Never Fear! I’m Still Here!

If you follow my biweekly posting schedule, you will notice that I owe you another fine maritime blog post. The honest truth is that I've been occupied by a couple once-in-a-lifetime events, and several other notable occasions. The first of these is my brother's wedding. (My only sibling, to add). A very fine week in Reykjavik, Iceland, in which I got to meet the bride's family, and my brother's circle of friends from the fire and rescue world (the mere word "firehouse" wouldn't do it justice), and from the maritime world- some sailing and some now ashore. I must say that "boat people", even us with the high-end college degrees and most potential to integrate with shoreside society- have a certain way of speaking, of addressing challenges, and in viewing the world through well-travelled eyes. I will be spending the next two weeks at the American Maritime Officers' training center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. I will be studying gas turbine propulsion, which I last experienced at sea as a Third Assistant Engineer on the USNS Supply in 2017. This capstone course- if successfully completed- would qualify me to serve as a Chief Engineer onboard that class of vessel. Again, once-in-a-lifetime, as this qualification is good for life. On another note, for about six months I was the owner of a commuter van. It was a medium-top Ford Transit 350 with space for 14 seats- I opted to remove the back row in favor of storage space. Indeed, I am one to go for action, and not just words about the needs for better transit. Through this endeavor, I learned about the challenges and opportunities of operating a vehicle fleet of one, including the nuances of permitting, regulation, and taxation. I decided to wrap up that little enterprise on account of my upcoming return to sea, finalizing the sale to Carvana today.