Harken Spotlighting Women in the Marine Industry
by Harken 5 Nov 2021 23:17 UTC
Christine Malcolm, Harken Engineer © Harken
Harken are shining the spotlight on female voices in the sailing industry who have an uncommon impact on the sport. They'll share stories about the challenges they face and the unique strengths they bring to their organizations.
I Am Woman, Hear Me... Engineer Stuff by Christine Malcolm, Harken Engineer
One of the things I enjoy most about my job at Harken is...doing my job at Harken. I've been an engineer here for a lot of years. In that time, I've been assigned all kinds of very interesting projects and worked within all the facets of the engineering department. Within the last 8 years, I have moved into software development and have fallen in love with it.
Most recently I've been writing software that controls a very large testing bench we designed and built ourselves and brought online in our Pewaukee factory. It allows us to test the performance of some of our largest custom hydraulic equipment, like vangs or cylinders that adjust rig tension or underwater foils for Grand Prix and megayachts. I admit it, I'm all quantitative, and I'm rational. But I fit right in with the rest of the socially challenged geniuses in this department. I have been told that I am hysterically funny and brutally sassy. But without some humor and sass, engineering can be dreadfully boring. And I'm a sailor. That is helpful but not required around here.
I'm one of two engineers in our company who happen to be women. I don't think that defines me here. That said, I am writing for this issue of At The Front probably because I'm a woman. Hmmm. Yes, Heather and I would like to have some more women on our engineering team to bring more excitement to our monotone boys' team here. So, if I had any advice to give any women who are engineers or thinking of becoming one... I'd say, the next time we have an opening, send your resume...get in here!
I'd really rather discuss the trip our family is doing.
We're taking our two kids, ages 8 and 10, on an eleven or twelve-month working sabbatical to do the Great Loop down the Mississippi, around Florida, up the East Coast, and in the Great Lakes, then back home to Wisconsin. We're taking our Hunter 40.5, which is a freshwater boat used about three months a year (primarily on weekends), and making it a live-aboard vessel we can all live aboard and my husband Jon and I can work from. Jon works at Harken too, in the engineering group. Yep, we met here. But for all those women who will put their resumes in, you don't have to marry a team member, I promise.
But back to the trip, we're going to be logging into meetings, developing programs, and sending design files as we take the trip. And because we are both engineers, we have overdesigned and repeatedly tried to perfect the boat. The biggest project was redesigning the boat's electrical system so we can be off-the-grid longer. We're building our own lithium battery system that daisy-chains four 3.2 volt cells to provide 12 volts and then adding an inverter so we can plug all the computers into the 110 amp sockets throughout the boat. This has been a lot of work. But the anticipation has been neat for us.
I'm looking forward to moving at whatever pace we want. We want to be present with our kids and just enjoy this time. By the time you're reading this issue, we will be down the river. I hope you enjoy it. I'll read every word too! Happy fall.