As of 0800 today, the Patriot State was at 20 degrees 53 minutes

north latitude, 074 degrees 11 minutes west longitude. Speed: 13.5 knots. The wind is out of the north (brrrrrr) at 4 knots and the seas are light to moderate. The air temp is 72 degrees, sea water temp is 80 degrees. Depth of water under the keel: 2810 meters  

Captain's Log  

We have had to make another unscheduled stop. Last night we received the sad news of a death in the family of one of the MMA professors aboard. In a situation like this, we try to get the person off the ship... if it is at all possible. In this case we were in a particularly tight spot. With the ship just south of the Windward Passage, the straits that separate Cuba and the Island of Haiti/Dominican Republic, we did not have many options.It may be easy for the Pope to travel to Cuba, but American flagged ships are infrequent visitors to that communist country. Haiti is not known for its transportation systems either. Continuing on to Lee Stalking Island would present its own list of complications: a tiny, isolated speck among the hundreds of islands in the Bahamas. I had one more card to play. Walking out to the Bridge wing, I spoke to Cdr Frank Pelosi, an active duty U.S. Naval Officer from Virginia Beach, VA who is assigned to the Patriot State for Temporary Active Duty."What about bringing the professor in to the U. S.Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba". He was very positive about the idea and had the advantage of speaking the language..."Navy". Ten minutes and two phone calls later, we had the approvals necessary to bring the professor into the Naval Station. The Navy was extremely cooperative and hospitable. They put our professor up for the night in a hotel at the Station and flew her out at 1400 today back to the States. Less than 24 hours after she had received the bad news , she was back in the United States.

We are now returning to our track, and are rounding Cuba's main ship traffic lane. To the cadets on the bridge, accustomed to the vast empty spaces of the southern Caribbean, the heavy ship traffic here is like the Southeast Expressway at rush hour. LOTS of good training going on up on the Bridge now. Because of the traffic, the proximity to Cuba, and the new courses/speeds, I spent most of the night on the Bridge. It was a glorious night: nearly full moon, few clouds, great visibility, and COLD. The Cadet watchstanders were all in jackets! What a difference in temperatures as we climb the ladder of Latitude. I may have to ask the Chief Engineer ( Capt Bill Butler of Bourne, MA) to throw another log on the fire.I must be getting old... I'll never make it through March and April in New England.