“Gold Anchor marinas
“Gold Anchor marinas are assessed by a creditable and experienced team covering the globe.” Kenny Jones - IGY Executive Vice President - Operations - Island Global Yachting Marinas in: United States, Caribbean, Latin America and Mediterranean Emanuele Rinaldi Italy Alistair Skinner China John Lewis Australia Andrew Jaggers Ireland Murat Tuncer Turkey Tony Dye England Mieke Vleugels Belgium Andrew Monks Australia www.tyha.co.uk www.marinas.net.au
TRAINING, EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION Oscar Siches Dinosaurs and the internet by Oscar Siches I am going to discuss something that affects the entire nautical industry, from user to builder, from designer to broker, all over the world. Traditionally, a human being who has made it to an outstanding position, be it by knowledge, management skills or craft, defends it and clings to it like a cat clinging with its claws to the back of the sofa. If that person has earned the position by personal effort and by knowledge, experience and results (not just economic), such behaviour is reasonable. Unfortunately, such positions are often abused. Historically and culturally, lifelong achievement postings have been granted as a prize by governments, associations, clubs and other groups of people who are united by a common interest. A lot of people have deserved their position and made good use of it but a minority who have received it as a currency payment for favours done or for having good connections, do not have the merits or the fundamental qualities to deserve the job. Definition and awareness In the nautical industry there are many, many groups of people who are defined by common interests: their club, class, type of sport etc. And there are the local, national and international associations, and the federations. Let’s go back to the single person. Until about 70 years ago, someone who climbed and climbed to reach the pinnacle of the pyramid, stayed there at the very top until retirement or death. The person learned a lot during his career or performance, applied his experience, and made things work. But over the last 20 years all this has been disrupted. Why? Because we are not coping quickly enough with the way the world is changing around us; our capacity for adapting drags behind 21st century technology and the social changes this has brought. As we have to adapt to the rules and best practices of the society in which we live, it is sometimes very hard to take the pace. For example, we depend on mobile phones. This is not totally negative but creates a dependency on instant communication. If we ignore it, others won’t. The mature - ‘dinosaur’ - generation has had to adapt to taking the blows (intellectual and emotional) of new technology. I believe that anyone who so wishes can remain aware of what is happening around them irrespective of whether the radius of their comfort circle is 100m (328ft) or 10,000 km (6,214mi). But what they interpret from that information will be a mix of what experience, knowledge and emotions tells them. And that’s where I doubt that, in a society that is changing at a much faster pace than it was 50 years ago, someone who was born in the ‘40s and ‘50s of the last century, however modern, can interpret what society demands in 2017. Those who have already grown up with mobile phones and iPads may not have even the minimum experience needed to put the base values of yesteryear into perspective. But it is also true that these base values are being lost by not giving them educational priority. Dinosaurs should be kept close to people of the next generation and help them; not become an anomaly of the present clinging to the past. When Rome’s victorious generals paraded through the city after their triumphs, they had to have a slave at their side whispering ‘remember you are mortal’. It was an anchor that kept them down to earth, a voice of reality at a time when they were flying high. We must venerate those who have proved they deserve it but help them connect with a today that they (we) do not understand. I admire those who realise this, step aside, and don’t try to perpetuate themselves. Facts or sound bites? Internet information should be valued for what it provides but not taken as an infallible source of knowledge. More and more people of all social levels address the internet everyday looking for all sorts of data and keeping in contact by social networking. But it is human nature to become bored by www.marinaworld.com - March/April 2018 45
