Sailing into an Engineering Career

I began sailing as a toddler in the 1950's, and first solo-sailed my family's South Coast 23 in the mid-60's. Although I worked as a musician and photographer in high school, my first "real job" was at a boatyard during college in the early 70's. The yard paid a buck-eighty an hour, along with all the sunshine I could stand.

Sailboats include a little bit of everything, so boatyard work introduced me to diverse materials and systems: wood, fiberglass, metal, ropes, stainless steel wire, plumbing, engines, paint, electrical, and of course sailcloth. It wasn't an easy job, but looking back I realize that my apprenticeship in the yard helped shape my engineering career that has lasted over five decades.

Master rigger Capt. Reggie Jackson ran the yard. His guiding princple in seamanship was to be self-reliant, so he taught me how to work in what he called "the trades." I went from a novice to being comfortable with all aspects of a sailboat. He was always eager to show me the ropes, be he was also willing to let me learn on my own as I gained experience in the yard.

Reggie also taught me how to do an honest day's work. If I did a substandard job he'd point and say (in his salty English accent) "Zat, would you pay for that?" After I acknowledged poor performance he'd say "Now go punch out and do it again on your own time." I didn't make that mistake very often. But thanks to Reggie I eventually gained enough skill and confidence to outfit my own Columbia 26 from a bare hull and deck.

I had studied yacht design in high school and started college with dreams of becoming a naval architect. But the confidence and satisfaction of working in "all of the trades" nudged me toward a multi-discipline degree in Engineering Science. Luckily, my graduate studies coincided with the advent of microcomputers, enabling me to apply modern electronics to diverse engineering fields. I became far more interested in control systems engineering rather than routine electrical and mechanical projects. Anxious to be more "cutting edge," I left Shell Offshore in 1980 to teach engineering at the University of New Orleans while starting Dataran Engineering in the days of 6800 and Z-80 micros.

In the 1980's my sailing took a break while I focused on building a family and business. I still sailed (and worked) on other boats but didn't have time for ownership. Time passed, but my love of sailing remained. So in 2002 I obtained a somewhat neglected 1972 Bristol 34 with plans to spend "a few months" fixing it up. Those months have become over two decades of ongoing upgrades and maintenance using all the trades that Capt. Reggie taught me. I think he would approve of how my Gusto has turned out.

Click here or on the photo to see photos of Gusto and read all about her:

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