By: David Kidd, Photojournalist and Storyteller
High overhead, Offshore Wind Specialist Rema McManus takes a tentative step off the white steel tower platform and swings herself over the side, suspended in the air by a single nylon rope. The weight of her body strains against her bright orange and black safety harness, a six-pound web of belts, straps, buckles and clamps. Heavy-duty lanyards, attached with four oversized metal hooks, dangle from her vest, one at each side. Lowering slowly at first before picking up speed, she celebrates in mid-descent with outstretched gloved hands and a smile, barely visible under her COVID-19 mask. Safely on the ground, she untethers herself, only to climb back up the ladder and repeat the process.
Rema is one of four students, the first cohort to enroll in a new program designed to train wind turbine technicians at the New College Institute (NCI) in Martinsville, Va. While she spends the week learning to work at heights, the other three are in a classroom nearby, going over the basic technical skills needed for working on turbines. A fifth student had been expected to train with Rema, but illness forced a last-minute cancellation. Full five-day participation is mandatory.