Despite the bustle and commotion of the Sabre Yachts wood shop, you would be hard-pressed to miss Jack. With his characteristic longshoreman’s cap and ponytail, not to mention his happy laugh and willingness to pass a few minutes in friendly chat, Jack has been an ingrained part of the Sabre Yachts team for ten years. Jack is kept on his toes with a large variety of projects, including his excellent work installing head and sol tile. Lucky for us, he was able to give me some time for an interview, and agreed to give some common sense tips about safety in the shop as well.
“Safety out here on the shop floor is all about common sense, you just have to know what you’re seeing. Rule one is always wear your safety glasses.”
What’s your favorite song of all time?
You Shook Me All Night Long, by AC/DC. They are my favorite band – that song was their first single after the original lead singer died.
What’s your favorite dessert?
Blueberry Pie
Where did you grow up?
Gorham, Maine
If you won a million dollars what would you spend it on?
I would make sure my three grand-babies were taken care of. Then I might build some good low-income housing; you know, a hand up, not a hand-out.
If you had to sell everything you own, and could only keep one thing, what would it be?
Probably my golf clubs. I started golfing when I worked at a shoe shop down at the Sebago Mall. My coworkers had a league and I got involved through them. These days I’m too old to play basketball, so golf is my thing.
What’s your least favorite thing about humanity?
The killing: if your ‘higher power’ isn’t the same as someone else’s people seem to think that the solution is killing. It sounds overly simple, but I think everyone should use the Golden Rule.
“Rule two – when you see guys wearing hardhats it means there’s something above you have to watch out for – always make eye contact so they know you’re there, and never walk through without an okay.”
How honest are you?
Very
Fishing or hunting?
Fishing. You can fish all year round, but you can only hunt during the right season.
If you could talk to someone who has passed away, who would it be, and what would you say?
That’s an easy one. I’d talk to my Ma, and I’d tell her I miss her.
If you could play an instrument what would it be?
Saxaphone
If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?
I’d go to the Dominican Republic. I lived there for about a year, and I’ve always wanted to go back.
What’s your favorite book of all time?
Siddhartha, by Hermanne Hesse. It’s a simple story about life, which he describes like a lazy river. I think that metaphor is really truthful and meaningful.
“Here in the wood shop we have a lot of folks using saws, if there’s any chance of wood getting caught in the saw and kicking back we’ll have a shield behind us, always walk behind the shield.”
What movie, no matter how many times you’ve seen it, do you have to watch every time it’s on?
Top Gun
What would you most like to learn?
Spanish
Tell me about your earliest childhood memory:
Being a little kid, and making plans for Christmas morning with my sister. We were going to wake up our big brothers and make them get their paper routes done early, then we could open our presents.
What do you cook when you’re the only one home?
I’m a good cook, so I’ll make anything I want.
What’s your favorite sport/team?
Baseball. I’m a New York Yankees fan, which is a pretty unpopular thing to be around here! But most folks give me a pass when they find out my mother’s family is from New York and that she grew up there. My father’s a Red Sox fan, they used to get into it over which games we would watch on the television.
“It’s pretty straight forward; anyone out here just needs to use their common sense, and it’s always good to stick to the blue painted paths on the floor as much as possible.”