Saturday 30 January 1999
Alongside in Oranjestad, Aruba. As of 0800, the Empire State is moored port side to (that means the left side of the ship is against the pier) with 3 head lines 4 breast lines 4 spring lines and 3 stern lines. Taking water and telephone service from shore. The air temperature is 74 degrees. Water temperature is 81 degrees. It is mostly sunny with a gentle breeze out of the east at 5 knots.
CAPTAIN'S LOG
Bon Bini and good morning from Aruba. It really is a nice little island, about 20 miles long and 6 wide. Population is 92,000, all Dutch citizens. Almost everyone speaks many languages, with English, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French being most prevalent. It is the native language, however, that is the most interesting: Papiamentu. It has a lilting, musical quality and sounds like a mix of all the above, but if you concentrate you can actually follow along. "Bon bini" means "welcome" and "danki" means "thank you". If you ask: "Kon ta bai ku bo?" (How are you?), a cool young person will answer: "Den gran forma!"( In great shape!). For more on the unusual Papiamentu, see http://www.papiamento.com/papiamentu/index.html .
Our dock is a quick 5 minute walk from the center of town. Comments from the troops returning from liberty range from "Good." to "Great!", but all claim that it is "Expensive". If you visit a place that advertises itself as the number one tourist destination in the Caribbean for New Englanders, expect the prices to be inflated. I went ashore yesterday to try and complete my assigned "honey-do" shopping list. I managed to find all the items on the list, but I am not sure if the prices are better than in the States. I guess it would have been wise to have done some comparison shopping before I left! I'll put that on my "to do" list for next year.
Mornings when the ship is in port are so very different than when the ship is at sea..Out on the ocean, work is king. Everyone aboard is either going to watch (work), actually at work, or getting ready to go. Discussions center on the work that needs to be done or what was finished. In port, things are just much more social. Of course, the watches are still manned while we are tied up, the engineering staff fixes critical equipment that can only be repaired alongside, and there is even some training scheduled, but the talk is different- more varied, more animated, more fun.
Since shortly after we docked, a steady flow of officers have come by my stateroom to relive their day ashore. Even people who have traveled the world feel the excitement when going ashore in a new port - and a need to share their feelings with someone. Three officers have also come by to cash additional checks - something about the casino last night! The chatter in the Cadet mess is likewise, more alive. The young men and women sit in close groups, their raucous laughter punctuating hushed stories of exploits on the beach. Cadets who had watch upon arrival (and have not been off the ship) hang on every word from the returning pioneers who scouted the town for "The Good Spots". Plans are made to maximize the fun in the few hours they have to spend in this tropical wonderland.
I've done my morning walk around, leaned on the rail and watched fifteen cadet with paint rollers mounted on 20 foot extension poles as they apply white paint to the ship's hull. The Chief Mate has it easy motivating the work gangs in port: when the work's done right...you go on liberty. It's a model of efficiency. I watched another twenty cadets practice rowing our monomoys (28 foot whaleboats) in the clear, blue water alongside the ship. They too move with a deliberation and focus that shows they know the score: learn the skills and hit the beach.
As I watch and supervise the work about the ship, I patiently wait for the engineers to finish installing a new cold water circulating pump that should fix the air conditioning system. The failure has affected all of the rooms on the starboard side of the ship... mine included. Ambient temperatures in the rooms hover around 85 degrees in the day and 80 at night. We hope the new pump will bring on the cool. Of course, one engineer has been complaining loudly how HIS room is too COLD. Our Chief Engineer, Captain Bill Butler of Sagamore, has a dark side and never misses an opportunity to show me that he too holds a lot of power on this ship.