Back to school for me. As a part of learning to manage this rather large and complex boat I’ve enrolled in the “Marine Technology” program at a local technical college.
The thinking is simple. Some day I am going to take this boat someplace where I don’t speak the language too well. Then, I’m going to break it. Badly. At a minimum I need to understand what is going on so I don’t spend months sitting in an unfriendly port at the tender mercy of a foreign boat mechanic as he slowly leaches the life out of a “rich gringo”. At best I’ll be able to keep my own boat running like a top and swap the occasional boat help for a nice bottle of wine or a couple of steaks.
Going back to school – to a trade school – at age 41 is not without it’s adjustments. I figure most of my classmates weren’t quite born yet when I was awarded my B.S. degree. While discussing the difficulties of the math classes with some of them, I mentioned that I didn’t have to take them since I was not going for a degree and just taking the technical courses I wanted. “Lucky for you” they said; “No, I took all of that stuff back in the eighties.”
“Oh yeah, the Eighties…hippies and all that.”
To say that my peers do not quite relate to the realities of being a married homeowner (or boat owner) with children would be an understatement. But their a nice group of guys so far and they seem to be accepting of the idiosyncrasies of the oldster in their midst. At least none of them have called me an “Old Fart” to my face. Yet.
So, this quarter it was Basic Engine theory – stripping down and rebuilding an engine and learning the basics, and Welding 101 (Oxyacetylene and MIG). Next quarter the real meat starts – Diesel Engines, Marine & RV Systems, Advanced Marine Electricity, Marine Electronic Installation, and Gas Engine Maintenance. Future quarters will include Fiberglass fabrication, painting and refinishing, and outboard troubleshooting, maintenance and rebuilding.
It’s funny how being a grownup this time at school changes my attitude towards it all. Attending every class and doing the homework – what a concept!
