![\"John](\"http:\/\/mainemaritime.edu\/mariner\/issue2-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/08\/john-webster2.jpg\")
John Webster ’73<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
I had a basket full of problems I had to overcome, but I stuck to it and saw it to a successful finish.<\/p>\n
Once I did one project, the learning curve was pretty much established. I\u2019m not one to sit around, so I had to find more projects to do. I built six projects for myself with total installed capacity of six megawatts. There are four in New Hampshire, one in New York, and one in Maine.<\/p>\n
Typically, power is sold to the local utility. You have a meter almost exactly like the one on the side of your home, and this registers the electricity sold into the grid.<\/p>\n
Recently, my attention has turned to a partnership running a gold mine in Costa Rica. I was introduced to it by a Canadian running a gold mine in Nicaragua who wanted me to build him a hydro plant.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a \u201chard rock\u201d mine, unlike the free gold seen on the TV gold shows, where the gold is in the river bed. Our mine excavates ore, crushes it, and treats it with chemicals to recover the gold. We\u2019re going to process 200 tons of gold a day. We have an estimated mine life of 10 years, but we know there is much more than 10 years where we are.<\/p>\n
In two years I\u2019ll be 70 and the gold mine should be making a good profit. I\u2019m going to sell my hydro assets and spend the winters in Costa Rica at the mine.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m also going to attempt to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, Georgia to Maine, in one six-month trek.<\/p>\n
My best advice for MMA students? Study hard, work hard, and anything you put your mind to is possible. Don\u2019t worry about making mistakes\u2014everyone does.<\/p>\n
The best advice I\u2019ve received was from my father: \u201cAnyone can quit. Quitting is easy. Perseverance is hard.\u201d\u2588<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014By John Webster \u201973<\/em><\/p>\n Photos: Billy Sims<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" John Webster \u201973 brings old hydro power stations back online, but he has his eye on Costa Rican gold.<\/p>\n When I attended MMA, I was young and didn\u2019t understand what all the discipline was about. It wasn\u2019t a pleasant experience.<\/p>\n Once I graduated and started working on ships, things made more sense.<\/p>\n After graduation, I worked for Gulf Oil Corp. for 10 years, sailing as an engineer on oil tankers. I worked on old T-2 tankers and modern VLCC crude carriers. I enjoyed my time with Gulf Oil, but being gone six months out of the year is hard if you want a stable married life with a family.<\/p>\n I was inspired to try something new when I read an article in Down East magazine about a fellow, Larry Gleeson, from Belfast, Maine, who was rebuilding an old hydroelectric station. Because of my engineering background, I understood a lot about what was involved.<\/p>\n