years of service this September. Anyone in public service will tell you that their work is much more than just a paycheck. In my case, there is a tremendous level of satisfaction knowing that my work has a positive impact on the medicines that we all take.

I have also done regulatory inspections in many parts of the world, and I’m looking forward to retirement (in two years) so that I can take by lovely wife of 30 years to some of the places I have gone.

Everyone stay safe,

Jim

 

[Crankyank]

Starting from age 12:

-Paperboy (bicycle route in a small town, 3am start daily(!)
-Shoveling snow
-Detassling corn
-Kitchen help in nursing home
-Car wash/delivery prep at a Chevrolet dealer
-US Army
-Electro-mechanical technician
-Geotechnical engineer.

Now 22 years as a geotechnical engineer, 5+ years and going here in Saudi Arabia. Owned a 20' Aquasport center console in Fort Lauderdale, a 24' Olympic pilothouse fishing boat and then a 28' Glasply twin inboard cabin boat on Bainbridge Island, WA. Seriously hankerin' for another boat soon.

 

[koliver]

The wig/gown/bar jacket/jabot or bands thing seems very outdated. But it has a function, one progressive Judge sat all the time in bar jacket, no wig/gown etc. He got death threats from an unhappy "punter". On went all the regalia! Somehow it creates a protective presence and anonymity. But wigs sure did itch!

Jabot:
I needed the dictionary for that one! LOL
We have tabs only, but one must never appear in Supreme Court without tabs. Occasionally there is a mad scramble as the Judge waits just behind the door for Counsel to find, beg, borrow or steal tabs, due to his/her own having been misplaced.

 

[Dougcole]

It's interesting to me that a large majority of people who responded to this thread work/worked in some sort of technical/science/engineering field. Without actually crunching the numbers (I'll leave that to one of you numbers types) it seems to me to be in excess of 70%. No MDs, very few salespeople or managers, a smattering of lonely, forlorn lawyers, no construction contractors, no investment bankers, or stockbrokers or CPA's. A few artistic types. Assuming this thread is a good representation of the average TF user, what does this say about us? I know it says something, I'm just not sure what.


I'm pretty certain that if this same thread was posted on The Hull Truth or perhaps the Cruiser's Forum the responses would be different. More blue collar on THT, I'm pretty certain of that.


As for me, though I greatly respect and enjoy the regular posters on here, I've always felt that I'm a little bit different than the "typical" TF user. I came to trawlers from small, high end, inshore fishing boats, not from sail (though I have done some sailing in my life too, grew up with Lazers and Hobies). I love our Mainship and enjoy working on it, but I tend to see it as a vehicle that gets me to, and allows me to stay near, the places I love. The reefs, the uncrowded tropical beaches, the lonely coves, the places where the fish are. That's my goal rather than the boat being a destination in and of itself.


If I could have the same boat, with the same maintenance requirements, burning the same amount of fuel, but twice as fast, I would jump on it in a heartbeat. I'm not sure that most on here would do the same, though I could certainly be wrong.



I'm also far from a STEM guy by trade, though interestingly, our older son is studying software engineering at Embry-Riddle and our younger son plans to follow his path.



Is our view on boats and boating somehow tied to what we chose to do for a living?


Fun to ponder.

 

[MurrayM]

I've had no boating experience, except for the summer I worked/lived by myself in a one room cabin about 20 miles out of Bella Bella on BC's central coast as a river guardian, for the Dept of Fisheries the first summer after graduating high school. That was a small outboard runabout.

Lots of experience sea kayaking, then moved straight up to Badger, our 30' Sundowner Tug, which was an abrupt climb up the learning curve!

 

[Mako]

Now 22 years as a geotechnical engineer, 5+ years and going here in Saudi Arabia... Seriously hankerin' for another boat soon.

If you're planning on staying a few more years then buy yourself a little center console. I had one in Qatar when I was there for about 7 years. It made life a lot more enjoyable!

 

[koliver]

.....a smattering of lonely, forlorn lawyers,

though I have done some sailing in my life too, grew up with Lazers and Hobies


Is our view on boats and boating somehow tied to what we chose to do for a living?


Fun to ponder.

One of those lonely and forlorn!! I never knew!

I too grew up on dinghy sailing. Into a Star early in marriage (48 yrs and counting!) and cruising sailboat before law school. Kept that one 11 years, when it grew too small for our family of 5, moved up in sail, then into power.
I still have and race a Laser.

Back to being lonely and forlorn, though in retirement from the actual lawyering.

 

[Art]

...no construction contractors,

Doug

See post # 243 pg. 13!

 

[Fletcher500]

Like many others on here, I started working at an early age. Paper routes, restaurants, box boy, janitor at a nuclear power plant, and quite a few years on fishing boats.

Marine Engineer from a Maritime Academy, 3rd Unlimited HP, all on steam vessels, mostly oil tankers. Didn’t last long At sea, but a great experience and got to see some really interesting places when I was younger.

USNR for 8 years. Just a reservist, but also a great experience.

Engineer at a Power plant: Circulating Fluidized Bed, Steam.

Got my Professional Engineer (PE) license about 25 years ago and transitioned out of the power stuff to fire protection engineering/consulting.

Retired on 3-13-20 to a very different world, but most of our friends and family are healthy so I am thankful for that.

 

[SteveK]

"jack of all trades and a master of none". But I gained experience.

Manager best describes what I do.
Self taught, self starter, self employed after 10 years as an employee.
Not always the same work, sometimes two jobs. I would switch to the occupation that caught my fancy once the current one got boring.

Today, this job for the last 18 years will take me into retirement. It is the longest single job I have had and the only one with a steady income in all economies. No more roller coaster ride.

On call 24/7 from my basement office, off the boat, or wherever I happen to be thanks to the internet and cell phones.

I did act as my own lawyer for my divorce after 22 years. The judge was reluctant, but I insisted. At the end he asked why I did not choose law as a career. I think that was a compliment. Alas, I did not play the piano.

 

[guy with a boat]

Commercial real estate has been my business for many years. I started as a commercial real estate broker, leasing and selling industrial space. Later I invested in existing properties and did property renovations and improvements. That evolved into development of buildings and industrial parks, build-to-suits, and some fee development. Now I’m mostly just a landlord, owning and managing industrial buildings.

The best day in a landlord’s month is the first, when you get to open the mailbox and take the money out. Time will tell how many tenants decide rent payment is optional during this shutdown, and the first of the month is likely to be less fun for a while.

I consider myself incredibly lucky to have found a business that I enjoy tremendously and that has allowed me both the financial capability and the schedule flexibility to do fun things like travel and boating.

 

[Slowmo]

As others have observed there are a lot of technical people on this forum. It would be interesting to see demographics of other types of boats. Probably the CEOs, salesmen, and contractors are in the superyacht forum!

 

[syjos]

The best day in a landlord’s month is the first, when you get to open the mailbox and take the money out. Time will tell how many tenants decide rent payment is optional during this shutdown, and the first of the month is likely to be less fun for a while.

We'll commiserate together until this is over.

My best day at one time was after I took a tenants check to the bank, verified sufficient funds and was able to put a hold on the funds.

 

[darkside]

I was a dairy farmer, mostly here in NZ, but I also worked for a while in Saudi Arabia on the Al Safi farm.
I think that is still the largest integrated dairy farm in the world.
Sold the farm when I was 40 and sailed around the world for five years (via the canals)
Bought a rental business back in NZ then started importing machinery from China and Italy.
Recently electric trucks have been one of our more interesting products.

For the boating part I learned mostly on my Dad’s trawler.
Basically a fishing boat design, very heavily built at 17 tonne for 38ft with a Cat 3160 diesel.
Took my own 34’ sail boat around the South Pacific in ’95.
We bought the catamaran we circumnavigated at Airlie beach, Australia (it was called also Infinity, same as Nemier's boat.)
Sold the sail catamaran and moved back to power boats when we got back to NZ.
Chartered from Ketchikan to Glacier Bay to Anacortes a couple of years ago and would love to see more of the PNW when we can travel again.

 

[slowgoesit]

Shoreline Restaurent.

Acquired by Anthony's Homeport a long time ago. Anthonys have restaurants in pretty much every marina and waterfront town on Puget Sound. They classed the Shoreline up along with the prices. The Shoreline sign is still on the roof.

I was out of boating in the mid 70's.

Yup, Shoreline Restaurant it was! Plan is to get another boat, kick around SE US, Bahamas, etc, then in maybe 6 or 8 years go through the canal to Pacific up coast, and live aboard in PNW. . . .

 

[Jon H]

For the last 21 years I've been moving large & small floating objects
back and forth from sea to berth(s) and back to sea again.

Prior to that I was 14 years in the Merchant Marine, primarily on tankers.

High School summers were spent as a Deckhand on tugs in SE Alaska
primarily towing log rafts.

Mixed in with all of that was a lot of yacht racing on every thing from
14' to 70' LOA.

A full displacement vessel in the 40' - 50' range is part of
the retirement plan.

 

[Irish Rambler]

I came a broken home on the wrong side of the tracks.
At 6yrs old after a year in Dr Barnardo's home I was taken to grandparents I hardly knew who lived on a smallholding. Grandfather made money during WW2 as a postman sourcing fresh food on the black market for the Lancaster bomber crews on the nearby airfield and bought the smallholding with the profits. Grandfather one of the old generation, taught me the meaning of honour, integrity and hard work. I'd never seen a chicken before but taking care of them soon became my job along with all the other animals. When my grandparents passed away an older brother, a townie, and stranger to me arrived and started giving orders.
I saved my pennies from working on neighbours farms as a tractor driver and applied to go to Australia on a £10 scheme. At 15 yr old I'd never seen the sea before, hitched a lift, joined ship in Liverpool in the clothes I stood up in. Got caught in Southampton and sent back. Ran away again to Liverpool and joined an Anglo Greek tramp steamer as a cabin boy, toured the Med shifting cargo's some of which were unofficial 'machinery spares', realised I could end up in jail pdq so jumped ship and joined the Army as a boy soldier at 16 and half. Represented Great Britain in the Army Mountaineering team on an expedition to what was Persia. Caught up with education thanks to the army.
Did the roughy toughy stuff in Malaya, Cyprus and along the Iron curtain popping under, doing reconnaissance and bringing guys back, by then the Army was changing into high mobility operations. Seconded to Rolls Royce diesels on R&D. Finished as battalion chief instructor teaching mechanical principals on all tracked and amphibians and multi fuel engines.
Left the army and went to Northern Ireland, after odd jobs driving a bus, delivering newspapers, truck driving. Hocked everything and bought an old s/hand truck, saw a niche market for bulk tanker movements. Pioneered road tanker design, bulk liquid compressors, powder tankers (still have active patents). Built bulk storage facilities, built all our own materials handling equipment for pumping, filtration and processing. Marriage broke down, company sold and just like a hurricane the ex emptied the bank and took the house and bought a villa in Spain.
I'd been taking our 2 kids to the lakes and messing around in boats to get them away from the 'troubles' and designed a couple of cabin cruisers, had them built and sold them, bought a cheapie ex hire boat to live on while I licked my divorce wounds. Stayed single for 18 yrs
Many long hours to save and buy another truck, started European refrigerated service, built it up to 15 trucks and sold it. An old business acquaintance offered me a job running a hazardous waste company he'd bought doing chemical recovery and processing. He sold the company and I retired at 62 to live on board full time and 'follow my dream' of touring the European canals and the Mediterranean for 'a year or two and write a book'. Met a beautiful French lady and 5 books later were still enjoying it 12 years on and loving it.
Sorry to bore you with such a long story.

 

[syjos]

Sorry to bore you with a long rant.

Not at all long or boring.

One of the more interesting posts regarding real life.

Taking off on a tramp steamer, wow, that was one of my dream when I was a kid.

 

[Art]

Irish - Great story! Good luck and health in rest of life. I have a lot of Gilroy and Murphy blood in my veins. Taint nutten an Irishman won't do if his mind gets set right!

 

[angus99]

I came a broken home on the wrong side of the tracks.
At 6yrs old after a year in Dr Barnardo's home I was taken to grandparents I hardly knew who lived on a smallholding. Grandfather made money during WW2 as a postman sourcing fresh food on the black market for the Lancaster bomber crews on the nearby airfield and bought the smallholding with the profits. Grandfather one of the old generation, taught me the meaning of honour, integrity and hard work. I'd never seen a chicken before but taking care of them soon became my job along with all the other animals. When my grandparents passed away an older brother, a townie, and stranger to me arrived and started giving orders.
I saved my pennies from working on neighbours farms as a tractor driver and applied to go to Australia on a £10 scheme. At 15 yr old I'd never seen the sea before, hitched a lift, joined ship in Liverpool in the clothes I stood up in. Got caught in Southampton and sent back. Ran away again to Liverpool and joined an Anglo Greek tramp steamer as a cabin boy, toured the Med shifting cargo's some of which were unofficial 'machinery spares', realised I could end up in jail pdq so jumped ship and joined the Army as a boy soldier at 16 and half. Represented Great Britain in the Army Mountaineering team on an expedition to what was Persia. Caught up with education thanks to the army.
Did the roughy toughy stuff in Malaya, Cyprus and along the Iron curtain popping under, doing reconnaissance and bringing guys back, by then the Army was changing into high mobility operations. Seconded to Rolls Royce diesels on R&D. Finished as battalion chief instructor teaching mechanical principals on all tracked and amphibians and multi fuel engines.
Left the army and went to Northern Ireland, after odd jobs driving a bus, delivering newspapers, truck driving. Hocked everything and bought an old s/hand truck, saw a niche market for bulk tanker movements. Pioneered road tanker design, bulk liquid compressors, powder tankers (still have active patents). Built bulk storage facilities, built all our own materials handling equipment for pumping, filtration and processing. Marriage broke down, company sold and just like a hurricane the ex emptied the bank and took the house and bought a villa in Spain.
I'd been taking our 2 kids to the lakes and messing around in boats to get them away from the 'troubles' and designed a couple of cabin cruisers, had them built and sold them, bought a cheapie ex hire boat to live on while I licked my divorce wounds. Stayed single for 18 yrs
Many long hours to save and buy another truck, started European refrigerated service, built it up to 15 trucks and sold it. An old business acquaintance offered me a job running a hazardous waste company he'd bought doing chemical recovery and processing. He sold the company and I retired at 62 to live on board full time and 'follow my dream' of touring the European canals and the Mediterranean for 'a year or two and write a book'. Met a beautiful French lady and 5 books later were still enjoying it 12 years on and loving it.
Sorry to bore you with such a long story.

A great story, well-told. And it nicely explains your username.

 

[rgano]

Ship driver, boat driver, airplanes only a little thank god, driver of my dear wife crazy. Hey, it's what I do.

 

[oscar]

Well..... I WAS flying 767's between US and Europe every week or so.... Now I'm sitting at home just over two years from retirement wondering WTF just happened....

It'll work out somehow. But it is putting a slight hold on my big boat buying plans.

Started sailing 60 years ago in Holland.... Came to the States in 82. College and and airline job.....

There's a lot more but we'll save some.

 

[Capt. Jon]

I came a broken home on the wrong side of the tracks.
At 6yrs old after a year in Dr Barnardo's home I was taken to grandparents I hardly knew who lived on a smallholding. Grandfather made money during WW2 as a postman sourcing fresh food on the black market for the Lancaster bomber crews on the nearby airfield and bought the smallholding with the profits. Grandfather one of the old generation, taught me the meaning of honour, integrity and hard work. I'd never seen a chicken before but taking care of them soon became my job along with all the other animals. When my grandparents passed away an older brother, a townie, and stranger to me arrived and started giving orders.
I saved my pennies from working on neighbours farms as a tractor driver and applied to go to Australia on a £10 scheme. At 15 yr old I'd never seen the sea before, hitched a lift, joined ship in Liverpool in the clothes I stood up in. Got caught in Southampton and sent back. Ran away again to Liverpool and joined an Anglo Greek tramp steamer as a cabin boy, toured the Med shifting cargo's some of which were unofficial 'machinery spares', realised I could end up in jail pdq so jumped ship and joined the Army as a boy soldier at 16 and half. Represented Great Britain in the Army Mountaineering team on an expedition to what was Persia. Caught up with education thanks to the army.
Did the roughy toughy stuff in Malaya, Cyprus and along the Iron curtain popping under, doing reconnaissance and bringing guys back, by then the Army was changing into high mobility operations. Seconded to Rolls Royce diesels on R&D. Finished as battalion chief instructor teaching mechanical principals on all tracked and amphibians and multi fuel engines.
Left the army and went to Northern Ireland, after odd jobs driving a bus, delivering newspapers, truck driving. Hocked everything and bought an old s/hand truck, saw a niche market for bulk tanker movements. Pioneered road tanker design, bulk liquid compressors, powder tankers (still have active patents). Built bulk storage facilities, built all our own materials handling equipment for pumping, filtration and processing. Marriage broke down, company sold and just like a hurricane the ex emptied the bank and took the house and bought a villa in Spain.
I'd been taking our 2 kids to the lakes and messing around in boats to get them away from the 'troubles' and designed a couple of cabin cruisers, had them built and sold them, bought a cheapie ex hire boat to live on while I licked my divorce wounds. Stayed single for 18 yrs
Many long hours to save and buy another truck, started European refrigerated service, built it up to 15 trucks and sold it. An old business acquaintance offered me a job running a hazardous waste company he'd bought doing chemical recovery and processing. He sold the company and I retired at 62 to live on board full time and 'follow my dream' of touring the European canals and the Mediterranean for 'a year or two and write a book'. Met a beautiful French lady and 5 books later were still enjoying it 12 years on and loving it.
Sorry to bore you with such a long story.

Wow!, what an awesome book worthy story!!!

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. o. "...WTF just happened...." I hear ya on THAT one brother. I retired about 12 years ago and it took me a good 3 years to come to grips with WTH was going on. You'll find a groove at some point and settle in. Quite comfortable, actually.

 

[bluebyu]

RT, Mr "O" is 2 years from retirement. Just no flying due to covid, sitting at home, waiting to go back for the bitter end....

But, you are correct, 1-1/2 into retirement, just getting into a new life style...