Underway to Belfast
Time: 2305
Lat: N 49 56.4’
Long: W003 32.9’
Good Evening,
We gained an hour last night to sync up with Belfast, Ireland. Capt. MacArthur changed our course to go down through the English Channel and then up to Ireland rather than the planned route up and over Scotland. We left Kiel a couple of hours late, waiting on the installation of some emergency communication equipment. Time factors and some weather concerns pushed our arrival date to Belfast a day later. We will still spend four days in Belfast and arrive in Castine on the 19-20th as projected. We are on Day 56, leaving only eighteen days left! I have learned a lot and am so happy to have had the experience, but with the arrival date coming up, I have been looking forward to being home.
In training, we did some charting practice with Capt. Slazas. We were given (lat/longs) and used tools to plot the waypoints on the chart. Then using two bearings taken from a vessel, we triangulated our position. Then later that evening, I saw a junior friend on her way up to the Cadet Nav. Lab to work on plotting for her project. So, I poured some hot chocolate and went up to help. I plotted a waypoint after seeing the process the juniors take, which is understandably more involved. Next semester I start taking navigation courses where I will do plenty of chart work.
Yesterday, I wandered into a group of juniors untangling a line for a kite. After about an hour of untangling, they got it flying.
Stay tuned as we make our way to Belfast,
Odegaard Fields




Latest 2025 Summer TSSOM Cruise
- Getting the TS Kennedy ReadyIt’s raining today in Galveston, where the TS Kennedy is tied to the pier. Currently, the ship is buzzing with Maine cadets as they begin to find their way around. Texas A&M cadets are still ashore in their academic semester, so MMA 2/C and 4/C are working hard to prepare the vessel for the next […]
- Departure from Galveston on May 18The TS Kennedy is tentatively scheduled to depart Galveston, Texas, on May 18, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. (CDT) to begin its voyage. Please join us in wishing the crew a successful journey, either in person or via the livestream. The livestream will begin at approximately 9:45 a.m. and will include a few prerecorded interviews with […]
- Trip to TexasMonday’s travel was the culmination of weeks of planning that involved faculty, staff, and student leadership. In all, 222 cadets and 12 staff were picked up from four locations and driven by bus to Portland Jetport. From Portland, two charter planes carried the group to Houston Hobby Airport, where buses were again used to complete […]
- Jacob Nowalsky ’26 | Lead Engine CadetToday’s Summer Sea Term student leadership highlight is Jacob Nowalsky ’26. Midshipman Nowalsky is from Port Republic, NJ, and is also a member of the Coast Guard AUP program. 🔹 What are you looking forward to this summer? I’m most looking forward to going overseas again. The only other time I’ve traveled abroad was during […]
- William Sherrill ’26 – Cadet MasterPreparations for this summer’s training cruise are well underway—and our student leadership is stepping up. Today, we’re highlighting William Sherrill, our Cadet Master and the highest-ranking student officer aboard the ship. ⸻ 🔹 What are you looking forward to this summer? I’m looking forward to working with cadets from @texasmaritime. This summer presents a unique […]
- Traveling with Texas A&MThe Commandant’s Staff at Maine Maritime Academy is looking forward to this summer’s joint sea term (SST25) with Texas A&M Maritime aboard their ship, the TS Kennedy. The Texas team has brought great energy and has been tremendously helpful in the preparation process—beginning with hosting our Cadet Master, Cadet Chief Engineer, Cadet Chief Mate, and […]