The Training Ship Empire State is moored to the pier in Willemstad, Curacao, taking various services from the pier. The weather is wonderful. The temperature is a pleasant 84 degrees Fahrenheit, skies are mostly clear, winds are from the East at 18 knots. Relative humidity is 62%

The cadets continue to relish the wonderful weather, the glorious beaches, and exciting night life here in Willemstad, the capital city of the Netherlands Antilles and of the Island of Curaçao. (The Netherlands Antilles includes the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao- commonly referred to worldwide as the "A, B, C" islands.) With about 140,000 inhabitants, the city of Willemstad is about half again as large as New Bedford, Massachusetts and while both are historic waterfront cities, today's weather certainly stops the similarity between the two ports. Almost all of the 170,000 people in Curacao live within the Willemstad City limits. As a result, the rest of the island is sparsely populated and resembles a wilderness. For Empire State crewmembers chafing at the close proximity aboard ship, a drive through the desert countryside is a gift from heaven.

Willemstad is truly storybook in character with charming 17th century Dutch buildings painted in every conceivable color. (Except the ones commonly seen anywhere in the New England.) The explosion of pastel colors is attributed to the Governor General of the Islands around the turn of the 19th century. It seems the eccentric Vice Admiral blamed his persistent headaches on the glare from all the white buildings. Therefore, he decreed all building be painted in pastels. The result is a riot of colors that shock the staid New Englanders among us, but seem to truly represent the diversity of an island that includes almost 80 different nationalities. As I mentioned earlier, almost every point of interest is in or within walking distance of the shopping center in Punda. The structures there resemble those in Holland and are built within feet of each other- the narrow alleyways adding to the charm and providing shade from the hot sun. Many of the streets are no more than 15 to 18 feet wide.

This morning we had an official visit to the ship from the Lieutenant Governor of the Island, Ms. Lisa Dindial. Her husband and members of her staff as well as Mr. Ramon Chong, the Director of Tourism for Curacao accompanied her. We had a delightful lunch of Chicken en Croute prepared by our ship's baker, Juventino Mateus of Wellfleet, MA. The visit was highlighted by the seagoing tradition of an exchange of plaques and flags. Short speeches were sprinkled with the spirit of cooperation, a commitment of future visits, and prayers for world peace. Cadets present included the Cruise Commander, 1/C Luis Tapia from Scotia, NY; the Cadet Chief Mate, Justin Phillips of Orleans MA; the Cadet Environmental Second Mate Meredith Jennings of Berkley, MA; and Cadet Second Mate John Stump of Hampton, NH. They were wonderful ambassadors of American youth and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Monday will be our last day in this island paradise where it almost never rains and the people always smile. Like travelers everywhere, we'll be sad to leave... but anxious to get on with our voyage.