a whirlwind stirs

After a month and a half of captivity in the UAE, I'm breaking out of this place. Starting September 4, you can follow my travels from the UAE to the UK where I'll stop in London and Southampton for business meetings. From London, I return to the UAE for a quick meeting about upgrading one of our vessels to DPS-2, and then I really escape to New York for a few days. New York is followed by Georgia, where I'll be packing for the great move out to Houston. My unloading time in H-Town is short lived because I'll be flying to Portland, ME in order to drive to the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. Bath is followed by a long car ride to Newport for the Newport Boat Show. While in Rhode Island, I'll visit the Hinckley facility in Portsmouth to checkout the T-24R, Haida's new tender. (Haven't heard of the T-24R, you say? That's because it, like Haida, is one of a kind.)

This job is definitely living up to the Chairman's "You're second office is an airplane" description. I can feel the winds picking up now. This job is definitely going to be a wild ride.

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Posted in: announcements,traveling

making waves goes full time

Just as Aaron Sorkin returns to prime time with a show about cable TV news, Making Waves is going full time. For the last two years, I've been interning for an offshore logistics company in the heart of the Arabian Gulf. As of July, I'm now gainfully employed as the company's naval architect and marine engineer.

While this is pretty stellar for me, the whole affair is even more stellar (read: stellar-er) for you. As the boss said when I moved into my Houston office, "Houston is your home base, but your office is an airplane." I travel often. (In fact, in September I'll hit a new city every 2.5 days from September 3-20...) All of that traveling means great pictures and stories (can you say TCNs on a plane?) for you. I can't wait to share, so I hope that you're ready to go full time. Making Waves certainly is.

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Posted in: announcements

posting delays

I realize that it's been over a week since I last updated you on Haida or showed you another stop on the tour dubai series. Last week, the company moved Chris and me from the Al Seef Beach Hotel to another place farther away from the port that had lower rent. Since the move, I have had trouble connecting to the internet, along with a myriad of other "difficulties."

I've got more stories to share, so stick around. In the meantime, you could always take a look back through the archives or browse the gallery of pictures on my Picasa album.

Scott has a new kite surfing board, but the wind here in Sharjah hasn't given time to play with it.

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Posted in: announcements,procrastination

a lesson on public relations

While we're taking some time to get the internet stabilized at the hotel, I'd like to bring an epic fail in public relations to your attention. So, for a post, please excuse my departure from all things Dubai, Sharjah, and Haida, because we're going to talk about an entity that really needs a good PR consultant right about now. (Well, at least we're not diverting too far...)

First, check out this article at CNET. "Apple support company sues customer for complaining"

Ahhh, right. Good read? Eh, even if you didn't read it, the article's title gives you the idea. (Imagine that -- descriptive titles. Really, who runs these journalism schools these days?)

So, this Greek man is being sued by an Apple authorized service provider (ASP). ASPs help fill in the gaps in Apple's coverage network so that customers remote from official Apple repair facilities can still get their Macs fixed. The man claims that the ASP cleaned the inside of his iMac, replaced the screen, and returned it to him; however, when he started it up, the screen was in worse shape. He informed the ASP, but they weren't interested in making another repair for free. After following the legal process, he took his story to the forums.

And now he's being sued for referring to the ASP's work as "dodgy." Regardless of the quality of work this ASP performs, their intention to recoup damage expenses will result in self inflicted wounds far deeper. What was not a story is now playing in the national blog syndicates, and I imagine it will play in the mainstream media within the next week.

So, good job, Systemgraph, you've earned an international reputation. Let's see what the reputation brings you.

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Posted in: announcements,fail,lessons,public relations

let's do this again

Wipe the dust off your luggage! It's time to do this Winter Work thing one last time.

So, while I'm packing my bags to head back to Dubai, I should probably bring you up to speed...

Last January, I flew out to the UAE to intern on a yacht restoration project, henceforth "The Haida Project." Haida was launched in 1947 by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, USA. There's a short background on the project here. Shortly after my arrival, the vessel was towed from her berth in Port Khalid, Sharjah to Al Jadaf Shipyard in Dubai. We waited almost two weeks before the shipyard had room to lift Haida. The lift itself was quite an undertaking. Ten years had elapsed since Haida's last docking, and shipyard and dry dock officials were concerned about the vessel settling onto the keel blocks squarely. There's an account of Haida's dry docking here.

After getting Haida out of the water, the shipyard went to work replacing steel plates that were worn from 63 years of cruising the Northern Pacific, Atlantic, and Mediterranean. The shipyard also fitted new stabilizing fins and installed underwater lights. The entire process lasted more than three months, but when they finished with a fresh coat of paint, Haida looked ready to cruise again.

That ready-to-cruise look was merely on the exterior. When I returned in July, the cabin spaces were in the process of a face lift, nay, a deep cleansing, er... stripping. At her launch, Haida was a cutting edge yacht, outfitted with the latest technologies, many fresh from developments made in World War II. The present owner wants to restore Haida to that glory by outfitting her with advanced systems. In order to do that, it was necessary to cut out most of the joinery work on the interiors. My summer work included sizing air conditioning units, taking freeboard measurements, and an assortment of CAD projects. The summer in Sharjah also meant avoiding the outrageous 120° weather.

Since the summer, the consortium of engineers, designers, and consultants have been working on several important projects including the addition of two watertight bulkheads, a new retractable, azimuthing stern thruster, and revised crew accommodation arrangements.

Phew. A semester's worth of dust sure does cake up. So this January, I'll head back to Haida to keep working on the restoration. I'll be joined by one of my classmates, and together we will tackle planning the piping systems. It's like marine engineering class all over again.

Well, you better dust off your luggage, too. Let's do this again.

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Posted in: announcements,haida,traveling

at it again

It has been a few months, admittedly. To those (to one) of you who have frantically wondered what happened since Day 4 in Egypt, I've got a quick summary in this post to bring you up to speed.

After leaving Dubai at the end of February, classes resumed in full force. This semester marked the beginning of the Webb Trifecta: ship design, marine engineering design work, and thesis. Over the duration of sixteen weeks, our class completed conceptual designs for six different "small" ships, a preliminary design for a product carrier fire main, and researched and selected thesis topics. We also continued to take classes like hydrodynamics, ship structures, and American government. The end of the semester ended in its usual whirlwind.

And now, I'm at it again. Most Webbies take the summer for themselves and turn down job offers. We all need a certain amount of decompression time after the "total emersion" curriculum. Be it an indicator of my mental health: my decompression starts with three days in Newport, continues with 5 days at home, jumps to the Middle East for 30 days, hops back to Newport for another 7 days, and ends with Leadership Week back at Webb on the 16th of August. Now, in words, that doesn't look too daunting, but don't forget that I have to travel to all of these places. It's a 4.5-hour drive from Webb to Newport (on a good day), and a 15-hour flight to Dubai. Did I mention that when I go "home" that I am actually only spending two days in Georgia and the rest in Charleston? Yes, my decompression is a little spastic.

Why do it? Well, the Haida project is super cool, and I get to go back to Dubai for a month. (Regrettably, in the middle of the blazing summer...)

So what do you have to look forward to seeing and reading this summer? I'm covering a smorgasbord of destinations Newport, Mystic, East Lyme, Glen Cove, Shelter Island, Jacksonville, Kingsland, Charleston, Pawley's Island, Dubai, Sharjah, and who knows where else I might land.

It's game on, readers. There's a world out there for making waves, and I'm at it again.

Sunset at Webb Institute

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Posted in: announcements

A Webbie in Egypt??

Never fear! Mother and I did in fact make it back from Egypt. (Talk about killing the potential for a suspenseful post about the last week...)

Since returning to the UAE, I have been swamped with catch up work in preparation for this week while David Pedrick of Pedrick Yacht Designs is on location for a naval architecture consult.

I have amazing stories and even better pictures from my visa run to Cairo, but please be patient as the posting schedule could be quite slow. All of the Egypt posts will be tagged with "Egypt" so you can quickly find them.

I would also encourage you to check the Picasa gallery for pictures from the trip. I'm uploading the full, unedited images for now, but I will work my way through the pictures to improve clarity and color.

Alright! We both have a lot to do. So, start looking at pictures, and I'll keep writing about Egypt

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Posted in: announcements,egypt,traveling

how far we've come

Today marks the one-month anniversary of Making Waves. Can you believe that a month has passed? I filled out my fourth timesheet today. Four weeks! 28 Days! Just think how far we've come since I started the blog in January. (Well, yes, I have travelled 8,200 miles on the world's sixth longest flight. [Sorry, Emirates, you aren't the world's longest flight.])

Ah, yes, it has been a productive month for my Winter Work experience. Since arriving the second week of January, I have completed over 20 drawings including schematics and manufacturing and installation plans. I've also researched underwater cameras and remotely operated vehicles. I usually spend half of my week working in the office in Port Khalid and the other half on location with Haida at Al Jadaf. Last week, we finally secured a berth and lifting assignment for Haida. After 10 years of sitting in the murky waters of Port Khalid, she's in surprisingly good condition. Her lift was emotional for most of the project team.

Mind you, I'm working seven days a week, but I have had time to see a few sights. The Sharjah Aquarium was my first time out on the town. It was also the first time that I had really deployed my new Nikon D5000. I was really impressed by the quality of the pictures -- even the ones taken through the aquarium glass. I've been to the beach several times, and Scott surprised me one day after work with a kite surfing session. There hasn't been wind since that day, but there is hope for this weekend. I also had an impromptu visit to the Dubai Mall, Aquarium, and Fountain and the Burj Khalifa. No where else can you experience five of the world's greatest somethings within 500 feet of each other.

The blog has gone really well, too. Google Analytics reports that there have been more than 250 unique visitors representing 9 countries for a total of more than 600 visits. Even with my sporadic posting schedule, more than 65% of you have returned after your first visit. And while commenting is low (ahem.), many of you have sent Facebook messages or emails with your reactions to the posts.

The online photo album has also been well-attended for not having been mentioned very often. The Picasa album is home to all of the pictures that I've taken and posted on the blog. I also put additional pictures on the Picasa site that don't make it to the blog.

The last month on Making Waves has been rich in culture and adventure, but February is prepared to blow all of that away. On Sunday, my mum arrives for her own week of exploring in the Arabian sun. Before she can explore the UAE, we're both jetting to Cairo for a quick stroll around ancient Egypt with Professor Brier, my adjunct Egyptology professor at Webb. After we return, she'll spend a few days here in Sharjah and Dubai, and I will have less than two weeks of work remaining. Actually, I'll return just in time for the arrival of the newest Haida consultant, naval architect David Pedrick (Webb '70).

So keep reading (and commenting), and tell your friends! We're just getting started around here, and we might as well have some more travel companions for the journey.

How much does the UAE friggin' rock? A lot, I think... yep!

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Posted in: announcements,dubai,egypt,sharjah,traveling

Don't forget to pack your ethics...

It's undeniable that a catastrophe has occurred in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It seems that the worst natural disasters strike the countries that are least prepared. I found this article from CNN Travel interesting. Take a look and sound off. I'll be offering my views later this week.

The Article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/01/21/haiti.tourism.ethics/index.html?iref=allsearch

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Posted in: announcements

The Binnacle - 2009 Yearbook

Long before I started "making waves" in Sharjah, a team of creative minds back at Webb Institute was working on this year's Binnacle, the school's oldest creative publication that annually chronicles the events and people in the Webb community. The theme for the 2008-2009 yearbook is adventure, a concept fully embodied by the Class of 2009.

The cover leads readers to an article about "Making Waves a World Away." During the 2009 Winter Work period, 14 students worked overseas. The Class of 2009 really set an example for seeking and obtaining international internships. In fact, my current internship and this blog were inspired by their leadership.

Webbies weren't the only ones making waves in 2009. The Binnacle itself broke ground in several ways. For the first time, the yearbook was printed with 72 full-color pages. The Binnacle was created and laid out entirely by a dedicated staff, a departure from the last several years' one-woman show. Seniors were given the option of having their pages designed by the staff. This enabled the seniors to cross one more thing off on their endless list of designs required in their final year.

And all of this was achieved during the midst of a financial crisis that stressed the Institute's resources and led to staff and programming changes. I'm thankful for the support of faculty, parents, and advertisers. Without their contributions, this yearbook would not have seen the printing press.

The yearbook is now out and available at the Webb Institute Campus Store.

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Posted in: announcements,webb institute

Winter Work 2010 Student Blogs

Webb Institute is featuring all of the student-created winter work blogs on its main website under the 2010 Winter Work section.

Take a look at where Webbies are working around the world and read about their experiences!

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Posted in: announcements,webb institute

Making Waves

Within the next few days, I'll be on my way to making waves in the United Arab Emirates. My travel itinerary is still tentative, but it appears that I will fly out of Jacksonville and the USA on Monday, January 4th.

I'll be chronicling my adventures and work on this blog. You can expect regular entries and photos.

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Posted in: announcements,traveling