I like the term journeyman.  Part of it is because I like to travel, but that is really just an irrelevant bonus.  Perhaps it is because I’ve never done a formal apprenticeship program, and don’t have to worry about any unpleasant aspects of it.  But I’ve been thinking about it just the same lately.

You see, I (with Meps by my side, keeping up with me) have spent a lot of the last year doing fiberglass repairs and construction.  I didn’t have a formal master, although there are several people here in the yard who have that level of skill, and they have been generous with their advice.  As I understand it, there is a journeyman piece which is completed.  It represents a test of skill and knowledge, and marks the end of the apprenticeship period.  In fiberglass, I consider the re-finishing of two 42-foot long carbon fiber masts to be a journeyman piece.  Perhaps I am exaggerating, but only a little.

We finished that job a couple months ago before we left for Seattle, and I am finally getting back to some of that work.  And I’m realizing that this journeyman level of skill is something I have in some areas, but not in others.  For example, I’m still quite a few steps away from claiming that level of skill when painting, especially with two-part polyurethane paints.  And I doubt I can claim that level of skill as a writer either.  And as an editor, I don’t even want to get there very badly.

I think I realized this when I tried to write about two weeks of working full-out on re-finishing our masts.  It had some good information in there, and a few funny bits too.  But it went on and on (the job did too, so that was accurate).  I am sure that it would be possible to edit it into a nice (short) funny story for this website.  It would also be possible to write a big detailed piece that would be very useful for anybody about to re-finish a carbon fiber mast, and interesting to a few people, but pretty boring to the rest of you.  But I just don’t feel like slogging through the editing work, so it will stay as it is….much closer to the big long description.  The story does include a bunch of pictures, but if technical details of fiberglass work make your eyes glaze over you have been warned.  (Download my telling of our mast refinishing project (PDF format) in all its glory if you wish.)

Strangely enough, I don’t find anything negative or bad in this.  I like to know what I’m good at.  And also what I want to get better at.  And while I don’t particularly like to suck at anything, there is room for that in my world too.  There are a few thousand things I can happily leave for people who love or need those skills more than I ever will.