So, why does a demoralized mechanical engineer/ bass player/ sound engineer/editor seek Freedom? I’ll try to keep a long story short…
Born in Washington D.C., moved to Athens, Greece when I was 11, did Greek high school (yikes!) and then moved to Boston and studied mechanical engineering (emphasis in thermo fluids) at Northeastern U. After working at BASF for a couple of years in the equipment development group (designing pinhole detectors for tape slicing machines and then floppy disc production, calibration and maintenance), I realized it wasn’t for me. So I did a sound recording workshop and decided a recording studio is a lot sexier than a drafting board and a floppy production clean-room. Plus I luuuv music.
So I enrolled to University of Lowell’s Sound Recording Technology program while maintaining my BASF job working the 3rd shift (11pm to 7am). That didn’t work out very well due to lack of sleep, so I quit my job and got a student loan and bartended at my girlfriends’ bistro (the best ever). Graduate in ’92, and moved back to Greece…probably a bad idea since I hate most Greek music… but all my family and dearest friends where there.
Got my first job in a studio that paid less than my mothers’ cleaning lady! So after a few terrible albums and lots of toy jingles in 2 years I dumped the sucker and got into advertising post production. That was a high tech fast paced environment, (most of us were not Greek) and I had a great time and made some good friends but realized my boss was screwing us so most of us split and went freelance.
Work was slow but I had a couple of great gigs. One was sound on a French documentary on a super tanker (Marseilles through the Bosporus, Black Sea and to Novorossiysk to load 150tons crud and to Portugal for discharge… great experience!) The other was at the Athens Concert Hall Recording studio editing and mastering an opera release for EMI Classics. They offered a full time position and I’m still here today, editing, mastering, and doing restoration.
Due to bad management, the department folded, so I’m doing the same, plus sound for conferences, archive copies and lots of other mindless jobs.
You can’t imagine how often I mutter “I’m too smart for this shit”.
While all this was going on, I was playing bass in the Athens scene. One funk-rock band
and another salsa, reggae, mambo band. That was a rough 20 years of a parallel job, it got old and so did I and got tired of bandleaders insecurities, criminal club owners and general bullshit… so I ended it. I do miss playing… get me a FUN gig and I’m there!
So after being used and abused for 20 years, turning fifty, and refusing to keep this up for another 15 years, hopefully retiring and getting a pension from a financially destroyed country (yeah, right!), I’ve decided to switch my lifestyle again and turn to the sea which I love with a passion. I’d love to charter, do boat maintenance, even teach! Got my sailing license in 2011 and spend most of my free time reading books and blogs (and youtubing) all about sailboats and cruising the world…. And living free!
So much for a nut shell….
March 2012
February 2014 update…..
The shit’s really hitting the fan. So here is an opportunity for y’all to buy me a beer…. or even better… lots of them!
Zoot’s sister (she’s called “Aphrodite” yesss….really!)has had a dismal season tied up to a marina pontoon on the Northumberland coast…wet and stormy since April. ..do we stay afloat on the chance of some winter sailing or make the big push for warmer water? If I don’t move soon I’ll lose my nerve. Just love these boats, and the perkins 4108 engine and the hydraulic gear box and the heat exchanger tubes and the drippy stern gland and all …well….. all of it…..
GREAT blog….and lovely to see results of all the hard work….looking forward to reading summor.
Sue
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OMG! Hello Sue and sister Aphrodite!!!!
Thanks for the fine comments, and welcome.
Wow,so how long have you had her. I have sooo many questions about our ships, I could drive you mad!
I read somewhere “you should keep on going south until the butter melts”. It’s getting cold here and I’m beginning to miss the warm weather already.
Please stay in touch
Peter
ps.. a preview to this weeks blog… the worst and most boring ever, nothing to write about, no inspiration… it got cold!
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Drive me mad?? Give it a go then! In meantime….have you got Perkins deisel engine manual and parts book? I’ve also got the original maintenance handbook for the boat and could scan that . I think you might already have the glossy handbook….you know, the one with a whiskey bottle on the saloon table!!! (and the original orange wool upholstery) as you show a boat plan in the details. Let me know.
Aphrodite has been in the family since 1975 and under my tender care for the past 8 years….So I guess that makes me Aphrodite’s mistress….(rather than ship’s master)
It was wonderful to see the launch of Zoot into warm blue Greek waters …couldn’t help transpose but would rather air brush out the dodgy strapping. (Ridiculous…yeah!)
All best
Sue
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Hey Sue. If you have that manual already scanned, please email it to me at sailingzootallures gmail dot com address. Mine is a bit if-y and worn.
May the madness commence. My Perkins runs great, I think. Looses alot of oil though, not quite sure where. I’m planning on pulling her out for a face-lift this winter. The real question is which gear box do you have. (mines a TMP) and do you let the prop spin under sail, or do you lock it, folding prop? etc. On what rpm’s do you run your Perkins, knots/h, consumption…
Oh pleeez email me. Also I would luv to see any photos, blogs, video and to learn from Aphrodite as much as possible (I’ve been figuring out everything on my own, sometimes the hard way).
The Greek waters are cold and dark this week…
Cheers
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Nice blog Pee-Man,
Thanx for the call and for remembering me yesterday. Really fun reading you bio as it takes this old dog back also. Had totally forgotten about La Boniche. Nice boat and may the wind be at your back. When you sailing to Crete man ;-?
later bro,
The Chip
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CHIP!
Dude, welcome to the blog. You should enter your email to get weekly updates.
Sailing to Crete would be great one day, but a bitch to sail back. Then again, why would I? Part of the plan….
I could use a doreto right around now (lol)
Seeeya/ talk soon, my friend.
And for anyone else reading this….. Chip (aka…), a colleague from BASF, is the man who “clicked” me out of mechanical engineering and into sound engineering. My life would have been so much different if it wasn’t for “the Chip”!
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Well, Well, Well !! I was going to send you an email. But looking at the comments above, I think I should respond here.
You 54, me 60 ‘today’. A boat sitting outside my window Zarinda a twin of Zoot. The dream, the motivation, the hope, the possibilities.
I am unemployed and currently a student (the oldest in the college).
But I still have a dream —– Hold on to Zoot
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Well Happy b-day 2 u 2! I hope to see you launch this year
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Hey Kids! What’s with the ageist stuff? I’m 64 and aching allover…Aphrodite had her bottom polished yesterday (all by my fair hand in 5 hours). Hoping to launch next week before the bank-holiday. Fair winds to everyone.
Sue
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Hey Sue, long time no see. Happy launching! I’m in as soon as I get the chance…argg!
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Pingback: Doing What’s Physically Possible… | Sailing Zoot Allures
Hi,
Just bought hull nr. 675502 in the Cayman Islands.
Boat needs to be completely restored .
Anybody has the size of the headsail ?
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Hey Marcel and welcome aboard! I can’t really tell you the size of my genoa at this moment…. I guess it depends on what kind of headsail you’re planning to use.
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675502 hull was built in Denmark from the same hull mold used in Norway. The sail plan for the Norwegian built boats is available on the blog http://www.fjordms33restoration.wordpress.com
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Before you start having sails made……make allowance for your bower anchor and set the height of your furling gear so you can get at it. The original sail plans will not allow for furling gear….(too early) so reference to plans may not help unless you intend to hank-on! I had a furling genoa made by Saturn sails (Largs Scotland) and they did a very tidy job. Best of luck with the boat…
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Nice To meet you !! S u Again !!
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Great to meet you too! And your marvelous vessel! Have a great summer and hope to see you soon. Bon Voyage!
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hey captain pete, this is jan from the WILD SWAN ( hans christian 43T ) you visited last summer !!! a friend of mine is looking to find somebody to take care for his catamaran for a couple of weeks in porto rafti , just to keep an eye of it while he had to go back to belgium !! are you interested in that little job ?? greetings jan !!! i come certainly also come back to porto raft next summer !!!
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Hey Jan, great to hear from you. Personally I cannot help your friend due to the fact that my boat is on the hard and I’m living in the city. When is your friend coming, maybe I can find someone else. My “gmail” name is sailingzootallures……. send me an e-mail. Cheers!
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