A few moments later

Life has nearly done a 180º since the last time I posted. Lot's of news, updates, moves, and unknowns - there's a lot to unpack, probably too much for today. Posting more frequently makes it easier to cover everything, but sometimes you have to let the story play out before you can commit it to writing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Seaport Systems Moves to Maine

This is probably the biggest news to come out of the last two months. Until recently, I've primarily run Seaport Systems out of the Autodesk Technology Center in the Seaport District of Boston. Being a resident of the tech center has given me access to office space and manufacturing capabilities even well funded companies and renowned institutions can only dream of. I've also been honored to be a part of the community built around the technology center: the other resident teams, the people on those teams, and staff at the technology center. I can't emphasize enough how critical the combination of facilities and community is - it deserves its own post, and my writing that is a commitment to publish that some day. For brevity's sake, the Autodesk Technology Center (equipment, office and community) is what's allowed me to brainstorm, build and refine Seaport Systems to what it is today. I'll remain a resident for now, coming and going as needed, always looking forward to come back to old friends :)

Why Move?

Moving was always a part of the plan for a handful of good reasons, just never this soon or all of a sudden.

I've found that Boston is an incredible place to be an engineer, scientist or nearly any other kind of skilled worker because of the large group of peers you're surrounded by, proximity to resources (universities, labs, suppliers/facilities/capabilities), and number of companies doing cutting edge work here. I've also found that as a founder of a bootstrapped company, it's a really hard place to grow that company organically because those resources, talent pool and real estate are incredibly costly. Without raising money, I knew it wouldn't be possible to grow Seaport Systems.

The sole reason for building Seaport Systems is to democratize access to oceanographic data. I want everyday people (fishermen, aquaculturists, boaters, citizen scientists) to be able to easily, and effectively access ocean data so that they can operate more effectively, be safer on the water, or better advocate for our oceans! These types of people are not predominantly in the city - they are in more rural areas of our coastlines. People I met or worked with in Boston and at large orgs like Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (where I first worked out of college) tend to be either developing or utilizing incredibly advanced technologies (read: expensive and difficult to use). That's great for them, but it was becoming increasingly apparent that they were not the clear demographic I'd need to work with if I wanted to truly democratize access to oceanographic data.

Maine has a really attractive climate for business at the moment. When I moved to Maine as a kid, I don't think that was the case at all. Maine's economy was propped up by seasonal fishing and tourism economies while the last of the paper mills were dying off. I'm not one for politics, so I haven't really followed it, but I'd imagine for the last 20 years a lot of state politicians have been talking about how to re-invigorate the economy, and transition away from these tough seasonal industries. I don't know that it was the politicians, but somebody has walked their walk, and put their money where their mouth is. As a founder/business owner, there are so many resources available to me in the State of Maine, most notably are grants/monetary incentives and a really robust network structured mentorship and support.

The impetus for moving is ultimately personal, a tale of heartbreak, but alas. I/Seaport Systems would've done well continuing to grow in the city for another year or two, but moving was in the long term plan and now is as good a time as any.

Moving

At the Beginning of August I started relocating Seaport Systems to TechPlace in Brunswick, Maine. TechPlace is a great example of Maine investing in developing new, innovative economies. I have a private 15'x20'ish private garage/workspace in a converted airport hangar. I'm among many other companies of different stages, and we share a handful of shared resources including basic machine shop, fabrication area and welding booth. I'm excited to continue growing Seaport Systems here.

The new shop has already proven to be an incredibly convenient spot. Ferda Farms, the oyster farm I do the most work with at this point, is just 7 minutes up the road! It's pretty much exactly between the Darling Marine Center, which conducts a lot of relevant aquaculture research; and Portland which is where I find myself spending a lot of time networking and doing "business stuff". TechPlace is also only 2 miles from the train station which can have me back down to Boston in a couple of hours!

For the foreseeable future, I'll be spending most of my time back home on Swans Island. I'll be traveling to Brunswick and Boston as needed to fabricate or prototype new buoy parts, assemble buoys for new orders, and tend to existing equipment in the field.

I've achieved a lot that I'm proud of and excited about this year: partnering with Coastal Measures to bring the DB-X to life; getting the latest iteration of the XB-X out on the water for extended periods of time; some other top secret projects. I was ready to throw in the towel last year - I even asked a company I consulted for if they'd want to hire me on full time. Even with all the progress, excitement and good news, I've been on the back foot for an eternity, and it's exhausting. Even before this move and everything personally that's instigated it, 2024 has been a bitch. I've been constantly playing catch up in every aspect of life, barely keeping my head above water.

Not unlike Charlie Day's character when he stumbles onto a major company conspiracy. I have this entire scene's dialog go through my head nearly every day. If you haven't seen it, I'm begging you to watch it. You can stop reading the blog here if you just watch this.

"I've stumbled onto a major company conspiracy"

"Let's talk about the mail, can we talk about the mail? I've been dying to talk about the mail with you all day"

"This company is being bled like a stuffed pig"

"Half the employees in this building have been made up"

"We're not gonna get fired, because we've already been fired"

"We've lost our jobs, that means we've lost our health insurance"

"Goddamnit dude I'm having a panic attack, I am actually having a panic attack - will you settle down and have another cup of coffee"

The last few weeks I've been pretty much entirely checked out from civilization and that's been a good reset. I've been able to start having a lot of clearer thoughts, planning a little bit further ahead. I've got plenty of fight left in me, but the path I've been on is not even remotely sustainable.

Now, with all the heavy stuff out of the way... Back by popular demand is Train Track of the Day, the segment where I can reveal to you the carefully curated, yet potentially embarrassing soundtrack to my life. Without further ado:

Train Track of the Day

Calling (Loose My Mind) - Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso (Apple Music | Spotify)

In Conclusion

Sorry it's been so long since the last update. I don't like excuses, but I feel like I have a couple good ones. Plus, it's my blog, I'll do what I want. And what I want is to return to your inbox a couple more times this week. Once with a more technical summary of the work I've done the last couple of months, and again with a dive into the longer term vision of Seaport Systems. So stay tuned!