SST: May 27, 2009
27 May 2009
In this morning’s Plan of the Day someone included a quote from author Isak Dinesen, who said: “The cure for everything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea.” I’m not sure about the first two, but the sea is a great place to achieve clarity, ponder the nature of things, and assess your capabilities. Much of the maturity I applaud in our cadets is nurtured during Summer Sea Term.
The good weather is holding and a sense of excitement grows as we approach our first port of call tomorrow morning. Today we returned to the normal rotation of lecture, watch, and maintenance, as we prepare for arrival in port. On board, we also celebrated the birthdays of Cadets Andrew Beatty, Robert Flannery, Omer Sacli, and Kory Yetter.
At around 1400 (2:00 PM), following the weekly Boat Drill, we sighted the first island of the Azores, Pico, which is one of nine islands in an archipelago 650 nautical miles long. The ship will be disembarking cadets Morley Flynn and Nicole Kelly, along with Senior Deck Training Officer, Jim McKoy, at the port of Horta, on the island of Faial. We expect to be maneuvering for this evolution at around 1730 this evening. The two cadets are members of the Maritime College Sailing Team. They are returning to the United States to participate in Sailing Nationals. It is anticipated that they will rejoin their classmates in Gibraltar next week, along with Cadet William Gallagher. The entire ship’s compliment wishes them good luck.
Following our maneuvering off of Horta, we will continue on to our first port of call, Ponta Delgada, on the island of San Miguel. Our estimated time of arrival at the pilot station is 0600 on the morning of the 27th. All hands are eager to get on land, and to experience what this unique island has to offer. Tours have been planned, and the Agent is scheduled to meet up with Captain Smith following arrival to discuss deep sea fishing, diving, and bicycle tours. A number of 3/c cadets where wondering what their first taste of foreign culture would be like; others just wanted to get to the Internet Café right off the ship, on the new cruise facility that we will be docked at. All in all, it is a greatly anticipated day.
