Friday, 12 February 1999
As of 0800, the Empire State was located in the harbor outboard of the Miami Passenger Terminal and maneuvering into the pier. The air temperature is 74 degrees F. Water temperature is 76 degrees. The skies are partly cloudy with northeast winds at 5 knots and occasional rain. (Yes,RAIN!) Barometric pressure is 1019 millibars and falling.
CAPTAIN'S LOG:
The pilot embarked at 0706 this morning and we effortlessly moved the Empire State through the harbor and to our berth- pier six at the Miami Passenger Terminal. We passed lines at 0845 and were finished with engines at 0900. A large party of parents and friends were there when we arrived and that made our return to the mainland even more special. The cadets did a super job bringing the ship in and I want to compliment them. I am astounded that five short weeks ago many of these young people couldn't find the mess hall on the ship. Now, they look like seasoned mariners who have been working at sea forever. Many who came here to greet them will be amazed at the profound change that a little sea time has produced.
The Port of Miami-Dade sits in the middle of downtown and is a thriving place. Miami's location, very near to the Caribbean makes it a natural link to Latin America for trade. It is also the port of choice for most mid winter cruises. It has earned the title "Cruise Capital of the World" because literally millions of people use the terminal every year en route to exciting ocean adventures in the Caribbean, South America, and indeed the world. The Terminal is very impressive. It provides air-conditioned embarkation lounges, with Customs inspection areas, and can serve as many as nine huge passenger ships at once.
Miami is also know as the "Gateway of the Americas" as thousands of tons of cargo destined for South America, Europe, and Africa pass through here everyday. It is often said that Miami reinvents itself every 10 years and I believe that. I don't think we have ever visited a more racially diverse city anyplace in the world and new construction is everywhere.
For Empire State, Miami is a giant of a place and, given our relatively puny size, we are barely noticeable among the tonnage. All types of ships come and go, at all hours of the day and night, but the cruise ships are particularly intriguing. Educationally this is important for us because Cadets see first hand, the clockwork precision that it takes to prepare such monster machines for sea. Whether the problem is turning 5,000 people around and loading 5,000 more, discharging a million barrels of crude oil, or loading mega tons of citrus products... everything has to be fast, safe, and efficient.
When a Cruise ship docks, highly efficient work crews are swarming over it in moments; cleaning, fueling, and reloading for the next departure. Just imagine offloading luggage for thousands of people and disposing of trash and garbage for a small town. One cruise ship consumes more food per day than we do in two weeks! Even with all this activity, the next load of passengers march up the gangway. Before they are settled in, the turn around is complete and it's back to sea. Now, step back, picture Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival, Premier, Royal Caribbean, and Princess Cruise Lines working adjacent to giant cargo haulers of all types and you begin to understand. The cadets see exactly what happens in a major world seaport and quickly grasp just how important the Port of Miami is to the entire Maritime industry.
One additional highlight in Miami: Fox News network has decided to do a story about our baseball team. We are unique among all college baseball teams. Our Buc Baseball team does their spring practice aboard ship! Fox wants to cover that angle. It's great publicity and the dedicated baseball players deserve it. I will tell you when the piece will air when we know the date.