Argosy Cruises Team Member since 2013
Current Department: I.T. Department
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Rachel began at Argosy Cruises on our Royal Argosy dining ship during the 2013 Christmas Ship Festival season, intending to stay for a short time before moving on. Contrary to her plans, she ended up staying well beyond the holiday season, moving over to crew other vessels full-time, and eventually becoming bosun of the Celebrations in 2015.
At the end of 2015 Rachel moved into the Pier 55 offices as Argosy's Training Facilitator, supporting the Vessel Operations managers and the Human Resources Department, tracking crew training. In this role her innate project management skills and technological aptitude ("geekery," in her own words) were fully realized and today Rachel support many of Argosy's technology systems as our I.T. Helpdesk Manager. From overseeing point-of-sale, reservation and scheduling systems, to IT infrastructure both on the boats and in the Pier 55 offices, Rachel also directs the I.T. planning for our new vessel coming online in 2017.
Rachel's "fixer" personality, curiosity, and passion for learning are characteristics that Argosy is both lucky and honored to have on board, and we're thrilled to introduce her to you here.
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What is your favorite cruise here at Argosy?
I love the Locks Cruise. It brings the best of three different products together: the Harbor and Lake Union Cruises, and then the independent coolness of going through the locks themselves. It's awesome to see a side of the city that you absolutely just can't get to any other way. You can't explore the Ship Canal without being down on the water. You get such a strong sense of how the history and industry of Seattle has shaped the structure of the city.
What other department would you be interested in working in around here, besides I.T.?
As the I.T. person at Argosy, I'm already a bit in every department these days. I need to understand their needs and which questions to ask to best support their staff from my end. But if I did move to another department I would like to end up back in Vessel Operations. It's partly due to my comfort level over there, and there are lots of projects within that department that my "fixer" brain enjoys.
What is your favorite stop on the waterfront (besides Pier 55, of course)?
Something that I feel is super underrated in Seattle is the Elliott Bay Water Taxi. It's a quick jaunt across the water with them to get over to West Seattle. Seacrest Park right around the dock is great for walking around in and watching the scuba divers on the weekends. Marination Ma Kai is a great place to eat and it's right there next to the water taxi dock, too. I think people think of the route as just transportation and forget that it's also the start of a fun journey to another part of the city.
Do you have a favorite vessel here at Argosy?
I'm a big fan of two of our boats. The Goodtime III was my first tour boat and she is such a great fit for her main job, the Locks Cruise. I also really enjoyed my time aboard the Celebrations as her bosun. She provides great service for small groups on private charters, and as bosun I enjoyed my personal involvement in running events on that boat.
What do you like to do when you're not working?
I really enjoy video games, and play quite a few of them. Part of my core "nerdness," on the computer side of my life. Outside of the house I love visiting Alki Beach in West Seattle. Great people watching there, especially in the summer. It's a great place for photography, too, especially of our amazing sunsets in Seattle.
Do you have a special #ArgosyMoment to share?
When I was very new as crew and still new to Seattle I happened to be working on the Goodtime III on a Tuesday night. We were sailing east through the Fremont Cut into Lake Union, and as we turned the corner into the lake it was absolutely jam packed with sailboats everywhere. Kristi was my captain that night, and I asked her, "What is going on?!" She explained that what we were seeing was Duck Dodge and it was an every Tuesday thing for local recreational sailboaters. It was an amazing moment not only for me but also for our Locks Cruise passengers on board.
If you could charter one of our boats, which one would it be, where would you cruise, and what fun stuff would you do on board?
Tying in with my favorite #ArgosyMoment, I would charter the Champagne Lady for a cruise of 30-40 people in Lake Union and Lake Washington on a Tuesday. It'd be a late afternoon cocktails-with-good-food event where we cruise around and then camp out in Lake Union to watch all the sailboats. Duck Dodge is such a quintessential Seattle lake experience, and the Champagne Lady's great open-air second deck would be perfect for taking it all in.