Saved by sari and
Success in designing and building ships had been achieved by the gradual accumulation of knowledge and technique via a process of trial and error, resulting in well-established rules of thumb passed on, to a large extent, by the mechanisms of apprenticeship and learning on the job. Typically, each new ship was a minor variant on a previous one, wit
... See moreGeoffrey West • Scale
The test of a business man is not whether he can make money in one or two boom years, or can make money through the luck of getting into the field first, but whether in a highly competitive field, without having any initial advantage over his competitors, he can outdistance them in a perfect honourable way and keep the respect of himself and of his
... See moreWe prowled the auction sites, craigslist up the east coast, then across the gulf coast, then large cities up and down the Mississippi River and Tombigbee internal waterway system, Chicago Nautical Donations, Deltaville Maritime Museum (field of Dreams), Cooper Specialty Salvage, eBay, Certified Sales and the other auction outlets. After a week we w
... See moreKeith Carver • Sailboat Cowboys Flipping Sail Post-Sandy: The Art of Buying, Repairing and Selling Storm-Damaged Sailboats
After the pirates, the next group of entrepreneurs to come along was the wreckers—or gentleman pirates, depending on one’s point of view. These wreckers built observation towers on land from which they kept a close eye on the outlying shallow reefs, especially during storms. When they spotted a ship that had run aground, they sped to the scene, oft
... See moreLes Standiford • Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean
Cruise lines are likely toast, though. Not only are they a common source of mini-epidemics, but they’re a politically un-sympathetic group. Their customers and investors are disproportionately American, but their crews don’t get US minimum wage or occupational safety standards, and cruise operators don’t really pay taxes. All this was true before; ... See more
