At 0700 EST, the T/S Empire State was enroute to Willemstad, Curacao and located at 21 degrees and 21 minutes North Latitude and 74 degrees 26 minutes West Longitude. (Thirty-six nautical miles southeast of Great Inagua Island) She was steering course 156 degrees true at a speed of 16 knots. The skies were clear with winds out of the southeast at 03 knots. Barometric pressure was 1018 millibars of mercury. The air temperature was 78 degrees and seawater was 76 degrees. Seas were 2 to 4 feet. Depth of water beneath the keel was 1640 meters.

CAPTAIN'S LOG:

Last night we passed within five miles of San Salvador and were surprised to learn that few cadets knew that San Salvador was Columbus' first sighting and landing in the new world back in 1492!

The weather has been unbelievably beautiful. That fact assists the deck cadets who are hard at work attempting to complete the numerous required celestial navigation tasks. Celestial navigation, commonly known as navigating by the stars, involves two physical elements (beyond navigation tools and knowledge) accurate time, and clear sky. The heavenly bodies that cadets commonly use are the sun, the moon, four planets, and 57 stars. The sun is available each day, whereas the moon and the planets rotate through cycles approximately every month. The stars, on the other hand, change their east to west positions on an annual basis (sidereal time as opposed to solar time). Only half the stars can be seen each year if one's position on the earth remains unchanged.

The navigator who practices Celestial must rise long before sunrise to decide which stars he or she will "shoot." This decision is based upon the ship's morning position. It is important to note that while the stars are visible at night, the measurement baseline, the horizon, is not. Therefore, the navigator must work quickly during the brief time of "twilight" when both stars and horizon are visible. The navigator's day continues as he takes multiple sights of the sun and moon throughout the day, and he may shoot a bright planet like Venus, seasonally. The navigation day ends with sights at evening twilight. Afterward, the navigator completes his computations to determine (fix) the ship's position. It is common for cadet navigators to work for two hours past sunset in order to complete computations.

Last evening was especially rewarding for the experienced navigators for two reasons. The skies were crystal clear and as the sun slipped below the horizon at sunset, it produced a "green flash" of light. The phenomena is a result of the red, orange, and yellow of the sun's light spectrum falling below the horizon, and the blue, indigo and violet being absorbed by the night sky, leaving the single color of green for a brief moment, maybe two - three seconds. Second, Mars in the southern sky. As it twinkled, (scintillated) the red planet lived up to its name, looking like a small red and white rotating beacon in the sky.

Daily thoughts of 4/c Solomon Haddad, from Somerset, MA

"We have been at sea for about four days now, with a steady improvement in climate. Today's high was about 75 degrees without a cloud in the sky. The sun was beating down on the cadets lucky enough to get a few minutes to bask in the rays on the stern. With four days under our belt, everyone seems to be getting into the routine nicely. Divisions 1 and 2 are doing deck and engine room watches and taking classes on a rotation schedule. Meanwhile Division 3 has been taking MSEP classes and maintaining the ship. As Division 3's "hold captain", I am in charge of making sure the hold gets cleaned properly. We are currently getting ready for Captain's Inspection of the entire ship on Thursday night. The Divisions will exchange responsibilities at the end of next week. With only about three days left until we reach Curacao,though, cadets are constantly planning their events upon arrival." "As each day goes by, I see a new form of aquatic life following the ship. There was a school of dolphins, a whale, and some pretty interesting fish, called flying fish. All in all, things are going well, and we hope it hasn't been snowing too much back on the Cape. All we can say from the TSES is we hope you all miss us, and don't worry, we are having fun." 4/c Solomon Haddad

QUESTIONS FOR THURSDAY 18 JANUARY

MATH:

As an added safety precaution, the Captain instructed the Cadet Officer of the watch to call him if any vessel approached TSES closer than 2 nautical miles from any direction. How many square miles of the ocean surface are contained within that safety zone?

SCIENCE:

MSEP students were conducting experiments and noticed an oceanic water layer in which water temperature decreased rapidly with increasing depth. What is this called?

GEOGRAPHY:

The Caribbean Island of Hispaniola is comprised of what two countries?

HISTORY:

European countries controlled many of the Islands surrounding the Caribbean for many years. In what year did the Bahamas achieve Independence?

ANSWERS FOR WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY

MATH:

The circumference of the earth is approximately 25,120 miles. C = 3.1416 x d C = 3.14 X 8000 C = 25,120

SCIENCE:

Three methods of heat transfer are Conduction, Convection, and Radiation.

GEOGRAPHY:

The Windward Passage is the major shipping route between Cuba and Hispaniola.

HISTORY:

Christopher Columbus explored much of the Caribbean region.