Most kids want a car for their 18th, or 21st…even if it’s just a beaten up old junker type. Cars are pretty useful as well, don’t get me wrong. Most of my friends have turned eighteen now, so they’re all driving around in their basic cars having a grand old time.

But if I’m being honest, trains are fine. Buses are…less fine, but they work okay, and I can read while I’m travelling, so that’s cool.. Nah, what I’m really after- good luck me, explaining this to the parents- is a boat. Preferably one with a motor. A plate aluminium boat would be awesome, since they have the best handling and ride, and ideally they’d come with a swim deck for the inevitable boat parties.

As you can see, I’ve been doing my research. I think I got hooked on the idea when I realised that my entire trek to uni is going to be along the waterfront, and showing up to my future university on a boat every day- and probably paying less for parking, maybe, perhaps, further research required- and I’d be the coolest kid on the block. Not really, but the novelty just appeals to me.

Melbourne has a pretty good marine welding scene, plenty of people who can fix things and make recommendations. And overall, I’ve always been a creature of the ocean. I spend half the summer bobbing around in the sea, I absolutely love being on boats and I’m actually pretty good at it. Great Uncle Pete let me take the helm of his yacht last year when we visited them in Brisbane, and he said I was a natural sea captain. It’s just, like, no one my age is into boating. I’d be the only one. It’d be my ‘thing’. I’d be the one who could tell you all about techniques for quality bait board production, or the figures for the stainless steel marine welding industry. You know…stuff that makes a person cool.

-Cyan