As of 0800 Thursday, 12 February 1998, the Patriot State was located at 25 degrees 42 minutes north latitude and 076 degrees 47 minutes west longitude. That puts the ship just south of the Northeast Providence Channel, just past the "hole in the wall" in the Bahama Island chain. We are steering a course of 283 degrees, making 8.4 knots. The air temperature is 72 degrees, the water temperature is 74 degrees. The weather is partly cloudy with occasional heavy showers.  

Captain's Log  

The eleven days separating our departure from Caldera, Costa Rica and our arrival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida have been the longest, continuous,"at-sea" period during the 1998 Sea Term. With boredom a constant problem at sea, the cadet Student Government Association (SGA),headed by Cadet 1/c Ron Pigeon, planned a series of evening events designed to offer some stimulating diversions. A series of hotly contested tournaments in the areas of cribbage, chess, checkers, darts, ping pong, foosball (table soccer), and basketball were held, with high numbers of participants and spectators. The naturally competitive nature of the cadets would have assured a packed tournament field, but the lure of "CASH PRIZES" was a siren's call that few cadets could resist. (particularly the ones who spent all their money in the first two ports and didn't relish the thought of hitting Florida with nothing in their pockets)  

The highlight of these activities, however, occurred on the evening of February 11, with the performance of the annual T.S. Patriot State Talent Show. "A deck" aft was freshly painted and transformed into an open air theater. Eleven acts that ranged from serious poetry reading, to hilarious shipboard humor showcased a surprisingly wide range of creative talent.

Captain Tom Bushy(Falmouth), Chief Engineer Bill Butler(Bourne), Deputy Commandant Joe Domingos (Falmouth), Ship's nurse Sharon Sylvia (Falmouth) and Librarian Eleanor Shea (Bourne) were the judges sitting under the stars in the front row. Flashing score cards from "1" to "10" like they were judging the pairs skating competition at the Olympics, they presided over two hours of merriment ,satire, and some real talent.

Although several acts had "perfect tens", Cadets 4/c Matthew McKay of Wareham, and 4/c Robert Munstis,of Hansen, were declared the "winners" for their hilarious skit titled "Men on Cruise" that managed to insult or ridicule nearly everyone on the ship. It is amazing what you can get away with if you're funny when you do it.The runner-up was MMA Professor Alan White with his rendition of the poem "Jabberwocky".

All of the fun and games made the days fly by. Now, after 35 days at sea or in foreign lands, it is only one more day untill we arrive back in the USA. Our last port of call, Fort Lauderdale, Florida is always a big hit with the Cadets. Tours to Disneyworld are sold out and convertable rental cars will be impossible to find within 30 miles by this time tomorrow. Those who have craved a "Big Mac" or a "Whopper" can get their fix and those who look forward to calling home can do so without having to know some Spanish. Although it is always an adventure to travel...Dorothy was right: "There's no place like home.".