SST: May 22, 2009
22 May 2009
Friday was another stunning day, as we continued our eastward trek across the Atlantic Ocean. According to Tim Kenefick, on-board NOAA Meteorologist and long-time friend of the Maritime College, the forecast for Friday was mostly clear with unrestricted visibility. Wind SW 8 to 14 knots with gusts to 20 knots from late morning to sunset. Minimum Temperature: 66F/19C, Maximum Temperature: 77F/25C, Sea Water 74F - a perfect day for all, and especially for our deck cadets as they hone their celestial navigation skills. In the Plan of the Day, Nurse Mike Brady has advised cadets to Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate – that is increase fluid intake and drink lots of water as we enter warmer climates.
During the night we crossed our first time zone, so everyone lost an hour’s sleep as we moved from Eastern to Atlantic Time. At sea, you have to realize that a voyage may encompass crossing numerous time zones; on this leg we will go from eastern daylight time (Zone description (+4)) to Greenwich Time (GMT) and will have to advance clocks on four separate occasions. Although there are always different ways to do this, onboard Empire State, we advance 20 minutes on each of the three watches, 16-20, 20-24, and 00-04 to evenly distribute the amount of time lost or gained.
Chartwell’s announced that they would be serving Bananas Foster on deck at 2100 hours tonight. So many came out and enjoyed a caramel banana over ice cream under starlight. This was a good way to celebrate Cadet Dogan Sengun’s birthday, and proved to be a great break from the routine. We have to take advantage of every opportunity while we have the good weather.
In order to keep to schedule and reach the Azores on Tuesday of next week, the Empire State has been steaming at a rate of 18 knots per hour. To conserve fuel and allow for maximum speed, the air conditioning has been turned off part of the time. As Captain Smith told the crew last night, “The Empire State is a good ship and a real lady. But she’s a lady getting along in years and needs tender loving care.”
The cadets understand this and enjoy spending their days keeping the vessel shipshape. I had a conversation with Cadet Jason Fetter on deck. Jason’s an engineering major who I had in a humanities course a couple of years ago. Now he’s a first-class cadet who had just come off duty. His face was covered with soot and his hands encrusted with grime. “I love it down there in the engine room,” said Jason. “I could work on engines for the rest of my life.”
Despite our late start, the problems with the ship’s e-mail have not been resolved; limited communications are going out, and we have requested a technician attend the vessel in Ponta Delgada to hopefully get this resolved. I’ve been on ships before where I was incommunicado, so it doesn’t especially bother me. The cadets aren’t complaining either, and we hope this blog keeps parents and friends reassured and understanding that our cadets are enjoying a unique educational experience and having the time of their lives.
Fr. John Farrell
Chaplain
