FTV 2/5/11

We are finally in gorgeous Barbados. As we enter the port of Bridgetown, we can look over the rails of the ship and see the crystal blue water beneath us. On our dock and the docks adjacent to us, there are five massive cruise ships full of people from all over the world who are just as anxious to venture off as we are.

There is so much to do and see here, the weather is beautiful and the sun is shining for our first day in port.. In the distance, we can see the white sandy beaches and palm trees flowing in the breeze. Looking out onto this island is like looking at a postcard.. All of the cadets on liberty are exploring and getting a feel of what they can do with their three days of liberty.

National Heroes Square is definitely a worthwhile place to visit as well as many beaches and shops. Another place where mariners like us are expected to flock is the Careenage, a natural harbor full of luxury yachts and excursion boats lined by a boardwalk.

An historical site to see is the George Washington House which is located on the southern part of the island. Here, is the only place outside of North America where George Washington ever lived. He resided here in 1751 for 2 months while his older half brother sought treatment for Tuberculosis on the island. Barbados is truly a Caribbean gem that shows great promise for four fun filled days of sun, memories, and friends.


Questions:

• After leaving Barbados, George Washington went on to become what?
• What is the currency in Barbados?
• What is the exchange rate?

FTV 2/4/11

We said our goodbyes to Vera Cruz ten days ago and here we are, the day before our second port. Everything remains business as usual but it is readily evident that the cadets are excited about the next liberty port. We will have our second Captain's Inspections tonight as well as our pre-port briefing. The inspections are the most thorough inspections we have during Sea Term, they are held the night before every port.

After the inspection, all cadets will report to the helo deck where everyone will be informed on what is expected of a cadet while on liberty in Barbados. The plan is to tie up in Bridgetown, the capital city of Barbados at 0700 tomorrow morning. Liberty will be granted as soon as the ship completes customs. We are docking on the south side of Barbados where the white sand beaches beckon to all cadets and crew alike.

It is expected that the weather combined with the breathtaking beaches will aid to the enjoyment of all concerned. Everyone is looking forward to seeing what Barbados has to offer. We are more than halfway done with Sea Term and the cadets are excited about each port as well as returning home.

Questions:

• How many Captain's Inspections do we have on Sea Term?
• What is the eastern most island of the Caribbean?
• What country was Barbados founded by?

Captain's Blog 2/4/11

We docked in beautiful Bridgetown, Barbados this morning. MMA has made port calls here seven times in the past 30 years. That is pretty close to a record. The people are friendly, the beaches are among the finest in the world - reference Crane's Beach to the Travel Channel's Top Ten.

The island has strong British roots, but gained independence from Great Britain in 1966. Today a strong economy built on tourism, rum and sugar cane has yielded a high affluence rating in the per capita basis. High life expectancy and literacy for its nearly 300,000 residents compares favorably to the US and Canada.

I look forward to taking a walk downtown myself.

FTV 2/3/11

When someone is on land, they can know exactly where they are by the countless roads, building, and landmarks. On the sea, it is an entirely different story. There are no skyscrapers or roadways to help you figure out where you are. The ocean isn't broken up into cities and streets either. The ocean is divided up into large parts such as; the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean. There are subparts such as the Gulf of Mexico or the Strait of Gibraltar, but saying you are located in one of those places is like saying you are somewhere in Nevada. This is why Merchant Mariners adopted the use of GPS.

GPS stands for Global Positioning System and was originated by the United States Government for military purposes. GPS is made up of three parts: space, control, and user segments. The space segment includes 21 operational satellites and 3 emergency satellites. The satellites orbit the Earth once every 12 hours on 6 different orbital planes. This allows at least 4 satellites to be seen from any location on Earth at any time. However, it is possible for a satellite to develop error which is why there is a control segment. The control segment is composed of a Master Control Station, several monitoring stations and ground antennas. Since these stations do not move in retrospect to the Earth, they can be used to correct any error a satellite may develop.

They send signals to the satellites to make sure they are relaying the proper location to the users. The users make up the user segment. Every navigational GPS device whether it is a phone, car, or a simple GPS is part of the user segment. It takes all three of these segments to find a location. The user can be anywhere in the world. At least three satellites are needed to create spheres of position of that user. The three spheres of position all come together at exactly one point. That one point is the location of the user. The control segment makes sure that the satellites are actually displaying the proper information in order to avoid false locations from being sent out. Our ship has a couple of GPS devices on board; this allows us to check the accuracy of each device against the others.

Currently the T.S. Kennedy is bound for Bridgetown, Barbados our ETA is 0800 Friday morning. It won't be long until the cadets are under the hot sun on the tropical beaches that Barbados has to offer.

Questions:

• What is the GPS location of Massachusetts Maritime Academy?
• What was the name of the first satellite ever launched? (Hint: The Russians launched it.)
• What other function could the GPS provide? (Hint: Every satellite has an atomic clock onboard)

Captain's Blog 2/3/11

Oops, I missed a day. A few days ago I received some directions from the agent in Barbados that a new entity, the Joint Regional Security Task Force (which apparently has jurisdiction throughout the eastern Caribbean Islands) has imposed new reporting requirements for ships entering their ports. Boy was I stressed - you may interpret that word differently if you like.

Anyway, we had to access each and every cadet and crew's personnel files and extract information that had previously not been reported. Then we had to reformat existing data lists to match the form that was required. Then it was supposed to be transmitted to them in advance of arrival. I was only successful in getting the advance disclosure to them waived, but once at the dock they wanted the whole enchilada.

Monday was spent mining the 693 files, then on Tuesday we had six cadets with their laptops sitting in my room entering the data. I felt like I was a conductor of an orchestra. It was funny really, and actually pretty painless. One cadet was in charge of music - although I am afraid my selection was not to everyone's liking - and another was in charge of making the coffee, tea or hot chocolate in my K-Cup system. By noon time the data entry was done. In less than another hour I had fine-tuned the format and made sure the data fields were all populated. All done before the fire and boat drill at 1600!

Last night the cadets held their annual Talent Show. I was impressed with some of the talent too. A duet on guitars doing an original song - a woman doing modern dance (on a very slippery Helo Deck) - another cadet doing a rather dark rendition of a Johnny Cash song - a cadet close order drill with a rifle - a small group doing rap - a standup comic - and the winner, a cadet playing his head, where his fists were the sticks, and his cranium the drum! Of course we were treated to one of our engineers - Bill Tracy - doing a sea ballad sing-along with enthusiastic fiddling.

FTV 2/2/11

Everyone has seen a motor boat speed by, but what makes that boat move? Well, there is a propeller that is powered by a motor that makes it spin in order to move the boat forward. On our ship, the concept isn't too far from a motor boat. Our ship has a large propeller with four blades that is connected to a large shaft. This shaft runs all the way to the engine room where it is connected to a number of gears. These gears are turned by the turbines which are powered by our steam engine.

In a way, our steam ship is very similar to many smaller boats you see every day. On ships as big as ours and even bigger the concept stays the same. Some ships are powered by giant diesel engines and others by gas turbines. Whether they are powered by steam, diesel or gas, each ship has a propeller connected to a shaft leading to the main engine. All propellers range in size and number of blades, but the angle of the blade relative to the shaft determines how far the propeller turns in one revolution. This revolution is what propels the ship forward through the water. The amount of revolutions per minute determines how fast the ship will move. For example, at full speed our shaft turns at 90 RPMs which results in about 19 knots.

There is no gas pedal on the ship for the bridge to use to speed up or slow down. Instead, there is a telegraph machine in which those on the bridge can send a message to the engineers requesting certain speeds. This machine is called the Engine Order Telegraph (E.O.T). Our speed changes every day based upon the sea state, weather and times we need to arrive. When we left Vera Cruz for Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, we moved at a cruising speed of around 16 knots for basically the whole way.

Looking ahead: We are not too far from Barbados now, and we can feel fun times coming our way. It won't be long until we are enjoying the white sandy beaches and tropical culture that Barbados is known for.

Questions:

1) What are the two main types of propellers?
2) Why are more modern ships using diesel engines instead of steam?
3) If our ship turns 15 rpm's for 24 hours how many rotations has the shaft made?

Captain's Blog 2/1/11

I was having breakfast and searching my mind for a topic for today's log - the weather seems to be a redundant topic now - the cadet's routine is well known - and no festivities or activities outside of the ordinary to report. So, what to do...?

I step out of the ladder way on the Cabin Deck and there is a long line of cadets - presumably waiting to talk to the Second Mate - who is directly astern of me. I catch a 4/c cadet image in my eye that isn't quite right - nice clean boiler suit (not that too unusual), but he is wearing sneakers. Bright white, new sneakers. Now that is both unusual, and out of the standard work uniform. So, I ask innocently - "Where are your work boots?" and the reply came back, "One fell in the ocean, Sir."

I stop, back down a little; this is a story I have to hear. "I was on the Helo deck, and I wanted to kick off my boots as I relaxed in the sun, and well, I guess I kicked a little too hard, and it fell in." "You mean you kicked your boot into the Caribbean Sea?" I counter. "Yes, sir, you could say that". First time I ever heard that one. Funny, but his poor Uxbridge toes are now in harm's way! I'm sure a shipmate will take care of him.

Captain's Blog 1/31/11

Whoa, the end of January already? I know I often comment about how fast these trips go and that may be in direct contradiction to reports from cadets you may know aboard. However, I have always been an optimist about shipboard life - which can be grueling if you have to endure a lengthy voyage or extreme weather. It's easy to feel the anxiety of doing a five month work tour aboard a crude carrier shuttling between Saudi Arabia and Ain Suhkna, Egypt - hot beyond belief (the ice machines can never keep up) and no shore leave. So a six week voyage to the Caribbean with all the ice cream you can eat doesn't sound so terrible.

Yesterday's all-day cook-out was a great day off. The weather was absolutely superb, and besides nearly a ton of hamburgers, hot dogs and spare ribs consumed - I think everyone got a bit of sunburn, and talked on the cell phone to their families and friends at least once, maybe ten times. Chartwell's Dining Services did a great job.

Last night's Mayhem in Mayaquez was a real success. I know that our cadet correspondents will make a full report. Of course, besides some friendly recreation, the event was a fundraiser for Wounded and Disabled Veterans. I know that CDR Kelleher and his staff are quite pleased, and I think the cadets and crew aboard who bought raffle tickets, participated in the auction and bought ringside seats, can be proud of their spirit to give - and to give to such a meaningful charity. Off toward the beautiful island of Barbados later today.

FTV 1/31/11

Sophomore cadets studying Marine Transportation are required to create a voyage plan as their project for Sea Term. A voyage plan is a lot more complicated than it sounds. In order to sail internationally, a voyage plan is required by the IMO. If you are sailing from a U.S. port to another U.S. port, a voyage plan is not required but it is still commonly used to ensure a safe trip. Sophomores have to pick one leg of our current Sea Term voyage and plan it out using nautical charts, informational publications, and the knowledge that they have acquired since freshman year.

Cadets are split up into groups of four or five in which they will pick a leg of the voyage to focus on. For example, if a group was to plan the voyage from Barbados to San Juan, they would need to look up both ports in the necessary publications. Some publications you would need to complete a voyage plan would be; tides and current tables, chart catalogs and Notice to Mariners. Two additional publications needed for a voyage are Sailing Directions and Coast Pilot.

These essentially do the same thing; you would use Sailing Directions for Barbados and Coast Pilot for Puerto Rico. In these two publications, mariners can find all of the port information needed such as; tides, currents, entrance buoys, pilot information, depths of water, channel information, regulations and any other important information a mariner would need to have in order to tie up in any port. There is a great deal that needs to be taken into account in order to complete this project and a massive amount of work and effort goes into it.

Last night's Mayhem in Mayaguez brought on epic battles as cadets competed against one another to be the best in their category. Winning the division battle was 4/C Tom Dindy from division three. Our Marine Transportation and Marine Engineering adjutants faced off as well. Bringing in the win was 1/c Jared Horey on the Marine Engineering side. Next up was the Cadet Chief Mate vs. the Cadet Chief Engineer.

This time, the Marine Transportation major was on the winning side as 1/C Rory O'Donnell rose up as champion against the Cadet Chief Engineer, 1/C Andrew Willard. Our main event featured the two biggest cadets on the ship, 3/C Steve Moore and 1/C Ronald Varrichione. Blow after blow each man stood strong, but in the end 1/C Varrichione was the last man standing. It was a fun filled night for everyone.

Questions:

• What does IMO stand for?
• What is the difference between Sailing Directions and Coast Pilot? (Hint: Sailing Directions would be used for Barbados and Mexico and Coast Pilot would be used for Puerto Rico and Buzzards Bay.)
• When making a voyage plan to enter a harbor, what type of scale should be used? (Hint: reference the blog for 1/29)

FTV 1/30/11

Many people have been curious as to what Mayhem in Mayaguez entails. It is held on the second Sunday at Sea as a celebration of our Sea Term so far. During Mayhem in Mayaguez, we have our regular Sunday at Sea cookout however we dust off our inflatable, jousting equipment. This equipment features a large cushion with two giant, three foot wide pedestals to stand on. From here, cadets will try to knock the other off the pedestal with large 'Q-tip' like instruments.

First, each of the four divisions picks one person to represent them, they battle it out and the division that wins gets bragging rights for the rest of Sea Term. We have a main event as well. One sophomore against one of the Chartwells employees will battle it out for the second time. There is also a raffle that happens during this event, each ticket is $5. The prizes are all regimentally appealing; such as inspections off, extra days in port and excused watch/offloading for back in Buzzards Bay.

The prizes are tempting however buying a raffle ticket is not just about the prizes that the buyer might receive, but more of what the buyer gives. The proceeds from the raffle tickets go towards the Wounded Warriors Charity which assists disabled veterans. These funds will help our disabled veterans enjoy a better life as they return home wounded from military operations overseas. Last year, the proceeds from this raffle went to the Haiti Relief Fund.

Questions:

If every person on the ship bought a raffle ticket, how much money can we give to the Wounded Warriors Charity?
When did the Haiti earthquake occur last year?
How many days are between Vera Cruz and Barbados?

Captain's Blog 1/30/11

The Kennedy is heading into Bahia de Mayaquez in Puerto Rico this morning. At 0500 it was so beautiful out: with the sky so clear, it looked as if you could reach up and touch the Southern Cross, Venus and the crescent moon from the starboard bridge wing.

Guest writer today is CDR Steve Kelleher and his report is as follows:

Last night, Saturday January 29th at 2000 was the official weigh-in for the third annual 'Mayhem in Mayaguez' jousting competition. The event, to be located on the Helo deck, will take place tonight. In addition to the weigh in, a charity raffle and auction was held to raise money for disabled veterans. Tickets for the raffle went on sale shortly after the TS Kennedy departed Buzzards Bay.

To the cheers and applause of their divisional shipmates, cadet 4/c 'Mean Jesse Green' of first division, cadet 4/c Kevin 'just call me Grif' Griffin of second division, cadet 3/c Thomas 'The Danger' Dindy of third division and cadet 1/c Kevin 'Filthy McNasty' Ferrazzani of fourth division weighed in for a combined weight of 850 pounds. All four combatants are vying for the title 'Divisional Champion - Cruise 2011'.

Weighing in on the undercard and in the grudge match category was the Cadet Chief Mate Rory O'Donnell versus the Cadet Chief Engineer Andrew Willard, and Cadet Deck Adjutant Michael Gately versus the Cadet Engine Adjutant Jared Horey.

Finally the Super heavyweights: cadet 3/c Stephen 'The Mountain' Moore and cadet 1/c Ron 'The Truth' Varrichione weighed in. These two giants of the Caribbean tipped the scales at a warping 600 pounds.

Regarding the charity raffle and auction, raffle prizes awarded included (among other things) inspections off, extra liberty in port and first off the ship in Barbados and San Juan. The auctioned off items also included inspections off during the spring, first off the ship in port plus 3 friends, extra liberty, TS Kennedy jackets, caps, t-shirts and pens.

The event was well attended by the cadets and there were numerous moments of humor and laughter, especially during the weigh in and auction. The charity raffle and auction combined raised in excess of $4,000 to include many straight donations from the officers and crew.