Hello again, from the TS Kennedy! We are back underway after spending the weekend anchored in Mayagüez off the coast of Puerto Rico. Over the weekend we had pleasure of having our annual “Sunday at sea”. This involves having a barbecue out on the Helo Deck while anchored. It’s very enjoyable to sit back and relax for a couple hours soaking in the sun.
While anchored this weekend, I also participated in lowering and testing the lifeboats on the Kennedy. We do this while anchored to make sure our lifeboats are all working properly. With each lifeboat we lowered, I would rotate my job. On the ship, I would remove pins, unhook chains, and operate the lowering mechanism to properly lower the lifeboat. I also rode some lifeboats down to the water to unhook the chain falls, releasing the boat from the ship. We tested the engines and even took one lifeboat out for a ride around the Kennedy. On campus, we are taught how to lower and operate lifeboats but the hands-on experience I experience on Sea Term is invaluable.
We zoomed in on some lifeboat photos to show the mechanics that James was responsible for. You may recognize some simple machines.
Today was a less exciting day working in the Mess Deck. In order to keep the food and dishes going out for hundreds of cadets and crew every day, we have a crew of cadets working the scullery (dish washing). It is not the most desired job to get put on although it is one of the most important and must be done. Everyone on the Kennedy must play their part to keep the ship sailing. Even the less desired jobs have their perks though, the cadets on the scullery team are always first to get food each meal, skipping the line.
Do you help with the dishes at home or while visiting family members? It's not always fun, but it has to get done. Watch for an upcoming post about scullery duty aboard the TS Kennedy. It will feature lots of photos.
Thank you again for joining the Follow The Voyage-Share The Experience blog and as always, I am more than happy to answer any questions.
Your blogs are exciting to read, James! I am glad that you talked about responsibilities during the lifeboat testing. That will get our student followers thinking about the mechanics of raising and lowering a lifeboat. Riding around the TS Kennedy in a lifeboat must have been exciting.
Thanks for discussing your time doing scullery. Hopefully, our student followers will think of you when they are clearing the table or doing dishes at home. Perhaps they won't even complain.
We look forward to hearing from you again.