Eric W. Sponberg Retirement

[Eric Sponberg]

My Library

Just so that you all are aware, I have just posted in the Marketplace part of BoatDesign.net a spreadsheet of the significant books and papers that I have in my library that are all for sale. You can get to it directly here:

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/marketplace/eric-sponbergs-library-items-sale-55453.html

Eric

PS 13 April 16. Some books have sold, and the spreadsheet has been updated to REV A to show what's been sold and what's left.

 

[Jamie Kennedy]

Enjoy your retirement. Fair sailing, or foul if that's what you are into. ;-)

 

[BertKu]

To all,

I am now making an official announcement that as of 1 January 2016, I am retired from professional practice of naval architecture and yacht design.
Eric

Dear Eric, better late than never, I wish you the most enjoyable retirement. Although we crossed swords, always appreciated your excellent articles. Should you pass the Cape Town Horn on the way to India or Australia, do pop into the Mosselbay yacht club and give me a shout, I will show you around. Yes, I am now 21 years retired and you have now probably also found out, that you have never worked so hard, as since going on retirement. Good luck and enjoy your world cruise. Bert

 

[Eric Sponberg]

Dear Eric, better late than never, I wish you the most enjoyable retirement. Although we crossed swords, always appreciated your excellent articles. Should you pass the Cape Town Horn on the way to India or Australia, do pop into the Mosselbay yacht club and give me a shout, I will show you around. Yes, I am now 21 years retired and you have now probably also found out, that you have never worked so hard, as since going on retirement. Good luck and enjoy your world cruise. Bert

Hi Bert,
Thanks for your greetings. Indeed, retirement is a busy time, what with trying to get rid of 37 years of design files and equipment, plus get the boat ready to go sailing, and sell the house and almost all our other worldly and non-sailing possessions. Glad you liked my articles over the years. My swan song article will be published next month in Professional Boatbuilder magazine, the story of my Pacific Rowboat design.

Not sure which route we'll take to New Zealand and Australia--could be east about or west about--we'll decide later when we're near ready to head to the other side of the globe. Thanks for your offer to see Cape Town.

Best regards,

Eric

 

[brian eiland]

Indeed, retirement is a busy time, what with trying to get rid of 37 years of design files and equipment, plus get the boat ready to go sailing, and sell the house and almost all our other worldly and non-sailing possessions. Glad you liked my articles over the years.
Eric

Have you given any thoughts to preserving some of your 'stuff' in case something goes astray, etc, ....and you desire to look back again?

A small cargo trailer, perhaps even an old van could be a depository for some of that stuff.

At one point in the early 1990's when I was leaving the retail, wholesale business, I narrowed down all of my 'stuff' to a big van and told a friend to find a lot to park it on, and let me know the location, if he should sell his house before I returned from working in Asia. He eventually found a fenced in lot for that van and my old car that I retrieved a number of years later.

More recently when I moved to St Augustine, I had number of items that I did not want to part with yet, but I also did not want to load them into the new residence. So I bought a cargo trailer that has become my storage bin until I decide what to do with those items. Lucky I also found a free lot to keep that 'storage trailer' on until I empty it out.

 

[Eric Sponberg]

Have you given any thoughts to preserving some of your 'stuff' in case something goes astray, etc, ....and you desire to look back again?

A small cargo trailer, perhaps even an old van could be a depository for some of that stuff.

At one point in the early 1990's when I was leaving the retail, wholesale business, I narrowed down all of my 'stuff' to a big van and told a friend to find a lot to park it on, and let me know the location, if he should sell his house before I returned from working in Asia. He eventually found a fenced in lot for that van and my old car that I retrieved a number of years later.

More recently when I moved to St Augustine, I had number of items that I did not want to part with yet, but I also did not want to load them into the new residence. So I bought a cargo trailer that has become my storage bin until I decide what to do with those items. Lucky I also found a free lot to keep that 'storage trailer' on until I empty it out.

Hi Brian,
I remembered you had mentioned you might come here to St. Augustine--so did you buy a house or take an apartment here?

Actually, I have been going through all my "stuff", which includes all my files and furniture, and quite frankly, it really isn't of any use to anybody. There are A LOT of blue, green, and black loose-leaf binders for clients' files. Blue was for boat designs, green was mast designs, black and white were for non-marine designs--there are nearly a hundred of them, not to mention all those boxes of papers with files small enough to warrant only manila folders--there are hundreds and hundreds of those. The binders are going into a yard sale this weekend at 50 cents apiece (I should have taken out stock in Avery Office Products). These binders, actually, got a little moldy here in this salty Florida climate, so I have had to scrub them all clean. I just can't bear the thought of dumping them in a landfill, although come are so far gone they can't be salvaged. Some files are going back to their clients, but for most others, the papers are getting tied in bundles or packed in boxes and getting recycled. I am taking out all the paper clips (mostly rusty, discarded) and the binder clips (hundreds, yard sale), and the dividers (also hundreds, also yard sale) so that as much as possible can get recycled.

I went through the drawing files--two big boxes plus a hanging locker. Most of the paper copies are getting recycled, but a lot of the Mylar original drawings I am selling at the yard sale for $1 each--I figure someone might like some original boat design art--if you make copies of them for $3 a sheet, they make great wrapping paper. I am not letting any lines plans go free--they are getting destroyed.

A lot of stuff is saved digitally on my computer, and that is backed up to another hard drive. So if someone needs something significant, I might have it, but otherwise, who needs it? No one, really.

My outlook on retirement is this: Been there, done that, filled that box in. I do not have to do any more design work. I am looking for new horizons, I want to be beholden to no one except myself and my wife, and we have worked years to be able to do this. Even though I am busy with all this end-of-professional-life activity, I can see where "retirement" is a well kept secret! I Like It! I can see potential, particularly living and traveling on a boat! I won't have a car, a house, a swimming pool all to maintain. It is all very liberating. Yeah, I am losing a lot of stuff, but at the same time I am taking it all off my shoulders and turning it into cash or recycling, trying to make as small a garbage footprint as possible.

So far, so good.

Thanks for your comments.

Eric

 

[tom28571]

Eric,

When I retired many years ago from Bell Labs and AT&T, I gave almost all of my electronics and electrical books and other stuff and intended to move to a new life. Wanted to just move on.

Since then I have designed and built our house, designed many woodworking projects and studied powerboat design and sold planing type cruising boat plans. A significant fraction of these have been built and the builders are very happy with them. One 28 footers recently completed 7500 miles on a one year Great Loop cruise. The designs have proven successful in a small way and have been extremely rewarding to me personally.

While I have greatly enjoyed all of these efforts, I have been sorry that my books were no longer available as well as some test equipment necessary for any serious electronic projects.

I now find it difficult to part with any books related to boat design. I have followed some of your career work and enjoyed your inputs to forums as well as occasional correspondence.

At a couple months shy of 85, I find that memories are one of the most important resources left of a long life and reference to old books and papers are part of that. I did give all of my old sailing books covering racing and techniques to a local sailing school and don't miss them. Still, parting with Lord, Curry, Marchaj, DuCane and others as well as your collection on Design Ratios will be left for others to do after I am departed.

My best to you on your retirement. Perhaps you can actually walk away, I never could as intellectual stimulant is more than bread.

Tom Lathrop
WWW.bluejacketboats.com

 

[Eric Sponberg]

Eric,

When I retired many years ago from Bell Labs and AT&T, I gave almost all of my electronics and electrical books and other stuff and intended to move to a new life. Wanted to just move on.

Since then I have designed and built our house, designed many woodworking projects and studied powerboat design and sold planing type cruising boat plans. A significant fraction of these have been built and the builders are very happy with them. One 28 footers recently completed 7500 miles on a one year Great Loop cruise. The designs have proven successful in a small way and have been extremely rewarding to me personally.

While I have greatly enjoyed all of these efforts, I have been sorry that my books were no longer available as well as some test equipment necessary for any serious electronic projects.

I now find it difficult to part with any books related to boat design. I have followed some of your career work and enjoyed your inputs to forums as well as occasional correspondence.

At a couple months shy of 85, I find that memories are one of the most important resources left of a long life and reference to old books and papers are part of that. I did give all of my old sailing books covering racing and techniques to a local sailing school and don't miss them. Still, parting with Lord, Curry, Marchaj, DuCane and others as well as your collection on Design Ratios will be left for others to do after I am departed.

My best to you on your retirement. Perhaps you can actually walk away, I never could as intellectual stimulant is more than bread.

Tom Lathrop
WWW.bluejacketboats.com

Hi Tom,

Thanks for your sentiments. Your message came to me through the "private messages" link on BD.N, to which I replied, but now I don't see it. At any rate, I really do have to part with all my books and office stuff. We are moving onto a boat, and there is not enough storage on it to carry it all, and we are not going to hire a storage facility to hold it all, and my kids don't want it. A lot of the books I have not looked at in years, and so they should find homes with other people who may want them. I know I am not going to be designing any more--been there, done that--and I'll be looking for other opportunities to spend my time, mostly sailing or traveling by various means for at least for the next 5-10 years.

Thanks again for your salutations,

Eric

 

[rxcomposite]

Hi Tom,

I know I am not going to be designing any more--been there, done that--and I'll be looking for other opportunities to spend my time.....
Eric

It is called rebirth. Going to see the other world. Reminds me of the ending of Lord of the Rings.

 

[BertKu]

Hi Bert,
Thanks for your greetings. Indeed, retirement is a busy time, what with trying to get rid of 37 years of design files and equipment, plus get the boat ready to go sailing, and sell the house and almost all our other worldly and non-sailing possessions. Glad you liked my articles over the years. My swan song article will be published next month in Professional Boatbuilder magazine, the story of my Pacific Rowboat design.

Not sure which route we'll take to New Zealand and Australia--could be east about or west about--we'll decide later when we're near ready to head to the other side of the globe. Thanks for your offer to see Cape Town.

Best regards,

Eric

Hi Eric, I have found the South Africans the most hospital people in the world and special the Cape-tonians. Although I have no problem in driving to Cape Town and stay a night over and entertain you to a most beautiful entertaining city and wild life, Mosselbay is however 400 km away from Cape Town, on the Indian Ocean and I am convinced that many sailors/designers/NA's from Cape Town love to entertain you to the Royal Cape Yacht Club, should I no longer be in good health. Also I have the experience that all my electronics and mechanical subjects books was given away to charity before moving to Mosselbay and I have had many moments that I have felt very sorry I have done so. I should have given money to them and have kept my books. Bert

 

[brian eiland]

Hi Brian,
I remembered you had mentioned you might come here to St. Augustine--so did you buy a house or take an apartment here?

I ended up buying a very nice trailer home here in a retirement park, ....very close by you I think (at the other end of rt-312). Did not want to invest in a full home again that would only be utilized part time as I spend some times in our townhouse in Thailand. No real-estate taxes also.

When is your yard sale? I'll stop by and say hello.

 

[Eric Sponberg]

I ended up buying a very nice trailer home here in a retirement park, ....very close by you I think (at the other end of rt-312). Did not want to invest in a full home again that would only be utilized part time as I spend some times in our townhouse in Thailand. No real-estate taxes also.

When is your yard sale? I'll stop by and say hello.

Hi Brian,

Our yard sale is this Saturday, 30 April, at 50 Ocean Court, St. Augustine Beach. We're in the Ocean Oaks subdivision on the north side of A Street which is right near the intersection of A1A and A Street. Yes, drop on by and say hello--what books of mine have not sold will be available for sale there.

Eric

 

[Eric Sponberg]

UPDATE FOR ALL: Today is 30 December 2016. Just so that you have the latest news, we are finishing our stay in St. Augustine and are about ready to depart on our trip around the world. Since my last post in April, here is what we have done to prepare for this trip:

1. We put our house on the market, and it sold on 20 December.
2. We sold the first of two cars (Honda Civic Hybrid) during the summer, and we sold the second car (Honda CR-V SE) this week, and we are allowed to hold onto it until tomorrow when we finally turn it over to the new owner, a young woman and sailor who wants to drive it to Alaska and back next Spring.
3. Held 3 yard sales to get rid of stuff, sold a bunch of stuff on EBay and Craig's List, and gave away the rest of it or threw it out. Now, all of our possessions reside in our 35' sailboat, Corroboree.
4. House and boat survived Hurricane Matthew in October with little damage. Had to replace the sail covers on Corroboree. Also added windows with canvas covers in the canvas bimini.
5. We hauled Corroboree out for a week in November to clean the bottom, replace anodes, and install our brand new Viking RescYou Pro 4-man liferaft.
6. Other purchases for the boat were: a DeLorme InReach satellite GPS and communicator, an EPIRB, and iPad2 for electronic chart navigation, new sight reduction tables and 2017 Nautical Almanac, new paper and electronic charts and cruising guides for Florida, the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, finally a dedicated ditch bag filled with the necessaries in case we have to ditch the boat.
7. Other repairs to the boat including replacing the exhaust elbow on the engine, installed a partial grounding system to ward off unwanted corrosion, and replaced the two 100 watt solar panels under warranty because they had stopped charging the batteries for some reason. We are hoping to get word back from the manufacturer as to what happened to them.

Between closing on the house and moving onto the boat, we have been living in a friend's condo making our final preparations. We did the last of our fresh food shopping today and brought it out to the boat. Tomorrow, we move on board for good, and watch the weather for heading south. Hopefully, we can leave Saturday or Sunday, 31 Dec or 1 January.

Our first planned port of call will be Miami, where we'll be for a week or so. Then we'll watch the weather to sail to the Bahamas where we expect to spend a few months. While we are under way, we'll be posting position reports from the DeLorme InReach to our Facebook Pages, plus, Arliss will be writing a blog about our trip on her website. Here are some links:

Eric's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ewsponberg

Arliss' Facebook Author's page: https://www.facebook.com/ArlissRyan/

Arliss' website where her sailing blog, "The Old Woman and the Sea" will be posted. Look for the link, soon to appear, in the right-hand end of the top banner: http://www.arlissryan.com/

For an update on my swan-song design, the Pacific Rowboat, it is nearing completion at Schooner Creek Boat Workds, and it will be featured, along with its owner, next month in the Portland Oregon Boat Show on 11-15 January. So you'll be able to see the boat "in the flesh," so to speak. Sorry, I won't be able to make it, I'll be somewhere at sea.

Finally, look for my Parting Shot article coming up in the next issue of Professional Boatbuilder, the last page opinion piece. It is a retrospective on design technology as I saw it during the course of my career.

As of tomorrow, I will be a full-time sailor, something I have been shooting for ever since Arliss and I last cruised from England to California on our 27' sailboat Duprass way back in 1977-78. Corroboree is bigger, roomier, my own design, and about as much as we can handle together. Maybe I'll see some of you on our travels. Good luck, and have a pleasant and prosperous New Year!

Eric

 

[Ike]

Happy New Year. Smooth Sailing and Following seas!

 

[RHP]

Fantastic, wish you every happiness, success and following winds.