At 0800 Atlantic Standard Time, 0700 Eastern Standard Time, and 1200Z, the Training Ship Empire State was moored at Admiral Byron Wharf, in Willemstad, Curacao, taking various services from the pier. The weather: air temperature was 76 degrees and water temperature was 80 degrees Fahrenheit, skies were partly cloudy; winds were from the East at 2 knots; barometric pressure was 1015 millibars. Relative humidity was 78%. The weather remains consistently beautiful. It's becoming quite boring.

Captain's Log

The ship may be stopped, but the pace of training has never slowed. The staff of a training ship, particularly the experienced cadre of officers and senior cadets aboard Empire State, knows how to squeeze learning and lessons from life's labors. I've already described how our undocking, tug assisted trip to the other side of the harbor, and tight squeeze into the new berth forward of the British cablelayer ship provided practical engineering and seamanship lessons. (It also led to some wonderful international contacts as our cadets toured the English ship and played soccer with the Brits and Filipinos who make up her crew.) Yesterday, 3/c Cadet Erin Lawrence commented in this space that she was memorizing her lifeboat commands in anticipation of the impending lifeboat qualifications. Her comments were; "It is exciting but nerve wracking." Let me describe what she and all the 3/c cadets are going through.

On every MMA sea term we pick a quiet harbor and for three days drill every freshman and sophomore cadet in the techniques of lowering, operating, and retrieving the ship's lifeboats. Although the sun is usually shining, the winds are light, the seas flat, and the near shore beckons with the allure of liberty, a glance at the faces of the cadets engaged in exercising the clumsy boats reveals grim determination. The instructors do not have to create motivation by reminding their young charges that this skill may save their life. They do not have to mention that horrible weather will probably be raging all around if this operation is ever done in earnest. No one speaks of the fear associated with a genuine "Abandon Ship!" or the anxiety of "Man Overboard!" when a shipmate has gone over the side and the speed and skill of the boat crew in lowering the rescue boat can save a life. Even landlubbers can vividly recall the panic of the lifeboat lowering scenes in movies like "Titanic" or "The Black Stallion". Imagine the feeling when YOU are the one in charge of the evolution and everyone on deck is watching every move you make. When a mumbled command or missed step can cause the three tons of boat to crash to the water, 50 feet below. Or worse, injure a shipmate. Add all of this to the fear of failing in front of your instructors, close friends, and shipmates and one can understand Erin's comment about "nerve wracking". Confidence and a sense of accomplishment,however, like everything in life come only when the challenge is hard and the effort great. By the end of Sea Term, "confidence" will be as evident on the faces of these cadets as their tans.

As we accomplish our lifeboat training here in Curacao, one aspect of the delay in our schedule has oddly worked to our advantage. In anticipation of the Super Bowl game tonight, on a hunch, we requested our ship's chandler attempt to find a television company that was willing to lease out a satellite dish and decoding box. As luck would have it, we were able to secure a device, and yesterday we were "wired and dished." We are getting ready for the Superbowl game tonight by moving up on deck three large screen TV sets that are otherwise in cadet lounges down in number five hold. The day should be fun! We have an elaborate cookout planned, which will run from noon until 1900. To whet our appetites for the spectacle of the battling behemoths in Tampa, we will have jousting on the large mat on the forward weather deck.

This cruise favorite replaces the boxing matches of the old training ships. Much more humane, it involves two combatants wielding padded sticks as they stand atop large mushroom shaped platforms. The object of the duel is to knock your opponent from his/her stand. Sharon Sylvia and Donna Cattabriga, the nurses in SickBay, like this activity a whole lot more than the old "Fight Night" and it serves the dual purpose of providing entertainment and burning off energy. Sometimes the jousts also serve to settle minor grudges that develop from the close living conditions. Regardless of the strong feelings going into the match, I find that the opponents always end up shaking hands and embracing when the fight is over.

For the more traditional among the crew, we will also stage a "Pulling Boat Challenge". Using the 26 foot fiberglass whaleboats we put aboard in Buzzards Bay, the rowing boat races will feature three cadet boats which will eliminate down to one victorious crew. That boat will race a boat with all Officers in the crew. Bragging rights in this community are as important as hitting Megabucks so I am certain that the spectators that will line the rails for this event will enjoy every stroke of the contest.

Hopefully, this will cap off an otherwise stressful port visit to Curacao, and we will have good news form the engineers working down below. We all want to leave this island paradise tomorrow afternoon. Have fun watching the game, we'll be there with you. I'll keep you posted, see you tomorrow.