by 1st Asst Engineer Chip
Chip has been the 1st assistant to the engineer since 1997. Originally Chip is from Honolulu, Hawaii where he was born and raised. Beginning in 1996 he began his life in Oregon where he began to form his family. His family composes of a son and a daughter who are both grown now but he does not have grandchildren yet. Chip is a very interesting individual and he is knowledgeable in various areas. For example, he does many activities from carpentry to electronics. He used to do airbrush work and graphic art. Chip is a bass player and he actually built his own instrument! He is also a music fanatic and likes pretty much every genre. With that being said Chip likes all types of food as well. Blue is Chip’s favorite color and maybe that’s his favorite because of how much times he spends out at sea. He is a very diverse person, his mother was Scottish-Irish and his father grew up in Mexico making Chip an all-around individual. Growing up in Hawaii made him like the ocean but, he does not like cold water. Getting to know Chip was amazing, he has amazing stories. Chip’s grandmother was friends with an Argentinian Bullfighter! One time when he was realizing a tight gage from the ocean floor, out of his peripheral vision he saw a dark shadow. What Chip then realized was that it was a dolphin! The dolphin then followed him right by Chip’s side until he reached the surface again. Almost as if the dolphin was taking care of him. I found this story fascinating and he has endless ones just like this. Interviewing Chip was a lovely experience and I am happy that I had the pleasure to meet and talk to him.
-Alondra Infante
