Photos (St. Johns and Ship's Library)

In Dublin Fair City

Dear Readers,

So instead of having a nice, quiet Sunday at Sea before reaching Dublin, we had a little bit of excitement yesterday: a helicopter drill!  Members of the Irish Coast Guard were training one of their own in an exercise in concert with our officers’ approvals.  First, the helicopter circled the ship a half a dozen times or so, looking for the opportune location to drop their guy.  Then, after deciding the aftmost deck suited their operation, the helicopter hovered about 50 feet off the deck for several minutes until – pop! – out came an extended line followed by – pop, pop! – two legs dangling from the side of the hilo.  Attached to the line, the trainee was lowered to the deck of the TSES, released the line, and walked from port to starboard and back a few times.  The line lowered again for him to reconnect, and – zip! – up he went back into the helicopter.  The whole lowering/raising exercise lasted no more than 15 minutes, but in that time the decks became full of cadets with their cameras out to record the event.  I’ve never been that close to a helicopter before, but boy can those props put off some power!

 As if that wasn’t exciting enough, today we’re making port in Ireland.  Soon, I’ll be joining a few hundred of my fellow first-halfers in Dublin, followed by a plane ride back to New York.  I hope you’ll stay tuned for shipboard happenings with my successor, Oleg Kushelev, who will be the librarian on the second half of cruise.  I hope this blog has offered an insider eye at the life aboard a training ship: the good times, bad times, and all challenges in between.  Thank you for the opportunity to work with your cadets, fellow crew, and officers; it has truly been a pleasure!

Fair winds and following seas,

Books

June 21/22: Cead mile failte!

Dear Readers:

Well, since the Porcupines, we’ve been dead set on heading to the Celtic Sea, and after a quick stop outside of Dublin, we’re heading north for a few more days at sea.  We’re preparing as best as we can for Ireland culturally, linguistically, and gastronomically.  We had a lovely dinner of shepherd’s pie, corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread, carrots and potatoes the other night (topped off with Boston cream pie… which is kind of related!).   Tonight’s movie is “Boondock Saints.”  The port guides are out and I’ve overheard cadets practicing its useful words and phrases section in Irish (Gaelic).  Here’s some translations to

play along at home:

Dia duit! – Hello!

Conas tá tú? – How are you?

Slán agat. – Good bye.

Slaínte! – Cheers!

I took a semester of Irish (Gaelic) in college, and some of these are coming back to me… such as cabaste – cabbage.  (As a class we were assigned Irish words to research, and I’ll never forget my classmate’s presentation of cabaste.) Not very sure how much of this will stick with cadets, or how useful  cabaste could be in conversation.  Good thing Dublin is still predominantly English-speaking.

Until next time,

Books

Porcu(pining) for Dublin

Dear Readers,

Well, we’re cruising right along through the Atlantic, and Summer Sea Term for that matter.  I can hardly believe we’re just four days off from Dublin!  And here’s a fun fact: tomorrow we’ll be heading over the Porcupine Abyssal Plain.  I had no idea there was such a Plain named after a Porcupine, but there it is on our chart!  I’d love to find out how it got its name…

There’s just one round of finals left for Engineers and first class Deckies (cargo safety, marlinspike seamanship, knot tying, and ground tackle)  tomorrow, many of whom have been camped out in the library all day.  Most other cadets are now on the final stretch to port and taking advantage of some long-missed down time, including a very heated foosball tournament going on outside the library in the “rec room.” Whether it’s just for 15 minutes between classes or for hours after dinner, crowds of students gather around the three tables to outpace the others in an epic battle of spinning very small soccer players rapidly around on a post, keeping the foosball out of their respective goals.  So far, there appears to be a three-way tie for the lead between Cadets Adam Gray, Atley Sanders, and Mate Owen Palmiotti.

Others have taken a preference to a less fast-paced activity; like, you know, reading, playing Scrabble, or chess.  (I had to gently suggest today that “iorny" was not a Scrabble-approved word, and perhaps they were thinking of “irony” instead.)

Wishing everyone good luck over the next few days, and hoping for successful exams and final assignments!

Until next time,

Books

Memoirs of a Messman

Dear Readers:

Things around here are quiet… a little too quiet… which means only one thing: tomorrow starts final exams!  The sleep deprived eyes and nervous shuffling of papers are accompanying late nights in the library and a few extended hours here and there have made cadets all the more confident they’ll be alright.  At least, until tomorrow. 

Apart from rampant studying and chronic tiredness, a new strain of “the plague” is apparently circulating amongst the cadets (and some officers).  Between these three factors, it’s basically turning into an episode of “The Walking Dead” around here.

On a brighter note, I sat down last night with Engineering Cadet Sean Olsen, who was our intrepid “Messman” on Sunday.  (Messman is one of the extra duties assigned to cadets throughout cruise who normally assist in the galley [kitchen]; this Sunday they got to be out and about for the BBQ.)  A very good-humored Sean shared that on Sunday his day began at 0500 and didn’t end until 2030, with a few hours’ break in between.  During his time as Messman, Sean’s day started off on a bit of the wrong foot when he arrived late to his duty; in return, he had to wash the “huge!” pots and pans in preparation for the day – “They’re like equipment from Willy Wonka’s factory!” he described. 

The best part of the day to Sean was the opportunity to work with the kind folks of the galley crew.  “They’re fun to be around, and have lots of laughs,” Sean shared, brining a welcomed change to his usual shifts in the engine room.  On top of that, he got to be outside for most of the day assisting the crew as a go-for, and awaiting the unabashed call of “Where’s my Messman??”  He said our BBQ by the Azores was like having two worlds collide: the “American Dream” of a BBQ amidst the international setting of a volcanic island.  One day he hopes to sail across the Atlantic, and hopes he has as much fun as he’s been having as Messman on his own. 

Sean would like to say “Hi mom!”

Until next time (I hope!),

Books

Greetings from the Azores!

For the last few days we’ve been heading for the Azores, where deckies have been painstakingly working to box the compass and allow the rest of us just a few days of a beautiful backdrop to our otherwise blue world.  The coast of the Azores which are speckled with white houses and lush foliage pale in comparison to the sheer height of its peaks and ridges.  Today we celebrated a bit with a BBQ at sea, and it was the perfect setting for a little R&R!

Teasingly though, anchoring off the coast is as far as we will be getting to play tourist to these beautiful Portuguese islands; nay, not even a swim call if you can believe it!  With only a week to go before Dublin, Q’s are picking up more than before and more and more engineering cadets have found their way to the Library to study for license.  Others are just starting to enjoy the guide books available for Ireland and Dublin in preparation for a few days in port soon.  I think a few are realizing that they have to pack soon, and perhaps that original plan of working out every day to Insanity didn’t quite see it through to the end.  Better luck next year.

Tonight Mates Turner, Parr, and Wyche gave an informational presentation in the cadet lounge on the shipping union, MM&P (Masters, Mates, and Pilots). Sharing their experiences with deck cadets who will be graduating soon, they spoke on their personal accounts of working in and with MM&P over the years and hopefully inspired those who attended to look forward to life after graduation.

I just would like to give my own personal shout out tonight to my dad, and wish him a very Happy Father’s Day!  I hope you had a few “bottleduckens” and polkas for me!  I’d also like to wish all the dads out there a very special day, and know that you were thought of today – especially at the BBQ!

Until next time,

Books

Crossing the pond

Another exciting day here at sea on the good ship EMPIRE STATE VI!  A backlog of laundry from St. John’s has kept the laundry rooms busy non-stop, even into the wee hours of the morning.  For some, “laundry parties” occur when several cadets (or officers) spend the time between washer and dryer watching a movie together, studying, or finishing their celestial navigation homework as a group. 

The library was full of deckies finishing their celestial navigation homework; since the beginning of cruise, they’ll have to shoot (or take readings on) the stars on eight different nights before Dublin.  Of course, this means many have waited until now to complete that portion of the class.  Best of luck to our engineers as well who are studying for seminar!

Today’s lunch of some tasty Chinese food (egg rolls, lo mien, spare ribs, and shrimp fried rice) was sadly interrupted by – you guessed it – another boat drill.  Fire and Abandon Ship drills took an hour out of our afternoon, which I like to think of as a welcomed opportunity to get some sun and fresh air on this lovely Thursday at sea.

For family and friends who might be interested in sending a letter (no packages, please!) to meet the ship in Dublin, the address will be:

Name

TS EMPIRE STATE

c/o Burke Shipping Group

Berth 32

Ocean Pier

Alexandra Road

Dublin 1

Ireland

Otherwise, we’ll see you in New York!

Until next time,

Books

Enroute To Dublin

Well, we’re back underway now to Dublin!  We left a little late from St. John’s in order to avoid some of the weather of passing “Tropical Storm Andrea,” but still found ourselves in some rolling seas all of yesterday.  After a smattering of green-looking cadets rolled in, I made sure the library books were secured in the most obvious way – with bungee cords! 

St. John’s was a lovely port, and a very low key one at that.  We docked centrally with Water, Duckworth, and the infamous George Streets all within walking distance, which was of great advantage to us all.  The hills of St. John’s are steep, similar to those of San Francisco.  Some of the more adventurous cadets, crew, or officers made the trek up Signal Hill – the highest point on St. John’s.  Some of the even more adventurous took advantage of local tours to Cape Spear (the most eastern point on North America) and sea kayaking.  My informants tell me most of the sea kayakers ended up in the 47°F water – thanks, but no thanks!  This librarian was happy to visit Cape Spear; alas, there were no puffin, whale, or iceberg sightings.  I didn’t even see one Newfoundland retriever the whole time.  Greatly disappointed.

Cape Spear is also home to a lighthouse, visitor’s center, and WWII battery.  Where we were docked was within walking distance of various war memorials as well, so I’m sure the local culture, history, and language was not lost on anyone.  (For example, it’s pronounced Newfound-LAND, not

NEW-foundland we quickly learned!)

Almost everything was more laid back in St. John’s, and it will be interesting to see how Dublin compares.  Unfortunately, I think we may have indulged in our last helping of poutine – a dish of French fries covered with cheese curds and gravy, a local staple served for breakfast, dinner, and supper (yes, those were the meals) – for quite some time.  The Fish and Chips at the Duke of Duckworth restaurant were to die for, I was told, but I’m sure Ireland will put up a good fight.

Now that we’re getting back into the routine of things, a time change will advance us another 1.5 hours ahead owing to the extra half hour of the Newfoundland time zone.  Q’s are back underway, and the library has been hopping with studiers, readers, and very apologetic cadets who forgot to return their books by the due dates.

This evening’s shoutout comes from Cadet Vincent Damiani who would like to say “Hi, Mom and Dad!  I haven’t fallen overboard yet!” 

Until next time,

Books

New Orleans Photos

 

Horse Trolleys in Jackson Square

 

St. Louis Cathedral

 

Ship's Librarian: Elizabeth Berilla

 

Jackson Square

 

Café Du Monde

 

Gilded Statue of the Maid of Orleans: Joan of Arc

 

Huey P. Long Bridge

 

Bourbon Street

WOOOOMMMMMMPPPPPPP

After a restless night hearing the fog horn sound its “WOOOOMMMMMMPPPPPPP” nonstop, we awoke this morning to fog as thick as peanut butter (or pea soup, whichever you prefer).  I knew there was land just on the other side of the fog somewhere, but it wasn’t until lunch time when the fog cleared and gave way to a beautiful blue sky and chilly temperatures that I could make out the horizon.  Land ho!  Only a few more hours until we dock in St. John’s now and we’re nearly out of all the handy port guides and maps created from resources in the library.  I hope everyone is ready for the “City of Legends”!

It’s been a busy past few days on the final legs of our voyage to Newfoundland.  Yesterday we held Fire and Abandon Ship drills, and the day before “salt-and-pepper” uniform inspections for arrival.  Last night was the usual Field Day (sounds
much more fun that it is!) where we made sure the ship is spic and span before a few days ashore.  Today are final hold inspections and last minute homework assignments being turned in.  In just a few hours we’ll be taking on the pilot and
clearing customs for arrival.  One of the most common questions I’ve had in the library today is: “Will my cell phone work in Canada?” 

I know some of you might be wondering about what the engine cadets are up to these days, while the deckies maneuver us into St. John’s up top.  I haven’t made it down to the engine room just yet to check things out myself, but 2nd Class
Engineering Cadet Michael McGuinn shared his experiences of his day on watch with me today.  Michael’s watch started yesterday at 2330 (that’s 11:30 p.m.) until 0400 (4:00 a.m.) this morning, when he got to head back to his rack (bed) until
0700.  From there, there was of course formation, naptime, and went back to watch at 11:30. 

Normally, his job, as he eloquently told me, “Is to make sure the boilers don’t explode,” by which he means that he monitors the water levels in the boilers, making sure the plant is running well on the boiler side (other cadets monitor the
turbine side of the room).  Michael got a bit of break today during the Fire and Abandon Ship drills, but then went right back on watch.  His favorite thing to do on watch? “I really like to be on watch when we’re pulling into port.  Then
we’re maneuvering; taking commands from the deck side [up top on the bridge], changing burners, sending steam to turbines… it’s a very active time!”  Other times he helps with the daily cleaning of boilers, “blowing tubes,” as it’s
called.  Since the TSES is steam powered, the carbon build up on the inside of boilers creates a sort of insulation and impedes normal use.  When he helps clean the carbon out, he’s really helping to make the plant run more efficiently.

Michael would like to send a shout out to his Nubstep: he loves you and misses you too!

St. John’s, here we come!  Allons-y!

Until next time,
Books

Sundae Sunday

Just a quiet little Sunday this week… with sundaes!  Our first Sunday at Sea went even better as planned, with an abundance of hotdogs, hamburgers, steak (!), ice cream, and a little R&R for all aboard.  While midterms were (mostly) completed, Q’s and Celestial Navigation assignments finally were turned in, most cadets and officers alike could spare some time to relax in the warm Atlantic sun.  Some cadets even had time to work on their tans.  I think the relaxed attitude spilled over into the evening, when a record 60+ cadets came to watch the nightly movies – Dodgeball and Wedding Crashers.  (Methinks their enthusiasm has waned, however; tonight we only had a handful join the musical double feature of Les Miserables and Sweeney Todd… or maybe their subtleties were lost on these sailors.)  Many thanks to all who made Sunday (and sundaes) at Sea possible!

Today it was back to the grind though and spirits are high as we inch closer and closer to St. John’s on the chart.  According to this afternoon’s report, we’re somewhere way off the coast of Maine and just about to make a hard turn to port to head further north.  We’re starting to grow accustomed to the clocks being set to “Newfoundland Time” already.  The -2:30 GMT setting can come as a bit of a surprise, especially when I found out that the extra half hour has been in place since even before Newfoundland joined the Confederation in 1949!

Mate Lars Turner spotted our first seabird today around 1900 on watch: “Probably a petrel,” he reported earlier to the library.  Land – and cell phone reception – will be here before we know it.

Until next time,
Books

Sunday At Sea, June 2, 2013

Flipper, ahoy!

Dolphins!  Off to starboard!  That was the call that rang throughout the ship yesterday morning, just before lunch as we were heading somewhere past Cape Hatteras.  Even afterwards, during formation, the more curious cadets would break rank to point over the rail at the arching fins and sprays of ocean water coming off of the dolphin pod playing along with our course.

We’re making great time up to Newfoundland with the Gulf Stream at our backs.  Cadets are alternating between reading about St. John’s in guidebooks, trying to answer the question of the day (“How many species of mammals are indigenous to Newfoundland?”), studying for midterms, and completing Q’s and Cel Nav homework.  A few are tarting to burn the candle at both ends, but most are in good spirits with a little extra coffee, chai tea, or cinnamon sugar pretzel from the snack bar late at night.  Even a bit more exciting is that word on the MUG path says we’ll be having our first official Sunday at Sea tomorrow!

As for the Med Care Provider class held in the library, from my station over at the Circulation Desk I’m learning all about taking a patient’s vitals.  As for a creative back-story or imaginary scenario during today’s lesson, I’m happy to report that Cadet Sporing (who’s “story” was that he fell off one ship and landed on a fishing vessel) was successfully rescued by his classmate, Cadet Archie Williams (who just happened to be on the fishing vessel… with a stretcher and a neck brace).  I hope they’re getting extra points for creativity.

Until next time,
Books

I'll Take "Ship's Life" for $200

"I'll Take 'Ship's Life' for $200"

Midterms are definitely underway now that we’re back in the routine of things; I can tell by the number of students staring blankly into their tomes of technical literature, hoping that something might stick in the 13th hour.  At least, I think they’re studying around their copies of The Hunger Games and Master and Commander.  Some are taking leisure reading breaks right now, while others are still working on perfecting their belt kicks and lunges with Insanity (just outside the library’s door).  Ivan, the dessert chef on board, has definitely been making us some comfort food lately, whether or not we have midterms to work on.  Today’s special treats included some delicious bread pudding and warm apple cobbler.

Weather is definitely warm with a side of muggy, and we passed Jacksonville, FL somewhere far off the port side around lunch time.  For a little extra diversion, I’ve restarted the heated Jeopardy! game from last Summer Sea Term, and many are using it as a learning experience.  If a student doesn’t know the answer I’ll show them the reference book which they can use to find it; that way they’ll learn a little more along the way. 

 

(Here’s a sneak peak for tomorrow:

“Ophidiophobia is the fear of what?”)

 With Newfoundland just around the corner, if there are any parents, friends, or loved ones out there who would like to send mail to your special cadet, officer, crew, or librarian, please send letters only to:

Name

TS EMPIRE STATE

C/O Avalon Customs Brokers

80 Water Street

P.O. Box 5774

St John’s, NL

Canada A1C 5X3

Speaking of mail, another shout out today comes from Cadet Adam Gray, who would like to tell his girlfriend Alexia Grant that he’s sorry for not receiving your letter in New Orleans, but is looking forward to seeing it in Newfoundland (he hopes)!

 

Until next time,

Books