17 January 2015
At my 0500 wake-up call I found us approaching Mayaguez Bay. Its is a beautiful morning with bright sun and partly cloudy skies. By 0730 we had the first anchor team in place and started the entry into Mayaguez Bay, slow and steady. The anchoring team consists of a bridge component and a bow component of all first class cadets. Down in the engine room is a maneuvering team ready to answer engine orders, called bells.
The first anchoring took a while as the cadets got their navigational bearings, literally, aligned. The object is to anchor at a precise point planned in advance. While the Cadet Officer of the Watch conns, the navigation team of
bearing takers and radar observers keep track of location and movement. While this occurs the bow team walks the anchor out of the hawse pipe, and then sets it on the brake. Once in the right spot, the engines are put astern, and the anchor is dropped, so as to help pull the anchor chain out of the chain locker.
Once anchored, they immediately go to work and heave the anchor, twist the ship around and head out of the Bay to do it again. So far, we completed two anchorings this morning. We're on lunch break for an hour, then we'll do one more trip out and in – then remain on the hook for the night and have a Sea cook-out and and watch football games! Go Patriots!
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