Captain's Log for Friday, 21 January 2000
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At 0230 EST (0730 GMT) the T/S Empire State arrived in the Port of Gibraltar located at 36 degrees and 08 minutes North Latitude and 05 degrees 21 minutes West Longitude. She was steering various courses and speeds (piloting) as necessary to enter port. The skies were cloudy with winds out of the west at 4 knots. Barometric pressure was steady at 1020 millibars of mercury. The air temperature was 60 degrees and seawater was 65 degrees. Seas were calm and the depth of water beneath the keel was 35 feet. CAPTAIN'S LOG for Friday, 21 JANUARY 2000 The voyage from Funchal to Gibraltar was only two days...two days of incredible weather. The winds were nearly calm and the resultant seas were like a mirror, tiny rivulets in uneven patches. Each night was brightened by a full moon with few clouds. The ship was stable enough to play billiards. Early this morning we entered the Straits of Gibraltar - with about twenty other ships! After the lonely trans-Atlantic crossing,...rush hour traffic... into the Med was exciting. International Rules of the Road prevail and the established Traffic Separation Lanes helped sort out the ships, yet it still remained a battle for position. Who goes first? Who gets the inside lane? Who is faster, slower, or BIGGER? The excitement of ships going different directions in the lanes is fun enough - but wait, there's more: a thriving ferry service exists between the cities on either side of the straits. You got it - chaos - as these ferries travel north and south across the convoys of east and westbound ships. Actually, it was pretty easy for us today; we managed to slip into line behind a big tanker going about the same speed. He seemed to block for us and we had little trouble. A problem arose, however, near the end of our passage through the strait. We were traveling east and had to cross the westbound lane to get into Algerceras Bay and the Port of Gibraltar. We zigged between two ships exiting the Med and, although the distance between the two ships and Empire State remained over one mile, they started to look pretty big by the time we were clear! The last bit of excitement was a high-speed ferry that simply could not wait for us to move into the Bay, so he cut us off. In this case, we stopped our engines and he passed only one-quarter mile ahead. I guess you'd have to have been there to call it fun. The highlight of the passage through the Straits however was the lunar eclipse. At about 0400 this morning, the bright moonlight started to fade. Some on the bridge watch thought the moon was setting in the west, astern of us. "No", responded the Second Mate (who always seems to know these things), "it's an eclipse." Sure enough, a glance astern showed the brilliant moon being eaten by the earth's shadow. It slowly progressed until the eclipse was total and the moon a dim amber color. (It might have looked like a full moon on a heavy smog night in Los Angeles.) It remained in shadow for some time, then slowly began to brighten again. Nearly the entire student body was on deck observing; not surprising since it was happening at 0800 during morning formation. "What?" you say, "Dark and moonlight at 0800?" Remember the Prince of Darkness? Sunrise this morning didn't occur until 0830. Whenever the training ship pulls into port, many people think we all just put on sunscreen, lock the doors and go to the beach. Nothing could be further from the truth. One division always stays aboard. Those cadets are the fire brigade, the cleaners, the night watchmen, the keepers of the engineroom machinery, and the safety mates. Not only is this group necessary to the safety and proper maintenance of the ship, but it is good training. When a merchant ship pulls into port, that's usually when the work load increases dramatically for every crewmember. Officers and crew alike work long hours to load/offload cargo and stores. No passenger ship tourists on these trips. Because an additional objective of the MMA Sea Terms is to expose cadets to a variety of cultures and foreign harbors, we usually stay in port three days and allow two of the three divisions off the ship each day to enjoy the countryside and the people. That means that each cadet gets one workday and two liberty days in each port of call. This port, however, is different. Gibraltar was added to the sea term itinerary this year for only one purpose: it is a sheltered spot where we can teach all of the new cadets how to raise and lower lifeboats. Those of you that watched the Titanic movie know how important that skill is. It also gives the Chief Mate, Commander Jim Taddia of Plymouth, an opportunity to paint the hull and topsides. (Although Jim loves a freshly painted ship... even he thinks it too dangerous to swing people over the side to paint the hull while underway.) Liberty for the officers and cadets will come only after the day's work is done. We'll be in port only two days, sailing at the end of the workday on Sunday. For those of you wondering which division has the duty aboard each day: Two has the watch today, Three takes it for Saturday and One will have the honor of sailing out of the shadow of the famous "rock" on Sunday. Now I must "pop off to high tea with the Governor" as they say here in this British colony. More on our stay in this world famous, but little visited spot on the globe tomorrow. Cheerio. QUESTIONS FOR MONDAY 24 JANUARY 2000 GEOGRAPHY: The cadets will be visiting Barcelona, Spain after they leave Greece. What sea is Barcelona located on? SCIENCE: Often times tides play a significant role in deterring when a ship can leave port. What is/are the main factors that cause tides? HISTORY: Christopher Columbus was a famous sailor who first crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1492. What Portuguese Captain was the fist explorer to sail south around the continent of Africa to India? MATH: Cadet Lehnes reports that the depth of water beneath the keel is 2780 fathoms. T/S Empire State's draft is 24 feet. Approximately how deep is the water in fathoms? ANSWERS FOR FRIDAY 21 JANUARY 2000 GEOGRAPHY: 2,000 SCIENCE: From the remains of millions of dead fish and mammals which sank to the ocean floor eons ago. HISTORY: A referendum vote rejected a monarchy and Greece remained a parliamentary Republic. MATH: Sums, Differences, Products, and Quotients.
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