Sunday, 17 January 1999
As of 0800 this morning, the Empire State was located in the port of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The weather at her position was scattered clouds, wind out of the East @ 5 kts, air temp 78 degrees F, water temp 80 degrees F. Barometric pressure 1022 millibars.
CAPTAIN'S LOG:
The first week out on MMA's 1999 Sea Semester had something for everyone. It started with wild New England winter weather that demonstrated Mother Nature's power and glory. Departure from the dock in Buzzard's Bay had raw emotion, apprehension, anticipation, excitement and some danger. The trip around Cape Hatteras, the "Graveyard of the Atlantic", did not disappoint new seafarers itching for a quick test of their mettle. We got an "E-ticket ride" that left some aboard questioning their career choice.
The ride down the eastern seaboard of the United States was a rapid adjustment to the tropical weather in store for us for the next 6 weeks as each day brought ever increasing temperatures and larger numbers of sunbathers on Empire State's popular "Steel Beach". By Saturday it looked from the bridge like ship's foredeck was a popular seal colony with a hundred white seals hauled out , basking in the warmth. In fact, the only disappointment in our ride down, bucking the Gulf Stream, was that we didn't see the porpoises, flying fish, whales, and turtles that frequent these waters. Maybe we will have more luck in the deep Caribbean.
Friday, just as the routine of ship life was beginning to get to the novices aboard, we were treated to a display of U.S. Coast Guard aviation skill as Lt Scott Buttrick (MMA '86) piloted his H-60 Jayhawk helicopter around the vessel and demonstrated a helo recovery of an "injured crewman" from the deck of the ship. (Note to worried parents and loved ones: no one was injured, it was just a drill.). Saturday brought the words that are music to a sailor's ears: "LIBERTY CALL, LIBERTY CALL." Almost everyone aboard got a chance to wander about the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Certainly an experience of which few can boast, but also a welcome break from decks that move, and faces that have begun to take on an eerie sameness. It was also a chance for the addicts aboard to get their fast food fix. No matter how hard the Academy caterer, Chartwells, tries to put variety into the daily fair aboard ship (and they do a terriffic job), the decor is always the same (circa: 1940's troop ship), the food is on plain plastic trays and the clientel never varies. It is great to just be able to go somewhere different to eat ... and eat it with different people.
Today at 1600 (4pm) we will get underway, resume the voyage, and go back to work. Five more days of hard labor and then we can look forward to a real treat: Barbados, one of the true jewels in the Caribbean. I can guarantee that the Barbados specialty; flying fish sandwiches with Bajan hot sauce, will be on most cadet's menu for this weekend.