Zephyr run
"Keep up, keep up" I hear Luis telling students in the back of the group. Swoosh, Swoosh. Students walked swiftly towards the seaport.
"Let's not miss this boat" Aaron yells to all students. Zephyr would be leaving the pier in 5 minutes. We all rushed to keep up with each other. Some were trying to pass others. Once in awhile students would turn back to see where the others were. I wanted to see if I was falling behind. I needed to make sure I wasn't the reason we missed this boat. Finally, the last person scurried to the end of the pier. We had finally made it.
A breath of relief came from everyone. Some out of breath and some eager to see what adventure lay ahead of us. A shriek came from the gangway as a deckhand lowered it, making sure it was stable enough for passengers to walk on. We managed to get this picture in because you can't just walk onto Zephyr without a picture to document the moment. We entered Zephyr and the interior was so modern. I'm use to seeing old wood and tar. There was a bar and arranged seating for guest. Aaron explained to us that we were going to the pilot house to see how the boat was run. Thud thud. We walked up the stairs to see the captain not at a wheel but at a joystick and the quarter master. The quarter master is the captains second set of eyes. I learned so much interesting things about this boat. This boat has FOUR engines!!! Indy only has one. Zephyr has a jet engine which allows it to shoot water out so the boat to propel in any direction. When Zephyr can moves sideways using its engines which is a technique called walking. Looking at this whole experience its helped me realize how old or "basic" our boat here at Harbor School are. Our boats are more difficult to maneuver because most are old and easily affected by prop walk. I mean if our engine stops working we can call another boat to come get us so we are safe, but Zephyr's way is still pretty cool. However because Zephyr is so large it needs to have more than one engine because its reaction time needs to be on point. Overall this experience opened my eyes to the variety of boats that are in the maritime industry and that every boat has its own special twist!!