I’ve been cruising on America’s Great Loop with my wife since last December – the Great Loop circumnavigates the waterways of the eastern U.S. It has been a fantastic adventure full of exploration, new experiences, and learning about ourselves. I’ve been involved in boating my entire life, but never have I had the responsibility that comes with being a boat owner on an adventure quite like this. It might sound like a relaxing excursion, but trust me when I say that it is very full of anxiety with every step of the way into the unknown.
After nearly a year and 6,500 miles, we are approaching the end of our journey. Our last legs have had us on the rivers of the central United States for the past several weeks. Recently, heavy rainstorms in the middle part of the country caused heavy flooding in the St. Louis area where we were moored for a few weeks while doing some other trips. We then started back up while the Mississippi River was still at very high river stages. Prior to this high-water situation, the river had been calm, the channels were well marked, and the river relatively free of debris and flotsam. Our days of cruising were relatively calm except when we had to pass through one of the many locks on the upper Mississippi River. The past few days were a different story, however, and have had me reflecting on our adventures. While doing so, I started to think about parallels in the business world.
Our first day back on the river after our break required us to go through the Melvin Price Lock, one of the busiest locks on the Mighty Mississippi. The evening before heading to the lock, we were able to coordinate a time slot to pass through the lock with other boaters departing the next day. Since commercial traffic has priority, it can be a challenge to get a time slot for pleasure vessels. Our coordination of a passage time was a lot like working with a standards organization: We had to collaborate to identify boat types, speeds, desired destinations, and other factors we needed to agree to the best strategy for the next day.
Once through the lock, we encountered the strong and erratic water of the rising Mississippi. The eddies and currents reminded me of the challenges faced by companies in today’s environment with changing regulations, business climates, competition, and evolving technologies. In addition to the currents and eddies, we had much flotsam in the river, debris that was set free by flooding on the tributary rivers. We spent all day dodging and altering our course, much as companies adapt to changes around them.
The river is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers to keep it flowing and contained within its banks – similar to how government regulations keep industries flowing. We encounter locks, dams, dikes, and sea walls all along the river. We have our navigation charts to aid us on our path. We communicate with others in the ecosystem to ensure safe passage or call for assistance. Sometimes we collaborate with like boaters to make our passage safer.
We are on a small boat on a big river competing with much larger barges and tows. They dominate on the river, but they respect it and work with the smaller craft that cross their paths. This is much like how the VITA ecosystem functions with small and large companies working together in their respective markets to make everyone successful.
Our journey has been full of anxious moments as we anticipate what is ahead. Fortunately, we have countless resources available. We do our research, we study the course ahead, we talk to other boaters, we gather local knowledge, we adapt. As we have traveled, we gain more knowledge and share our knowledge with other Loopers.
There is a lot of time each day while on the water to reflect on life. It amazes me how similar our journey can be to the challenges of business life. Our adventure has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I encourage you to consider your own adventure goals.
Occasionally I have had to return to reality. Embedded Tech Trends 2025 is on the calendar for January 13-14, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas. It has been a challenge to plan ETT while on the water each day, but the agenda is quickly coming together. We have a great set of sponsors and editors scheduled to join us. If you are interested, please be sure to visit EmbeddedTechTrends.com for more information on sponsoring or attending.
Fair Winds and Following Seas!
