Wednesday, 17 February 1999
As of 0800, the Empire State was located at 35 degrees and 50 minutes North latitude, 074 degrees and 08.5 minutes West longitude, steering a course of 040 degrees true, at a speed of 14.8 knots. Cape Hatteras, North Carolina is 75 nm to the southwest. The air temperature is 62 degrees F. Water temperature is 76 degrees. The skies are clear. Winds are out of the southeast at 8 knots with a sea state of 2 (2 feet). Water depth is 7842 feet. Barometric pressure is 1019 millibars and falling
CAPTAIN'S LOG:
The weather gods continue to smile favorably upon us as we completed the smoothest passage of Cape Hatteras in years. We are moving up the coast between low pressure areas. The one aft of us is no threat but the one out in front has the potential to effect us in Cape Cod Bay. Time will tell.
As the number of days left on Sea Term '99 dwindles to the number of digits on one hand, retrospective discussions punctuate the normal banter and gossip of the little town that is EMPIRE STATE. Cadets debate the relative merits of each port call. They compare the teaching methods and abilities of the various watch officers and instructional staff. Vigorous discussions starting with the phrase "when I was a fourth class, we had to......" compare sea terms of 3 or 4 years ago with this one. Even the ship itself inspires a debate: "PATRIOT STATE is better", "no I like this one". But one fact seems to have universal support - This cruise is the best ever.
It didn't start out that way. There was tangible feeling of anxiety when we moved aboard six weeks ago. Senior cadets who were cocky know it-alls, "been there, done that" on PATRIOT STATE were lost in the labyrinth of the holds and passageways on the new ship. Cadet engineers who had learned to locate and operate machinery in the dark now needed a map of the engine room to find what they needed. Confidence was in short supply as we loaded the ship for the 9 January sailing date. Now, after forty-five days, the uncertainty of the early sea term has melted with the ice and snow that coated the decks. We're not cocky but we're comfortable. Learning new material and mastering new skills were the objectives of this trip and mastering the newness of the ship just added to the list of things accomplished.
Speaking of new things, last night a lucky few got a rare glimpse of the spectacular. We were 36 hours out of Miami, the tall hotel buildings of the North Florida coast just visible on the western horizon. A small group of cadets leaned over the rail watching the lights being swallowed by the night when all of a sudden the sky lit up. It was hours after sunset and the sun sure doesn't bounce back up when it hits the horizon, but the orange glow became brighter and brighter. Finally, a deck cadet who had been on watch looking at a chart with our position plotted figured it out. We were off Cape Canaveral. They were witnessing a rocket launch! Sure enough, the booms of the engine reached the ship just as some people stopped to admire the rocket streak into the bottom of a cloud and disappear. It pays to keep your eyes open.
The rocket launch is like a lot of things about this trip-an unexpected plus. Normally, we have only three ports scheduled for our winter sea term and for '99 we booked Barbados, Aruba and Miami. Then we took advantage of the opportunity to stop in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on the way to Barbados. It wasn't billed as an official port; we were stopping just to do some hull painting and lifeboat training. It turned out to be an educational and rewarding visit. Just today, a cadet commented upon how special it felt to stand on Cuban soil. Then, between Aruba and Miami, we squeezed in an anchoring exercise in St. John and the beach party and skin diving became the hit of the trip for many. In retrospect, it might have been the schedule that contributed to the high morale on the voyage. Work and study hard all week, play hard on the weekend-each time in a different locale. Whatever the reasons, the cadets who walk down the gangway and stand upon their Buzzards Bay campus this weekend, will be very different from the anxious ones who shuffled aboard, looking over their shoulders. Tans all around may be an obvious change, but a tan quickly fades to the pasty white of New Englanders in winter. What these cadets have inside of them will last forever. Four and a wake-up! See you tomorrow.