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

Monday 23 February

"All coiled down, an' it's time for us to go;
Every sail's furled in a neat harbor stow."
-C. Fox Smith

"If I had my way I would sail on for ever and never go to live on solid ground again.
-Mark Twain

So, it is the 'harbor stow' that our cadets work towards for the next two days. When they are finished, TS Kennedy will be shipshape and silent...until a couple hundred high school students invade on 24 & 25 April for the Fifteenth Annual Marine Environmental Symposium. Check it out here: 15th Annual Marine Environmental Symposium

Tuesday, 24 February will be our last Sea Term Update.

Arrival At Buzzards Bay...We're Home!

And the Winner is...

4/C O'Donnell

Safely Moored
by Cadet 1/C Peter Beuth

Those two words are perhaps of the most importance for this whole sea term. SAFELY MOORED - it means that after a month and a half at sea we have returned with a full complement of cadets and crew and without major injuries. It means that after our beating we took on Thursday and Friday on our way home we are finally in calm waters and finally on dry land. It means that we now have a week off in which to relax and prepare ourselves for the spring semester.

It was a great feeling to wake up this morning, go to breakfast in the cadet mess, and then walk outside to see a crowd of well wishers gathered at the East End of the Cape Cod Canal. What was the first thing I saw? Someone lighting off fireworks to celebrate our arrival. I'll tell you, that was a first! Remember that piece I wrote that titled, "You know its almost the end of sea term when...?" Well, today you KNEW it was the end of sea term when you saw the same people at several stops along the canal, and you knew it was even closer to the end when you saw that one freshman spill his gear all over the gangway. Hey, it had to happen to someone! It was incredible to see the welcome crowd, and under such nice weather. We got extremely lucky with the wind and rain holding off just long enough for us to enjoy our reunions.

Once again I would like to sincerely thank Captain Bushy and the rest of the officers and crew for a successful, fun, and most importantly SAFE sea term 2009. On behalf of myself, the regiment of cadets on board, and the parents of those cadets, thank you! God bless! And see you in a week for the start of the Spring semester!

My name is 1/C Peter Beuth, Marine Transportation Class of 2009. I'll be standing by Peter.beuth@maritime.edu. OUT!

Chris Erickson Memorial Service

Father Jim Huston will conduct a memorial service in memory of MMA graduate, Christopher Erickson, on Wednesday, 4 March, at 1900 in the Academy Chapel. The entire Academy family is invited to share in this tribute to a much loved and greatly missed alumnus.

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 concluded tomorrow...

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