Employee Profile: Marine Atlantic’s Elf on the Shelf - Highdy

Crew on the MV Highlanders recently welcomed a new team member aboard – Highdy the Elf! Highdy was adopted by employee Elaine Cook last month, and has been causing a lot of excitement onboard.

Highdy is an Elf on the Shelf doll, a special scout elf sent from the North Pole to help Santa determine his naughty and nice lists.

Each night, Highdy comes to life so she can fly back to the North Pole to check in with Santa. In the morning, Highdy flies back to the Highlanders and sits in a new place to watch all the activity onboard.

Elaine, who adopted Highdy, says the response to Highdy’s presence on the Highlanders has been incredible. Employees in North Sydney and Port Aux Basques have warmly welcomed Highdy to the team, and are excited each day to see what she has been up to while they sleep.

Passengers have also been joining in on the fun! During a recent weather delay, the Highlanders had to stay dockside due to high winds. Two children were on the vessel, and Highdy’s presence helped put big smiles on their faces.

The Captain noticed that Highdy was signing on and off the vessel each night when she left for the North Pole so he advised Highdy to complete a familiarization tour of the vessel as required by all of the ship’s personnel. Highdy completed her tour and training and is now officially a Marine Atlantic employee.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Highdy and ask her about her new job on the Highlanders.

When did you join the Marine Atlantic team?

When my friend Elaine adopted me last month and named me after the Highlanders, Marine Atlantic became my family. Now it is my job to watch the employees and passengers onboard and report back to Santa each night. I feel really lucky that Elaine adopted me because I love the ocean, and now I get to see it every single day.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

The most challenging part is that I must stay still and quiet during the day while I observe the excitement onboard.  It is important that I sit and watch quietly to ensure I don’t miss anything for Santa, but sometimes I really wish I could help the Captain sail the vessel!

What is the favorite part of your job?

The best part of being an Elf on the Shelf for Marine Atlantic has definitely been meeting such amazing employees and passengers. Everyone has been so excited to meet me and I love meeting them, too! Plus, I was given this really sharp uniform which I proudly wear every day.  Yellow and blue are such beautiful colors! Don’t get me wrong, elves love red and green but after looking at the same colors for so long, it is nice for a fresh change.

*****

Welcome aboard Highdy and a big thank you to Elaine for helping to spread holiday spirit onboard for both crew and passengers!