Sea Term 2009: Captain's Blog

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February 2009 S M T W Th F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Jan 2009

Sunday 01 February

"All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership."
-John Kenneth Galbraith

1230 ET/1730 GMT Position
In Port, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Pier One - West side
USTS Kennedy's updated track: Sailwx Track

Air Temperature 82 F
Sea Temperature 72 F
Sea State
Barometric Pressure 30.04" Hg and falling
Wind ENE @ 14 kts
Partly cloudy. Visibility 10 miles.

Division I Liberty
Division II Watch
Division III Liberty
Division IV Liberty

Since many who follow the voyage of TS Kennedy via this website are not also members of the MMA Parents Association, we will share comments from Trustee Paul Kelley that he forwarded through MMAPA President, Beth Sobiloff

Sea Term Update
by Trustee Paul F. Kelly

To All Hands:

I just returned from the Tampa-Puerto Rico leg of Sea Term 2009, and wanted to let you all know how great the cadets are doing! Morale is high, and they are having a great time at sea and on liberty! The bug that was going around seems to have subsided. The Medical Staff is always on call, and Dr. Broach from UMass Worcester is a great guy. The chow has been great - there was a steak cook-out as part of "Sunday At Sea", as well as turkey and ham dinners during the week!

Sea Term is a wonderful opportunity to see MMA at work. The cadet officers and rates do a tremendous job working with and training the 4/C cadets. The faculty is there with them and always available. Mid-term exams were just completed and the students did quite well. There were few liberty trangressions in Tampa, and those lessons learned should make San Juan and St Thomas even better! There is much to do with organized activities by SGA and ComCad coordination.

Captain Bushy, the Engine/Deck Watch Officers, and crew are always taking initiative to help with cadet training. I was particularly impressed with the anchoring drills conducted off the West Coast of Puerto Rico - real hands on experience for cadets that stresses the need for teamwork/communications among the bow, the bridge,and the engine room. Leadership opportunites are ever present.

The opportunity to experience training in all degree majors as part of Sea Term enables the 4/C cadets to finalize their decisions about their majors. Sea Term is invaluable for all: the non-license majors get an appreciation for those at sea, and the licensed majors have a chance to learn about all the other necessary elements related to the maritime industry, safety, and the preservation of the sea and our environment.

Your cadets will have many life-long memories and sea stories to share with you upon the return of T.S. Kennedy in a few short weeks.

So, a big "BRAVO ZULU" to all for their participation and performance in Sea Term 2009!

Semper Fi,
Paul F. Kelly
Vice Chairman
MMA Board of Trustees

This is how the Sea Term Commander, 1/C Chinh Nguyen, spends his free time?

On Becoming a Leader...
by Cadet 1/C Peter Beuth

When you first meet Chinh Nguyen you might ask yourself, "This is the 2009 Cruise Commander?" Shorter than average and with a lean build, he doesn't give the immediate impression of an authoritative powerhouse. However, in speaking with him for only a matter of moments one can tell that Mr. Nguyen truly is a man of authority, and a man on a mission. His position is critical, as he sits high atop the cadet leadership and essentially acts as the intermediary between the ship's officers, the regimental officers (COMCAD staff), the cadet leadership and the regiment of cadets. 1/C Nguyen took the position of Cruise Commander this year after the school's Regimental Commander, 1/C Matt Duggan received the opportunity to work in an internship with FEMA. Normally the title of Cruise Commander is given to the Regimental Commander, but since Mr. Duggan's plans did not involve this year's sea term, Mr. Nguyen was the natural fit given his progressively evolving leadership abilities and his prior position as the school's Regimental Executive Officer when on the solid ground of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Cadet 1/C Nguyen Organizing and Directing.

As Cruise Commander, Mr. Nguyen's responsibilities are many, including creating the support bills which assign watch duties, cleaning duties, and scullery duties. He also presides over the daily divisional meetings attended by all division leaders and several COMCAD officials to work on the plan for the next day, which is never long in coming. Mr. Nguyen also speaks frequently with the Captain, giving progress reports to Captain Bushy and receiving advice or orders regarding the happenings on board TS Kennedy. Amongst all of this, Mr. Nguyen has made it a point to work closely with both 1/C Tyler Warms, the Cadet Chief Mate, and 1/C Timothy Vincent, the Cadet Chief Engineer, to fortify the link between the two departments in hopes of ensuring each other's cooperation toward the common goal of a safe and successful learning environment for all cadets. On top of all of these duties, Mr. Nguyen also has the responsibilities of a senior cadet engineer including but not limited to training for underclass on topics such as motor controls, main engine failure, and engine casualty control. On the rare occasion that he finds a spare moment, 1/C Nguyen has been known to find his way to the bridge, most recently learning a thing or two about the Radar and ARPA machines which aid in collision avoidance and the tracking of other vessels' movements.

Every year there are some aspects of sea term which develop better than others. When asked what successes we have had this year, he responded, "The freshmen have been motivated and want to learn, they are getting the job done...Things are quiet, and that's the way I like it." There are also things that aren't going as well as they should, and Mr. Nguyen was more than obliged to explain, stating that, "Their (4/C cadets) sea term terminology has been poor and basic seamanship is still on a learning the curve." When referring to terminology Mr. Nguyen speaks of calling items by their proper terminology, such as a 'deck' versus the floor, 'bulkhead' versus a wall, and a 'scuttlebutt' versus a bubbler. All of this will come in due time he said. Mr. Nguyen made it clear that he would like to thank all the parents, saying, "They are good kids, and you've done a fine job raising them."

Upon graduating, Mr. Nguyen expects to find work with Exxon Mobil, working as a 3rd Assistant Engineer, while also working to obtain his MBA. When asked where he will be in five, twenty, and fifty years, he responded, "In 5 years I'll be in Houston with my MBA, and getting another degree in finance. In 20 years I hope to be married and working. Sounds right for a 40 year old. In 50 years I hope to be retired and opening up my first restaurant." Clearly cadet 1/C Chinh Nguyen has immense ambitions which will keep him occupied for years and perhaps decades to come. When we reach Tortola, Mr. Nguyen will have surely worked hard enough to enjoy his time off. I have seen Mr. Nguyen's transformation from a funny, break dancing freshmen (see the 2006 sea term video), to a man with high moral values who holds his position of authority with integrity. You can be sure that 1/C Chinh Nguyen will be an outright success, just as he already is now.

LINKS:
Official MMA Photography

Christiaan Conover Blog Page
Buzzards Bay Weather
MMA Parents Association

Departure Photos
Cape Cod Times Online Departure Photos
217 Photos of TS Kennedy's Arrival in Tampa

Should you have an emergency and need to contact someone at MMA regarding your cadet or a crew member, please contact Commander Stephen Kelleher:
Commander Stephen Kelleher
508-830-6485 (daytime)
508-364-6217 (Evenings/Weekends)
seaterm@maritime.edu

If Commander Kelleher is not available, you may contact me at any time:
Captain Allen Hansen
508-269-0925
ahansen@maritime.edu

Parting Shots...