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This is Dan Alexander. He is one of the engineers that help run the R/V Endeavor. His official title is Port Engineer. He mainly works out of an office and then he gets to take 4 to 5 trips a year out on the ship. He fills in for any of the regular crew members that are taking a vacation, in order to get a feel for the ship and learn all of the quirks that one can’t get a grasp of onshore. He basically does routine inspections and regular maintenance and helps with any necessary repairs while he is on board. He is the one to go to if things like electricity or water aren’t working quite right.
Dan has essentially spent most of his life near or on the water. He grew up in Rhode Island, and has been working on boats since he was 18 years old. He joined the US Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point and hasn’t looked back since. He has worked on a total of five boats including the R/V Endeavor. He has been working on the Endeavor since 1998 and recently took on full time in 2010.
One of his most memorable trips was one when he was a cadet in the Marine Academy. He, an engineer cadet and along with a deck cadet were put on a commercial ship to gain their year of experience. They picked up passengers in Los Angeles, California and then went down the coast of South America. Then they went through the straits of Magellan, which isn’t a route that typically taken by commercial ships. He also mentioned trips that the Endeavor has taken to Norway and Faroe Islands. He really enjoys the trips where they go off the beaten path. To places he’s never heard of and on routes that aren’t typically traveled. He also likes to collect flying fish sculptures from various places he has been. He currently has five in his collection so far. He says that they remind him the ones in Barbados.
Since the Endeavor is going to be retired in 6 to 7 years, Dan said that he would probably retire with the ship. He plans to live out his retirement on a boat somewhere, drinking beer.
(Neeshell Bradley-Lewis)
