I'm going to build me a boat
With these two hands
She'll be a fair curve
From a noble plan
Let the chips fall where they will
'Cause I've got boats to build
Chorus to I've Got Boats to Build by Jimmy Buffet
Train up a young man in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
Mikester is one of my good friends, a former co-worker, a longtime waterman, and a retired Lifeguard. At the beginning of this Covid social distancing routine, he embarked on what I think is a very worthwhile project- building a dory with his 14 year old nephew Ian, and Ian's best friend John. Mikester has been involved in Ian's life for years, serving as a mentor in the context of board surfing, body surfing, snorkeling, and an annual Joshua Tree camping/rock climbing adventure. They play in the ocean in San Diego and Northern Baja California, and they've recently started making forays down to Bahia de Los Angeles (BOLA) in the Gulf of California. They surf their way down and back, but BOLA is for fishing and snorkeling. At BOLA they use a harbor dory that Mikester built as a platform for their activities.
Now, as the next step, they want to row the dory, loaded with their camping gear, out to some of the offshore islands within the bay. This will allow them to venture farther into the bay on their daily adventures. Space in the dory is limited, there isn't room for all of them, their gear, and enough water to survive on these desert islands. This problem is exacerbated by some medical needs requiring extra supplies. To address this issue, as a team, they decided to build a mini-dory to tow behind the big dory. Mikester recognized that building a smaller dory in the proportions as the big dory would result in a relatively unstable craft. But some things are worth doing, even if they fail.
Ian and John with the mothership dory "Look Farther " , with the mini dory "1KJ" nested inside.
Mikester saw the closing of schools as the perfect opportunity to get these guys building. Ian and John were excited, but their parents were less than excited about the boys being out and about during the pandemic. Mikester helped the boys form their polite arguments as to why this was a safe and valuable use of their time out of school. Each boy had to convince their parents, or it was no deal. It took a little while but with some safety-related concessions, the parents gave their permission. Mikester picked up the boys every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at noon, and they worked until five o'clock. Mikester taught them how to plan, how to schedule objectives, how to work safely, and how to do the myriad of tasks involved in building a boat. It was a practical application of math and physics that they saw little need for prior to this time.
Mathematics applied, what a concept
This was also an opportunity for learning life lessons that can't be taught in school. While they worked, they spoke of life- the important issues such as meaning, origins, love, and morality. They spoke of minor issues such as sports, surfing, and fishing. And they spoke of the amusing issues: after all, 14 year-old boys can make anything amusing. No topic was off the table so long as it wasn't illegal, imminently dangerous, or placing Mikester in the position of lying to their parents. Because Mikester employed the Socratic method of asking questions, the boys learned philosophy, theology, literature, and rhetoric, all without realizing they were learning. After all, they weren't in school.
What a dory under construction is supposed to look like
The boys also learned that is okay to fail. One of Mikester's goals was to build the boat using materials that he had on hand, or that were donated to the effort. One-quarter inch plywood can be bent sufficiently, to form a hull, over the span of a 12' dory, but it can't be bent sufficiently over the length of a 6' dory. On the day of their epic fail, they had the plywood attached to some of the ribs of the boat, the rest was clamped into place. Suddenly the boat exploded into pieces, tearing apart almost all that they had accomplished.
What a dory under construction looks like after an epic fail. John's dad surveys the carnage, thankful that no teenagers were harmed in the making of this dory.
As a team, they rallied. They assessed the damage, made new plans, improvised, and continued forward until they completed the boat. At the boat's sea trial, it did in fact prove to be very unstable, as Mikester feared. Unloaded, the boat only has a one-inch draft, and twelve inches of freeboard, making it quite tippy. Again, they rallied. They learned that by loading the boat in the proper manner the cargo provided sufficient ballast to make the boat seaworthy. They are currently working on a bridle system to increase stability while towing. Finally, they know not to place anything in the boat that isn't properly secured to survive a capsizing. Whether or not the boat will actually be able to perform as needed is anybody's guess. Mikester knows that he could have bought a toy kayak for around a hundred dollars that would serve the purpose and probably be much more seaworthy. But it wouldn't have nearly the value of this dory.
During these few months, Mikester watched the boys learn critical thinking skills and problem solving. He saw them go from a level where small setbacks seemed insurmountable, to a level where failures were viewed as learning opportunities. He watched them take responsibility for working safely. He saw them establish a work ethic and also learn how to joke and have fun while working diligently. He watched them go from being afraid of making a mistake to being confident in their skills. These are all things that are difficult to teach in traditional schools. Very few people actually build anything with their own hands anymore. Kids grow up not knowing how to work because their parents are too busy to teach them and it is easier to pay some laborer to do the job. Kids are protected from failing in order to protect their self-esteem, so they don't know how to move forward when they do fail. Many kids are too busy with organized activities, that the parents think will improve their chances at success, to have chores. Ironically, one of the best indicators of an employees potential success in the workplace is, "Did you have chores as a kid?"
1KJ on her "sea" trial, in a pool.
As watermen, we have unique opportunities to shape the lives of young men and women. Whether it is teaching them life skills, environmental stewardship, marine science, or helping them form their worldview, the ocean is a classroom without equal. The ocean is fun, exciting, beautiful, and not restricted by bureaucracy or political correctness. It accommodates all learning styles. Lastly, the ocean never plays favorites. Make wise choices and you'll probably enjoy the ocean for decades. Make unwise choices and, regardless of your status, your possessions, or your appearance, the ocean can be merciless. That is one of life's most important lessons- the equal value that we all share as humans despite the gross inequality of our ideas.
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