SST: May 26, 2009
26 May 2009
The weather continues to cooperate and we had another beautiful day at sea. We celebrated Cadet Kevin Unver’s birthday and that of crew member Enerys Torres. During the night we advanced one hour to Azores Time and are now separated by four hours from New York. We’ve crossed over half the Atlantic Ocean!
I had a long conversation on the forward deck after lunch with a second class cadet, Kristian Hernandez. Kristian and I spotted a sailboat, someone’s private yacht, in the distance, and Kristian explained to me various ways to gauge distances on the horizon. Later, we watched a pod of porpoises swim around the ship, jumping and playing in the waves (a note of thanks to Cadet Russell Firtel who informed me that porpoises come in pods, not schools). Later I had another conversation with Cadets Andrew Marklin and Greg Talibon about the species of fish in the Atlantic. Both of them were interested in fishing tuna and marlin when we land in Sao Miguel later in the week. In
By the way, all these cadets are typical of the type of Maritime students on board – bright, well-mannered, interested in what they’re doing, and eager to explain and display their knowledge. They were flattered when I mentioned that I might report our conversations in this blog. Kristian promptly asked that I say hello to Jenna and his mother back in Massapequa.
Days of the week and the calendar have less meaning at sea than on land. Here we all follow our routines and little else matters. Consequently, very few people realized it was Memorial Day. Certainly no one demanded a holiday. In the Plan of the Day, LCDR Yesko provided some information about the history of Memorial Day. At the service at 1700 hours, I recited the prayers of remembrance for those who had died in the service of their country and said prayers for peace as well.
Students were informed that we’ll be a day late arriving in Sao Miguel, but were relieved to learn that we will still spend seventy-two hours in port, and that the rest of the cruise itinerary will remain intact. One thing you learn at sea however is that schedules change and we adapt. Captain Smith has been communicating with our agent in Ponta Delgada and I expect to have a full range of activities for cadets on shore leave, including island tours, deep sea fishing, swimming, hiking, and diving. Besides outdoor activities, there are a number of things to do in Ponta Delgada itself. I look forward to shopping, fine dining, exploring churches, and seeing some of the famous Azorean gardens.
The on-board movies in the evening were Cinderella Man and The Simpsons Movie.
Fr. John Farrell
Chaplain
