Last week we christened some boats that the student completed at The Landing School during the first semester. I was asked to break one of the bottles on the boat. The ceremony/tradition says it has to be a woman to break the bottle and give the boat its official name. I didn't have anyone record me doing it, but I recorded another girl doing a different boat. So this is a video of what I did.. except I managed to embarrass myself. I had to hit the bottle three times before it finally broke. 

   It was a yacht design student's birthday last week, too. He loves whoopie pies, which are a very popular dessert in New England. They are usually the size of a cupcake. Joe's parents ordered him a 30lb whoopie pie from The Landing Store nearby. We all got a slice. This was the first whoopie pie I've ever tried. It was better than I thought it would be.

   Devin finally made it to Maine on Friday afternoon and I was SO HAPPY. We went to The Hive on Friday night and then helped my classmate, Adrian, celebrate his 21st birthday. 

   We woke up early on Saturday and drove up to Freeport. I got to spend my gift card at LL Bean from Devin's family. I found a pair of bright orange capri pants and an awesome multi-use bag. We ate lunch in Freeport and then drove to Portland. Devin made reservations to eat at The Grill Room that night. We both got a steak. Devin got lobster mashed potatoes for his side dish. Although I was too full to eat many bites, those mashed potatoes were awesome. All of it was awesome. I was determined to get some dessert there, but I got too full and had to pass. Ugh. This is a view from our hotel room:

   On Sunday morning we walked around the Old Port for a little bit. This is our best attempt at taking a picture of us walking around:

   We came back to Kennebunkport after eating lunch in Portland. We took a walk around the neighborhood that afternoon. It started out great but by the end we were kind of power walking because our faces were numb. I still had fun :) That night we cooked a dinner together and I was sad to say bye the next day.

   Today we had a class field trip to Portland Pilot. That is the pilot boat service in Portland... if the name doesn't give it away. Our main project between now and spring break is designing a pilot boat. A pilot boat is a small 35-ish foot boat that carries a "pilot" from the shore out to an incoming ship. If the captain of the ship is unfamiliar with the harbor, a pilot who is very familiar with the harbor will come take control of the ship and dock the ship. The pilot boat is like the taxi to get the pilot from the shore to the ship. The ship doesn't stop moving, so the pilot boat drives the same speed right up next to it and the pilot guy jumps from the boat to the ladder on the ship. It also works the other way: the pilot helps get the ship out of the harbor and then gets back in the pilot boat and goes back to shore.

 Here are some pictures from our visit at Portland Pilot:

 (not a pilot boat)

   And here is what I've done so far with my project. I've calculated where the engines will go as well as how big the propeller and rudders will be... and other boring stuff. And this is a drawing to show it:

I'm a real yacht designer!

   I got back from Sarasota, Florida yesterday. I had a second interview with Michael Peters Yacht Design while I was down there. I had butterflies the whole day because I was SO HAPPY with what I was seeing. I loved every single thing about the small company. I got to watch the current designers work, which was the most exciting part of the day. Seeing what I would be expected to do was great... because it was exactly what I want to do for my job. I was so pleased that I was offered the job at the end of the day. I went out to eat with Michael Peters and his wife that night and accepted his offer.
   I can't believe that Florida is going to be my new home. My school had a snow day today in Maine, and my car is once again buried under snow. So Florida sounds really good right now.
   I tried taking some pictures while I was down there. It wasn't appropriate to take pictures while I was at the office. But I took some photos near my hotel. Sorry for all of the selfies, but I didn't feel like asking strangers to take my picture.
   I got there on Sunday afternoon and had a chance to walk around a bit. I was happy to be able to wear shorts and sandals. I went to St. Armand's Circle. It is a big roundabout lined with a lot of shops and restaurants. Michael said it is the biggest tourist trap in Sarasota. But that was perfect for me. Grandma, I found the Ben and Jerry's.

   Here is the hotel I stayed at, the Holiday Inn on Lido Beach. And some pictures from right in front of the hotel. 

I am NOT good at taking selfies, by the way. 

   So here is what I wore on my interview.

And some more random pictures from my hotel:

 This one is for you, Kelly:

Back to school tomorrow. And we start learning about powerboats!