During our third week at Westport, LLC, the three of us were switched to different crews. Maggie moved on to the mechanical crew, where she installed insulation on a 38-meter model. Ioana switched to the small parts assembly crew, where small parts are primed, sanded, and filled with mud before being added to the main hull form. Lina went to the electrical crew, where she installed outlets and light switches and observed her supervisor, Caleb Burge, undertake the great task of "troubleshooting"- finding out why lights won't turn on, consulting with other departments on installations, and fixing any problems that are thrown his way.
The 77 model boat is almost completed, will launch on February 1st, and is to be delivered February 15th. We hope to board the boat for sea trials.
While at work, we mess up sometimes (Lina finds this particularly true). The employees at Westport are incredibly patient, encouraging, and friendly. Maggie got to use the davit crane on one of the yachts, Lina learned how to shut off the boat completely, and Ioana was treated to lunch at the Original House of Pizza by her crew.
One thing we noticed about Westport is the lack of communication between the engineering department in the office and the shipyard workers on the floor. Some workers complained that most prints and designs are not planned out completely, and that engineers often overlook the human factor that comes with constructing the boats. This is an issue that we want to improve when we join the engineering field in the future.
On Friday we drove to Seattle to spend the weekend with Will Wiley '19, Andrew Pidduck '19, and Vinnie Commisso '18. We arrived Friday night to their swanky apartment located downtown and surrounded by restaurants and nightclubs that blared electronic music all night. A few minutes after we came, we were joined by Sean Healy, Alex Koziol, and Jenny Wei from Port Angeles.
On Saturday, Alex, Sean, and Will left early to hit the slopes on Mount Rainier. The rest of us woke to a hearty meal prepared by Andrew.
Lina's sorry that she blocked Jenny in this picture!
After breakfast, we left to explore the city. We walked to Elliot Bay, by the ferries, touristy restaurants, and Seattle Great Wheel. We stopped at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop to look at the strange knick-knacks, shrunken heads, and century-old piano players.
Picture credit: Vinnie Commisso
On our walk we walked up staircases, past murals, and through Post Alley, which, according to Andrew and Will, houses unlimited free gum.
Ioana, Vinnie, and Andrew on their way to the Wall of Gum
Someone immortalized Lina in gum!
Up the stairs was Pike Place Market, which houses locally produced groceries and souvenirs.
Picture credit: Vinnie Commisso
We stopped for a midmorning meal at Piroshky Piroshky, a local Russian pastry shop, and then walked to the Seattle Center, where the Space Needle is located.
The six of us split into pairs and went to different museums in the area. Maggie and Andrew went to the Pacific Science Center:
The center was constructed for the 1962 World's Fair
An axolotl- one of Maggie's favorite animals
This rude guy walked in on their selfie
Andrew testing his center of mass
The center is also well-known for having the only furniture set that fits Andrew comfortably
Lina and Vinnie went to the Museum of Pop Culture:
An exhibit on independent video games
Jimi Hendrix's guitar from Woodstock
Lou Reed, Mick Jagger, and David Bowie
Picture credit: Vinnie Commisso
Picture credit: Vinnie Commisso
From the Horror exhibit, Freddy Krueger's costume from A Nightmare on Elm Street, signed by Robert Englund
Picture credit: Vinnie Commisso
From the Fantasy exhibit, the Cowardly Lion costume from The Wizard of Oz
Picture credit: Vinnie Commisso
From the Jim Henson exhibit, Bert and Ernie
Picture credit: Vinnie Commisso
Picture credit: Vinnie Commisso
Ioana walked into the gift shop and found this cool poster
Jenny and Ioana also went to the Olympic Sculpture Park and encountered members of the 2018 Women's March along the way.
The International Fountain
After we reunited and ate lunch, we went back to the apartment. While everyone else relaxed and recharged, Maggie, Lina, and Jenny went on a walk around the area, stopping at a toy store and a bookstore.
Later that day, we were joined by Tyler Gray-Hoehn '18, who is currently staying in another area of Seattle for his winter work term. We all walked to Dick's Burgers, where we had really delicious burgers and shakes. We then went to a concert venue, where the concert we thought would be happening wasn't, but this didn't damper our spirits. We walked around for a while before returning to the apartment, where we met Andrew Ko '16, currently Andrew's boss at Vigor Seattle.
The next day we had breakfast at Biscuit Bitch, complete with plenty of biscuits, gravy, and punk rock music.
Lina had a Bitchwich
We then went back to Pike Place Market, where Will tried piroshky for the first time (and the rest of us had them for a second time). We walked back to the waterfront, where Maggie rode the Great Wheel and took pictures of the amazing Seattle skyline.
Maggie's so excited!
Will and Alex making note of a nearby container ship
On our drive back to Westport, we stopped in Tacoma for dinner at Ivar's Fish Bar. The bright sunset and drizzling rain made a beautiful rainbow, and an old man looking through the restaurant window was irritated at the number of pictures we took.
"We look like a band and this is our album cover"- Ioana
The rainbow was a fitting end to our fun weekend. Thanks so much to Will, Andrew, and Vinnie for hosting us!
Stay tuned for more adventures in Washington!
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