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

Thursday 12 February

Valentine's Day is approaching. Watch for a special LINK celebrating this special day!

0800 ET/1300 GMT Position
In Port, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI
USTS Kennedy's updated track: Sailwx Track

Air Temperature 28.0 C
Sea Temperature 24.3 C
Sea State
Barometric Pressure mb and
Wind @ kts
Visibility miles.

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

APPROACHING ST THOMAS
by Cadet 1/C Peter Beuth

Anticipation is running high as we are now approaching our four-day stay in St. Thomas, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. One can sense the energy as teachers and cadets alike were talking incessantly about their plans all day. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but it seemed as if a lot of cadets were let out of class or maintenance a little early today...perhaps to get ready for tonight's Captain's Inspection, or perhaps to simply enjoy the beautiful weather. After all, its only a matter of days now until we find ourselves trudging through the North Atlantic and back into the cold winter weather.

It sounds as if many of the people I have talked to are planning on venturing out to the other islands such as St. John, Tortola, or Virgin Gorda. Each of these islands has a variety of spectacular attractions, including the "Baths" on Virgin Gorda; Cane Garden Bay and Apple Bay on Tortola; and beautiful beaches on St. John. With ferries running frequently between all of these islands, travel to and from should not be a problem. However, cadets will be reminded to be cognizant of the return schedules since missing the last ferry could spell doom for any future liberty days a cadet may have.

The last nine days since Puerto Rico have absolutely flown by for most of us. One might think that being on a 540 foot ship for almost ten days straight would lead to boredom and time would drag. Think again. We have all been kept busy with training, watch standing, inspections, gym time, etc, and the minutes have become hours, and the hours have blended into days. Tomorrow we will all wake up and find ourselves dockside on one of the most beautiful islands in the greater Caribbean area. Everyone has been working indefatigably since we left Puerto Rico and undoubtedly could all use a good long vacation. Once again we are going to a port where the drinking age is eighteen. Cadets have been reminded that they are representing the academy and any reprehensible actions will result in severe disciplinary measures such as loss of liberty, restriction days, and many hours of extra duty. As Captain Bushy and Captain Rozak have said numerous times, "You are allowed to participate, but you are not allowed to become intoxicated." So far this has gone by with extremely few alcohol related problems and all of the COMCAD staff and cadet leadership are hoping that our stay in Saint Thomas continues that trend. Tonight's pre-port briefing will surely echo many of the sentiments which I have expressed already, hopefully all of the cadets take note.

Catching Up With Captain Rozak, Commandant of Cadets
by Cadet 1/C Peter Beuth

SAFETY. Everything that we do as cadets in the regiment at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy ultimately comes down to SAFETY. By working to instill a strong work ethic and stressing attention to detail, the officers at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and on board TS Kennedy are preparing cadets for careers in the often dangerous maritime world. By demanding that we pay attention to every little detail they are ensuring that we don't show any tendencies to take shortcuts, which can sometimes lead to irreversible mistakes and devastating consequences.

Our pre-port Captain's Inspection is just such an event which demonstrates the need for attention to detail. A higher than normal standard of appearances and cleanliness prevails, and Captain Bushy and Captain Rozak spare no effort to make sure that cadets adhere to the regulations and take no shortcuts in their preparations. If we as cadets don't take shortcuts in the regiment, we will be less likely to take shortcuts on the job. That protects us and our shipmates as much as possible.

Captain Ed Rozak, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Commandant of Cadets, has been a distinguished presence at the academy for the past eleven years. Beginning as the Company Officer for First Company, he eventually became Deputy Commandant, and then the Commandant of Cadets when Admiral Gurnon was appointed President of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Captain Rozak uses the experience he has gleaned these eleven years, as well as his previous career in the U.S. Marine Corps, to make the switch from the shore side regiment to the ship board regiment as seamless as possible. One of the biggest challenges in the regiment is the issue regarding accountability. Regimental duties such as inspections are for the health and safety of all hands, discipline keeps improper behavior to a minimum, and teamwork encourages progress. All of these factors hark back to the issue of accountability, since all of these aspects help to hold each cadet responsible for his or her own actions and the overall success of the sea term itself.

As the Commandant of Cadets, Captain Rozak often is the emissary between Captain Bushy and the shipboard regimental leadership. Every day he attends the cadet leadership meetings held at 1600 to go over the plan for the upcoming day and to pass on any necessary information to the cadet division leaders, adjutants, cadet chief mate, or cadet chief engineer.

The other key members of the COMCAD staff include Lieutenant Commander Page, Lieutenant White, Lieutenant Schwartz, Lieutenant Magee, and Lieutenant Deegan. Each of these officers plays a critical role in overseeing the day to day operations on board TS Kennedy. Lieutenant White is in charge of the class II mast board and oversees the disciplinary measures levied upon the offending cadets. Lieutenant Magee has done a phenomenal job this year putting together tours such as the catamaran or horseback tours in Puerto Rico, the Tampa Bay Lighting hockey game in Tampa, and the kayak/snorkeling tour upcoming in Saint Thomas. Lieutenant Deegan is in charge of the work study program on board ship. Work study is yet another example of the programs that are transferred from shore to the ship when it is time to go to sea for sea term each year.

Overall the thorough oversight provided by the COMCAD staff has been a blessing as we are currently only eleven days from returning safely to Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, and we have had very few sick or injured cadets and even fewer major disciplinary problems as of yet. The current state of affairs aboard TS Kennedy speaks volumes about the officers' leadership and of the cadet leadership as well. Here's to another eleven days filled with fun, learning, and the building of lifelong memories!

Follow the Voyage
Here are today's questions:

History: What former President's birthday is celebrated today? How many years ago was he born?
Math: Madagascar, Africa, is the fourth largest island in the world...226,657 square miles. Its population is about 18.6 million people. What is the population density (persons per square mile) of Madagascar?
Science: How close is the earth to the sun at apogee? At perigee? At what point in the year does each of these events occur?
Geography: What island of the world has the largest geographic area? Which island has the largest population?

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...Ready For The Beaches

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