"Electrician" is not a
suffciently precise word, but it's what I keep coming back
to. It implies both power distribution and
professionalism. I'm
also a NMEA Certified Marine Electronics Technician. People usually
make a distinction between "electrical" and "electronic" and I do
both. I've taught a college course in electronic
navigation. I'm a
"rigger" and I don't do shrouds and stays. I can build things out of
wood, metal and fiberglass. I do plumbing. I follow ABYC
and NMEA
standards, believe in expertise and craftsmanship. I check my
work,
measure things to ensure they work as I think they will.
The Author and Electrician
David Sheriff is a marine electrician living in Anaheim,
California. He became a boat tradesman in the year 2000 and has
worked for over a decade on recreational vessels in every
harbor in Southern California. Mr. Sheriff's previous career
spanned electrical engineering, sales and management. He worked in
audio
recording, traffic signal control systems and semiconductor capital
equipment. This atypical background for a boating tradesman gave
him a scientific appreciation for marine technology as well as a
compulsion to write about what he has learned. Mr. Sheriff tries
out ideas on his Islander 28 sailboat docked in San Pedro. Raised
within earshot of Lake Michigan, he reports being hopelessly addicted
to boats and big water.
