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

Saturday 21 February

"It was a fine, sunny morning when the thrilling cry of 'Land!' was given from the masthead."
-Washington Irving

"A good landfall always puts a navigator in fine humor."
-Thomas Fleming Day

0700 ET/1200 GMT Position
Latitude N Longitude W
USTS Kennedy's updated track: Sailwx Track

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

Division I Maintenance
Division II Maintenance
Division III Maintenance
Division IV Watch

Captain's Log 21 February 2009
by Captain Tom Bushy

We finally had to give it up to the power of the sea. Voyage planning has to be flexible to the weather. I pointed TS Kennedy west-northwest and picked up the speed. It was a much smoother ride, but a little jerky as we hit the seas more head-on. The extra speed was needed to cover the added miles to get home on time. Now, I am pretty sure one or two people reading this log care about coming in on time. But, you know me and most of my crew, the sea is our life and the longer we remain out at sea the better - not! When the calendar says it is time to dock the ship, then that's the time locked into your mind and your heart.

This has modified our routing much like we had to do in 2007. Instead of going around Cape Cod and entering the Canal from the east, we will now steam up Buzzards Bay and take the pilot near Cleveland Ledge. Once aboard, he will guide us though the Canal, out the east end, and turn around then re-transit as normal westbound. We have determined through the years that docking from the east is the safest maneuver and the pilots and the Army Corps of Engineers (Canal Control) agree.

So for your early morning travel plans, it should look like this within ten or fifteen minutes:

0200 Buzzards Bay Tower
0430 Cleveland Ledge Light Tower
0500 Pass MMA Eastbound
0545 Exit East End
0615 Enter East End
0730 Railroad Bridge
0743 Turn into Docking Slip

The 2009 Sea Term is almost over. I can honestly say that is has been one of the fastest in my memory - but that has a specific relativity different for all people. Mine is measured in total problems. Captain Rozak measures his in the number of discipline cases, Chief Laffan in machinery casualties, and the Chief Mate in gallons of paint he can spread out.

I hope the weather isn't too uncomfortable for viewing tomorrow. Our forecast calls for mild temperatures, a light wind from the southeast and rain/snow mix. I know they will have the Mess Deck open for a warm-up or to keep dry while awaiting the ship's arrival (remember, look left). I hope everyone has a great homecoming day. I'll be the tall guy on the bridge wing waving!

A Rough Day For Exams
by Cadet 1/C Peter Beuth

We have been pitching and rolling heavily for the last twenty-four hours and it has only just now begun to abate slightly. Yesterday afternoon and last night we had 20 to 25 foot seas with gusts of nearly hurricane force, 60-65 knots. Today we have a confused 12 to 18 foot sea with a southwest swell and large, steep northwest wind waves as the wind has veered to a northwesterly direction and is currently honking at about 35 knots. We have made only moderate northward progress in the last twenty four hours due to several course changes to lessen the affect of the seas on the vessel. It seems as if nobody slept at all last night with desks crashing around, secured objects suddenly becoming unsecured, and cadets afraid of rolling right out of their racks. Heck, this morning the main feed pump used as a training model in the engine training space broke free of its anchor bolts and was swinging around wildly by a single chain fall. Our exams which took place today were not made easy by the large seas either. Several times we took a series of heavy rolls which sent objects and/or cadets sliding across the room. Evidently the freshmen taking the Emergency Management exam in the 6 hold classrooms were sent sliding into the port side bulkhead when we took a large roll to port during the late morning. While not a huge storm by any stretch of the imagination, it was a strong one which certainly gave all of the cadets an idea of what you can encounter when you spend your life at sea. All day the main deck weather deck has been secured since waves have occasionally been coming over the gunwhale and onto the passageways which creates a hazardous condition for anybody trying to walk along the outside main deck. As I write this the seas are finally beginning to decrease slightly and should continue to do so as we slowly paddle our way home.

The excitement is clearly mounting as we get closer to returning home on Sunday morning. Despite our course changes and slow northward progress over the last twenty-four hours, we will still be docking at 0743 on Sunday morning. Many of you might wonder, why such a precise time? The current in the Cape Cod Canal is hydraulic. This happens when a narrow body of water connects two larger bodies of water. The current runs very fast through the Cape Cod Canal and the tide turns very quickly accompanied by a quick increase in the speed of the current at the end of each tidal phase. High water slack occurs at 0743 Sunday morning. There is only about 15 minutes on either side of that time to safely dock the TS Kennedy alongside the pier before the current increases and makes it unsafe to dock the vessel. Therefore, our voyage plan dictates that we arrive at the pier at precisely 0743 Sunday morning. Once again, you can expect to see Kennedy come into view from campus at about 0715 to 0720. We will be entering the east end of the Cape Cod Canal around 0600.

Saturday night we will have our last Captain's Inspection of this sea term. That will be followed immediately by Vegas Night. Vegas night is an annual occurrence in which all cadets get a certain amount of virtual money and they seek to win more money by gambling as the night goes on. At the end of the night an auction is held in which you can use the money you have won to buy CD's, DVD's, and other prizes. For those with a lot of money there are a few great prizes which include the following: the right to ride down the Cape Cod Canal in the Captain's chair, ride down the canal in the Kingpost located forward on the vessel, breakfast in bed served by COMCAD officers one morning during the semester, the right to be the Regimental Commander for a day, and the most sought after prize...FIRST PERSON OFF THE SHIP. Also occurring on Vegas Night is the annual Sea Term moustache contest. It seems as if 1/C John Groth has got that one wrapped up with a completely bald, shaved head, and a huge bushy 'stache. Tomorrow night's hours of fun are a great way to end sea term and put everybody in a good frame of mind to return home and begin the weeklong vacation.

A First Class Navigator
by Cadet 1/C Peter Beuth

Take one look at 1/C Scott Craigo and you would think just the thrashing we were dealt yesterday would have broken him in half. Quite the contrary. He stood smiling in the door of the quarterdeck watch office this morning, ready talk with me about his role during Sea Term 2009 all the while books, binders, life jackets, and other items were being thrown hither and thither by the storm. Beginning long before we departed Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, Scotty Craigo, the cadet 2nd mate-Navigation Officer has been diligently working alongside 2nd mate Tom Pham in preparing the voyage plan for TS Kennedy for the entire two month sea term. Voyage planning is a precise and time consuming task which takes into account the planned route, speeds, navigational hazards, ports of entry, and requirements for each port including customs, vessel traffic service call-ins, contact with pilots, and arrangements for tugs. Prior to sea term, Scott prepared exactly 125 nautical charts for use, gathered relevant information from publications including the US Coast Pilot and the Light List, and prepared the United States Coast Guard sector directory information for emergency situations in each port. Not only does 1/C Craigo have the job as the cadet 2nd mate but he also has successfully fulfilled all of his requirements for his senior year sea term involving celestial navigation, maintenance, and training. His daily work routine involves being present on the bridge for all arrivals and departures, assisting with all electronics and making sure they are functioning properly, checking the cadet log books, deciphering the relevant weather information, and preparing the noon position report each and every day. To say 1/C Craigo is a busy guy would be an understatement.

During the winter of 2008, 1/C Craigo shipped out with Celebrity Cruise Lines and visited a number of different ports including St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, St. Martin, Aruba, and Curacao. With so many different ports to visit, 1/C Craigo gained a lot of valuable voyage planning and navigational experience which he brought to the table for his job as cadet 2nd mate aboard TS Kennedy this winter. I asked him what his future plans were after graduation, and he simply shook his head and said, "I don't know, maybe a cruise ship officer, but who knows." I'll tell you this, he may not be in a rush to find his first job, but he is already off and running on his way to a successful career at sea whenever and wherever it may begin. With all of his hard work in the last few months 1/C Scott Craigo is a fully deserving recipient of this year's Master's Award which is awarded to a select few cadets in recognition of their hard work and service in accordance with the ideals of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. I'll leave you with this tidbit...a couple of weeks ago I was on the bridge and 1/C Craigo was nearby working on updating the voyage plan. Evidently the officer's calculator was missing and Captain Bushy got rather upset regarding the situation. Both 1/C Craigo and I were nearby and were basically in the middle of it. Later Captain Bushy asked us, "Why do you and Scotty here always seem to be in the middle of my outbursts?" Scott and I looked at each other and I replied, "Well Sir, we are always in the middle of them because we are always up here working on something of importance. If we were sleeping in our racks all the time then we wouldn't be in the middle of these outbursts, would we?" Captain Bushy looked at me for a moment, but turned away a moment later as the faint edges of a grin began to overtake his stoic facial expression. One thing is for sure, 1/C Craigo has been working tirelessly and his efforts have not gone unnoticed. Congratulations 1/C Scott Craigo on receiving the Master's Award and thanks for the many hours of hard work you have put forth in the last few months.

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...

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