Sea Term 2009: Captain's Blog

---

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 22 February

"What fates impose,
That man must needs abide;
It boots not to resist
Both wind and tide."
-Shakespeare

"Then did I sudden understand the sobbing of the sea."
-Frank Dempster Sherman

Offload/Watch/Liberty as assigned.

TS Kennedy slipped into her berth right on schedule this morning under cloudy skies with 34 degree temperatures and calm winds. There was a great crowd for an early arrival. Here are today's updates...

Captain's Log 22 February 2009
by Captain Tom Bushy

First of all, I am really happy that the weather cooperated and did not throw a large monkey wrench into our arrival time. A little snow and rain is OK, and cold temperatures too. But the real saving was the wind. So, I am thankful that it finally abated. But, think about it, had we not elected to speed up, we would have been late. But by speeding up, we are early, which is certainly the better of the two.

I have to say that the moms and dads reading this log should be very proud of your cadets today. We had the dreaded field day...nothing but work. And work they did. Every space on the ship, from engineering fan rooms, to classrooms to public heads. Everything was swept, swabbed, scrubbed and shined up. I only wish that all the readers could see the ship right now. Between two days of gale force winds with the occasional thundershower, the weather decks are pristine. And below decks is now spotless. Of course, Kennedy is just finishing her sixth sea term and some areas deserve some new paint But all in all, she still looks very good. I am very proud of all the cadets, their supervising cadets and officers, and mostly for everyone's cooperative nature about a day of drudgery.

Before the cadets could enjoy the fruits of their labor, down they went to their holds to prepare for the final Captain's Inspection. The sprit is always strong to please, but the reality is that the Captain is a little on the lax side for this one. I tend to be more reassuring of their success and the hopes that this arduous period of their lives will contribute to a better understanding of how the world will treat them. Way too philosophical for 1900 hours on the last day of 52!

Last night we were treated to an excellent prime rib dinner, along with baked fish and all the other stuff like twice-baked potatoes, Brussels sprouts and pasta. This wonderful meal was topped off with four or five different pies and, of course, ice cream. So much for the few pound I lost over 43 days!

So, we have arrived home. The hand-held horns and whistles trying to compete with our 440 volt whistle. I am always amazed by the noise the crowd makes. Up on the bridge wing, I hear it all. The shout from the young woman to her man, the mother's joy at seeing her daughter, and the shrill screams of the young brothers and sisters are clear to us on the bridge. It is always fun, and something you never tire of.

My personal thanks to all the officers and crew - the job could not get done without each and every one of them. Our ship owner, Marad, and our new marine surveyor, Matt O'Donnell, did a stellar job of helping us get out of Buzzards Bay on time. Many vendors and repair folks, from Tom Bardwell of Bardwell Electronics, Don Spring at Sandwich Ship Supply, the guys over at C-Map to helpers from Lightship Marine Repair. Our pilots from Northeast Marine Pilots, like Clint Walker and Howard McVay - and Rob Ripley in St. Thomas and Dave Besser and Steve Cropper down in Tampa - to Joe Paulis and Lee Evans (everywhere we go we see MMA guys and girls doing the piloting work!). And my thanks to Arthur Fournier for pushing us around into the docks with his tugs in Buzzards Bay and the guys in Tampa from Seabulk, all helping out a no charge.

So, my long list of thanks could go on, but I'm afraid I'll miss just one person. Been a great trip, hope to catch up with you readers when you stop in Buzzards Bay to say hello.

Fair winds!

Field Day!
by Cadet 1/C Peter Beuth

FIELD DAY! It sounds a lot like that day you have back in elementary school on the day before summer vacation started. Remember? Sure you do. You had the egg toss, the hundred yard dash, soccer, the mile run, the hamburgers, hot dogs, and music. Today we had our field day; the activities of choice were cleaning the seatorium, cleaning the navigation labs, cleaning the MSD room, cleaning the Midship house and forward house ladderwells, cleaning the berthing compartments, cleaning the quarterdeck, and many more such activities. Do you see a recurring theme here? That's right, today we had our field day here on TS Kennedy, preparing to return home to Buzzards Bay bright and early on Sunday morning. All of the cadets, from freshmen up through the seniors spent the entire day diligently cleaning so as to present ourselves as best we can to the welcoming crowd upon our return. At 1500 this afternoon, Captain Bushy made his rounds of the ship and evidently was thoroughly impressed with the cleaning and securing job that everyone did throughout the day. Hopefully his good impressions last through Captain's Inspection this evening and we will all be making or way off the ship as soon as possible after Kennedy is securely moored alongside the state pier around 0800.

The rumor mill has been working full force and so I need to make sure everyone is aware...We are still on track to arrive at the pier at 0743, right at high water slack. We look forward to seeing everyone out there bright and early awaiting our arrival. Signs, air horns, bells, whistles, cameras, they are all welcome to be used.

I will be sending in one more daily entry regarding our arrival in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts on Sunday the 22nd. I would like to thank all of the diligent readers of my daily entries for your great feedback. I have heard from so many of the faculty and cadets alike that their relatives, parents, girlfriends, boyfriends, etc, have been reading the blog every day and have loved the articles and photos. I have put forth my best effort and it was the positive comments on a regular basis that kept me going through the whole two months. I hope you have enjoyed the articles and photos as much as I have enjoyed writing them and taking them. Once again, thank you all so very much, for it was a great sea term and I feel privileged to be the Sea Term Correspondent for the entire Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

As far as photos go, the "Best of Cruise 2009 CD has been a hit, with somewhere around 60 or 65% participation from the cadets on board and a significant amount of sales to the crew as well. If your particular cadet or family member has not bought one, you may email me at: Peter.Beuth@maritime.edu I will respond to your email with instructions on how to pay. CD's will be ready for pickup the first week of the semester. I can also mail them if need be. The post-arrival price will be $10 per CD, versus 5 now for cadets on board. All CD orders taken via email will be $10, even if sent before 0743 Sunday morning. ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO DIRECTLY TO THE CHRISTOPHER BLAIR ERICKSON MEMORIAL FUND.

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...
Sea Term 2009 Reprise in Photos

To be continued for the next two days...

Printable Page