Spring has just arrived and it seems that summer is already rapping on Dorade’s door in an urgent, yet playful and almost polite manner as my youthful anticipation as a “fresh out of the womb” Nipper is surely at full capacity. The position has befell upon me as though I had been dubbed a Knight of Columbus, at least in my own mind, and I couldn’t be more excited to cast off the docks and join this dream team of adventurous sailors and lovers of the sea.
I am eager to learn from and listen to everyone and everything around me. I have already started tenfold with Nick and Jens as my mentors in the world of varnishing, which has taken on a whole new level of complexity and professionalism compared with my former varnish experience. Soon my apprenticeship in pro varnishing will evolve into carpentry, maintenance, sailing, general boat doctoring, and a plethora of other odds and ends I couldn’t possibly yet conceive of.
Thus far in my first month on the Job, we managed to nearly finish all of varnish work on deck and on the spars. I am eager to see what the agenda will hold for us next. The momentous occasion of her launch happened on Thursday morning and I am eager to see what the agenda will hold for us next. I just finished up an intensive week of safety at sea training this afternoon with the Coast Guard STCW class at Confident Captain in Middletown, RI.
Along with working on Dorade for the past month I have also been attending school every day in the Boat building and Restoration Program at IYRS (International Yacht Restoration School) in Newport, RI. I’ll finish this two year program May 30th of this year, just in time to swing myself into full Dorade immersion before the commencement of the Transatlantic Race.
I will wrap this blog entry up with a little background on me. I am a 23 year old male from Rhode Island and have many interests in life. I have traveled extensively in the U.S. and Central America and crave exploration and adventure. However, I like roots and community too much to always live on the road. I am a boat builder by trade now, and attended college for two years prior to IYRS. I love the ocean and grew up around marinas. I love to surf, play music, read, write, and create. My ideals are aligned with self-reliance and sustainability, balance, doing what you really love, and most importantly, the power of listening. I live my life to the fullest and follow my balanced heart and mind. I want to pursue a career as a boat builder as well as work towards becoming a confident captain of all kinds of boats, perhaps raise a family, and pursue personal ventures small and large whether on boat or land.
Over and Out,
Myles Stanford
