Ryan Beckman ’99: Navigating the waters of life

Ryan Beckman ’99 took inspiration from Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” and turned to carpentry as a way of immersing himself in a more rugged lifestyle in the hopes of finding a life similar to the one Thoreau found in his cabin in the woods. He renovated a run-down house in Iowa City as his first step toward living his life audaciously. 

I was building a contracting business and then, in my late 20s, I decided to move to Madison, Wisconsin, because I did not want to lock myself into the professional trajectory I was on.  

 After 14 years of working in the construction industry, I got in my canoe and paddled down the Mississippi River. It took three months, and I camped along the riverbank from Minneapolis to New Orleans. I met up with six Cornell connections along the river. 

In Madison I had fallen in love with sailing. While on the river I made a promise to myself to get a captain’s license. After the river trip I pedaled a bicycle from New Orleans to Ft. Lauderdale and began working on sail and motor yachts ranging in size from 75 feet to 210 feet in various locations including Florida, the Hamptons, through the Panama Canal, a passage from Costa Rica to Seattle, a trip to Alaska—anchoring among glaciers calving into the water—and a four-month stint in Baja, Mexico.

In 2017 my mother had cancer surgery and chemotherapy. I was home with her for that entire year. Her resolve, determination, and sheer will in the face of that extreme challenge taught me many lessons about life.  

In 2018 I worked aboard a 150-foot schooner in The Netherlands. I had the wonderful opportunity to work with world-renowned shipwrights in the Royal Huisman sail yacht yard for nine months. In 2019 I was aboard a 150-foot motor yacht that traveled from the Caribbean to the Bahamas to New England, with many stops and great experiences along the way!  

After six years at sea, the fun, adventure, travel, and constant 16-hour workdays started to wear thin. It was time to make a change. I spent much of 2020 improving Mike Wright ’99’s house in Southampton, New York, and then moved to Boston in late 2020. In April 2021 I decided to move to Burlington, Vermont, because of its natural beauty, the multitude of outdoor activities that I love to do, and the good people. Since then, I have started a contracting business, spent time as a sailing instructor, started a long journey into Jiu-Jitsu, and have begun a side business crafting wooden taps for tap dancers around the world! 

Lately I have been seeing my dad through a bout with cancer. There were some serious complications and likely more to come, but the lessons my dad has taught me by example over the years are to roll with the punches and do the best you can!

 In my experience, the world has an uncanny way of opening up if you’re open to it. Opportunities and obstacles seem to present themselves as you move forward. As good Cornellians, I think we can evaluate the opportunities well, and figure out the best way to get through the obstacles!