Monday 14 January

At 1200, EST the Training Ship Empire State was located at 37 degrees 39 minutes North Latitude and 074 degrees 26 minutes West Longitude, or 45 nautical miles off Chincoteague, Virginia, steaming toward the United States Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia. She was steering course 235 degrees true at a speed of 16.5 knots. The weather was excellent. The sky was partly cloudy, air temperature was 60 degrees Fahrenheit, winds were from the southeast at 04 mph, barometric pressure was 1020 millibars, and the sea injection temperature was 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Depth of water beneath the keel was 34 fathoms.

CAPTAIN'S LOG

[THE MAYFLOWER ARRIVES AT CAPE COD]

"Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element." - William Bradford

Yesterday's weather "anomaly" was something that all could have done without. The storm was ferocious but we escaped essentially unscathed, with only one minor cut and minimal equipment damage. As a point of reference, the power of the storm slowed our forward progress significantly and we are now some eleven hours behind our intended track. Imagine running into a storm like that on the road to Boston!

Nothing makes one more miserable than seasickness or sea weariness, as I prefer to call it, but the cadets performed like 'ole pros and quickly adapted to the stormy conditions. Many had wisely taken precautionary doses of seasickness medication and seemed no worse for wear. Others quickly learned that there is a better way to live with modern medical chemistry. Isn't that why we are here?

The Virginia Capes Pilot will embark at 1700 and we should tie up at approximately 1900 this evening. The entry into Norfolk Navy Base will permit nearly everyone to quickly reinforce the lessons learned during Saturday's underway and it will give most a first, close-up look at the world's most powerful warships. Our planned track skirts the carrier piers and passes very close to the submarine docks. There is nothing like the presence of a huge aircraft carrier to teach humility.

Even thought the arrival is delayed we should recover nicely tomorrow, complete our work, and depart as planned. Unfortunately, the demands of our ambitious schedule will keep everyone very close by. Norfolk is a wonderful Navy town with significant maritime history. The waterfront areas in Hampton Roads are involved in every aspect of the Maritime Industry from ship construction and repair to harbor tours and education. NAUTICUS, The National Maritime Center is located on Norfolk's downtown waterfront and the USS Wisconsin, one of the largest and the last Battleships, is tied up there also. Too bad that we do not have more time. I am sure that everyone would enjoy the stay. Maybe next year.

Well, Shipmates, I must go and make preparations for entering port. I read somewhere, that time and the tides wait for no man. So, I will see you tomorrow from beautiful Norfolk, Virginia.

CADET COMMENTS: By Cadet 1/C Caryn Arnold

"We're in the Rough"

"Today was a rough and challenging day!" said one 1st class cadet, who had been sick and forced into bed all day. However, as luck would have it, her division was scheduled to have "Sunday at Sea." Sunday at sea means that the cadets, in that division have no duties for the day. They can relax, although relaxation was far from the minds of most! Most cadets seemed to be fine in the early morning hours, but as weather conditions deteriorated, the waves grew, the ship really began to rock, and fewer and fewer people could be found. Some went to the messdeck believing that they would be fine but nearly all departed much sooner than expected. Maybe the normally wonderful smell of frying bacon drove them away. The scullery team fought a loosing battle of the falling bowl, cup, utensil; anything that was not secured was moving. Even the cadets slid along the benches in unison clutching their trays and drinks in a futile effort to defeat the forces of the sea. Cadets appeared to walk on first one wall and then the other as they advanced slowly through the passageways, pausing to hang on as the ship rolled to port then back to starboard. Then they ran down hill or struggled up as the decks pitched high and low. Cadets were being tossed about seemingly without control. I heard one cadet say, "It feels just like a roller coaster that never stops" and another said, "This is great, I love everything about it!" Today's weather really began to teach everyone about the importance of teamwork at sea. Any cadet who was able to stand helped their shipmate in anyway possible. Cadets who were least affected by the constant motion stood watch for sick shipmates and performed cleaning duties instead of thinking about themselves.

QUESTIONS FOR TUESDAY, 15 JANUARY

MATH: The Captain reported the atmospheric pressure to be 30.16 inches of mercury. Convert the pressure in inches of mercury to millibars. (1 atmosphere of pressure equals 1013.25 millibars) (29.92 inches Hg equals 1 atmosphere)

SCIENCE: Atmospheric energy causes waters north of the equator move in a clockwise direction and waters south of the equator to move in a counter-clockwise direction. What is the name of this effect?

GEOGRAPHY: Cadet navigators plot the ship's position on charts and we use maps to help find our way around too. What is the art and science of making charts and maps called?

HISTORY: A chronological record of events, as of the life or development of a people, is called what?

ANSWERS FOR MONDAY, 14 JANUARY

MATH:

Tc = 5/9 X (39-32)

Tc = 5/9 X 07

Tc = 3.8 degrees Celsius

SCIENCE: These well-defined patterns are called currents

GEOGRAPHY: A body of land, which projects into the water, is called a peninsula.

HISTORY: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born at noon on 15 January 1929. He died on 04 April 1968.