Admiral's Journal: June 1, 2010
Dear Faculty, Staff, Parents and Friends,
Another great day at sea aboard the Empire State, as we continue to make our way toward the Greek islands. We have had beautiful weather and calm seas since leaving Malaga. The transits through the straits of Bonifacio and Messina were highlights of the transit from Spain to our current location. We transited the Bonifacio strait at night, where there was little ship traffic, but lots of good radar, as well as terrestrial navigation training.
We went through the Straits of Messina on Sunday afternoon, and it was as busy as the Cross Bronx Expressway, with multiple ferries crossing in front of us from both directions and other ships either meeting us from the opposite direction or passing us as they accelerated by us to keep on a set schedule. It was a joy to watch the professionalism of Captain Smith and the cadets as they maneuvered the ship through this busy waterway! It was also a delight to see the Italian coastlines of the Calabria region to the East and Sicily and Mount Etna dominating the horizon to the West.
Once we got back into open waters, ship traffic dropped off dramatically, but life at sea never really slows down. There are watches to be stood, maintenance to be done, repairs to be made, classes to attend and tests to take! And, yes, there is some down time to sleep, grab a quick bite to eat, write an e-mail home or occasionally watch a movie.
It is a treat to sit in on classroom lectures, whether about boiler construction, electrical motors, tides and currents, or radar navigation. To be able to see years of knowledge being transferred from our phenomenal officers and professors to the cadets is something truly special, particularly when the cadets get to demonstrate and put to use what they just learned. It is also wonderful to hear cadets speak with obvious pride about what they repaired, how they calibrated an important piece of the ship’s equipment or how they got a celestial fix that was spot on to the ship’s location.
The practical skills the cadets are learning aboard the ship will last them a lifetime, as will the memories and bonds of friendship forged from their time together on this seemingly ageless and wonderful ship.
Sincerely,
John Craine
John W. Craine, Jr.
President
