From the time I was about 6 years of age,
I was totally absorbed by anything to do with boats or the ocean.
While it took a few years to pass, I spent the next 28 years employed on a number of ferries, an deep ocean tug and
even a tall-ship.
The starting point came in the position of 'Mess Boy' ( assisting the cook ). After a few months past, I worked
on deck as Seaman / Deckhand. After a couple more years,I switched
to the engineering department as Oiler, Storeman and also as a licensed Engineer.
During the mid-1980's, computers and IT technology
started appearing onboard ships. During my last 8-10 years onboard ship, my interest in information technology grew
especially after we were the first in the fleet to have an shipboard network. I soon became the on-board IT Support for applications,
PC hardware and compute network.
While we had very small
number of users by todays standards, we did have a dedicated server running Banyan Vines communicating with onboard
users over a fiber optic network.
During
employment in the marine industry onboard ship, I was exposed to some cool and leading edge technologies and equipment.
One of my most challenging vessels included working on the maintenance Team for a fast ferry named 'The Cat'. Here, we were
responsible for complete vessel maintenance ranging from the ship's horn and bridge, to the complete service and repair of
the 38,000 horsepower propulsion system.
Since 2000, I have been involved solely in the area of IT related services.
A Passion for History
Although
history may be considered the study of past events, I personally consider it to be an important part of our life. As
a result, I have always had an appreciation for collecting many things over my life, many that a lot of people considered
'junk'. Fortunately my wife shares the same values.
One of our fondest memories and a dream come
true was to live in and restore a mid 1800's local sea captain's home.
While our lives all change over the years, it is important that we never forget where we have
been and from where we have come...
