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From the Ship’s Librarian
Saturday, June 02, 2012
At 63°50’N, the sun only sets for some. The sunset last
night (May 31, but technically slightly after 1 am on June 1) was a great
learning opportunity. Cadets engaged in celestial navigation are generally
quite finely tuned to the timing of astronomical events such as the sunset, but
on this day only the diligent managed to see the sun set and green flash on the
main deck and the boat deck. Why? Because had they taken the altitude of the
deck into account, the cadets on the bridge deck, eagerly waiting for the
sunset, would have discovered that there would be no sunset from their vantage
point—the sun rose right back up! Yes, the extra 20 feet of altitude on the
ship made all the difference!
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From the Ship’s Librarian
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Halló, Ísland! Halló, Reykjavík! We are docked in an area
called Sündahofn (New Harbor), two miles east of the Old City. Port side you
see an industrial and marine transportation complex, where we see cargo
operations up close; starboard side you see a yellow lighthouse, a blue
Scandinavian-style house on a small island, and, just another quarter mile
beyond, Esja, a peninsula of mountains with the last few narrow strands of ice
hanging off the peaks; straight ahead beyond the bow is the Reykjavík skyline:
dramatically framing the handful of tall buildings are the futuristic steeple
of Hallgrimskirkja atop of a hill to the south and the modernist honeycomb
glass casing of the Harpa Music Hall by the harbor to the north. For three
days, cadets will be enjoying their liberty all around town, and sometimes far
from town. A yellow school bus is waiting at the Harbor’s Visitor Center to
shuttle us hourly between the ship and Old City.
Append to the May 23 entry: The mystery engineering
professor is Prof. Strez.
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From the Ship’s Librarian
Monday, June 4, 2012
A steady traffic of cadets brave the two-mile journey to
the city. They are walking, biking, skateboarding, and rollerblading, and they
are in for a treat. Just off the docks by the waterfront is an artists’ park
that reminds me of Socrates Park in Astoria, Queens. Sculptures of all
kinds—metal, wood, and stone—dot the grassy field. In the center is a
colorfully decorated hut which is the artists’ workshop. Art does not stop with
the finished products: cadets climb these sculptures and pose for photos in creative
ways. Further down the seawall path is Hofði (The Promontory House), where the
October 1986 summit between Reagan and Gorbachev was held. The Icelandic people
like to pride themselves in ushering in the fall of the Berlin Wall, but the
breakthrough between the two leaders was actually on reducing nuclear arsenal,
which led to the treaty on cutting intermediate-range nuclear weapons signed
the following year. Continuing on towards the city center stands the Solfarið
(the Sun Boat), an abstract metal sculpture, a morph of fish bones and a Viking
ship. These are but a sample of interesting sites all across the city; cadets
marvel at the confluence of modern conveniences so familiar and a culture so
foreign. Cadets also caught the last day of Iceland’s annual Fishermen’s
Festival where games, skills demonstrations, and, most important, free samples
of seafood and birds were offered.
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From the Ship’s Librarian
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
The bus stop by the harbor’s Visitor Center becomes the
place to catch up on everyone’s adventures. Some cadets come back in awe from
experiencing Iceland’s natural geological wonders on the Golden Circle tour;
some come back happily exhausted from white water rafting; some come back
completely relaxed after a thorough soak in the mineral water of the Blue
Lagoon (so relaxed that they overlooked their hair, which was all sticking up
crazy). The more adventurous organize their own tours:
surfing, skiing and snowboarding, horseback riding, and
trips to the beach. In the Visitor Center, cadets call and write home using
rental phones and computers. Cadets certainly know how to keep themselves
active and busy!
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Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Bless bless (bye-bye), Reykjavík! We untied at 0800 bound
for the infinite horizon once again. But before we leave the snow-capped
mountains behind, the Icelandic people gave us a special send off. At 1015, we
heard a helicopter catching up with us. We slowed down the ship and a line was
dropped from the hovering aircraft. Three cadets tied it to the rail, and, zip
lining down was an Icelandic coast guard, dressed in a bright red suit,
followed by a stretcher-sized bucket. We performed this emergency medical
evacuation drill twice in under 10 minutes’ time, which, as I learned from the
Chief Mate later, was extremely efficient. The coast guard exchanged a few
parting words and shook hands with the cadets before zip lining up back to the
rumbling helicopter. As we waved our final goodbyes to the wonderful Icelandic
people, the aircraft rounded an extra circle over the ship before taking off,
disappearing among the distant specks of seagulls in the open sky.
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From the Ship’s Librarian
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Today is all about emergency response. During the
extended boat drill, corpsmen brought out their gear to each station and showed
us the basics of handling a few types of injuries—fractures, sprains, and
dislocations; open and closed wounds. We check for vital signs, consciousness,
circulation, and body control, then stabilize, elevate, press, splint!
Volunteers play victim, which always add levity to these proceedings,
especially when learning to move the victim on to a stretcher and parading
around, I mean, transporting the victim. Cadets are very smart, though. In the
brief moments when the sun peeked through the clouds, they showed off their
skills by taking their sextants out of the box and taking readings with one
swift, continuous motion. They don’t waste any time!
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From the Ship’s Librarian
Friday, June 8, 2012
Seriousness All Around
Last night the library saw a record gate count of 55.
Cadets are preparing for the sprint to the finish line. They are having their
last few days of classes and are studying for the final exam; they are
completing their celestial fixes and tracings due by arrival at Norfolk; some
are still studying for the Morse code exam. It’s time to be serious! We are
turning the clock back one hour every two days now and that helps. Speaking of
being serious, cadets have been checking out some literary heavy-weights
lately—fiction: The Sound and the Fury and The Sun Also Rises;
non-fiction: The Dialogues of Plato and Primal Leadership: Realizing the
Power of Emotional Intelligence. There be seriousness all around.
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From the Ship’s Librarian
Sunday, June 10, 2012
A Mellow Sunday. Sunday At Sea was a mellow affair.
Unpredictable weather conditions ran the gamut: sun, clouds, fog, rain, and
winds. Although the grills stayed indoors, the menu stayed the same and did not
disappoint.
Over 30 cadets attended a special lecture today on labor
unions given by a mate who also happens to work in the labor sector. We learned
about workers’ rights, hiring practices, and benefits. Cadets asked are
concerned about employment opportunities and the speaker gave valuable tips on
how to make the most of the hiring process, as well as general advice on saving
and planning for the future.
