Day 48: Back through the Strait
Today, we are headed back through the Strait of Gibraltar and the Pillars of Hercules. While I’m on yeoman duty today, the first time we passed through here I was standing watch on the bridge. After experiencing the excitement of steering, witnessing the 2/C muster up the confidence to navigate us through, and seeing us into the strait firsthand, I can imagine what joys must be unfurling on the bridge right now.
We just left our only Mediterranean port less than 72 hours ago; Palma was an amazing place. I, personally, made about one thousand new best friends at the Aquarium! I even got to see a ribbon eel, my favorite type of eel and one I had always wanted to encounter but knew I never would in Maine waters. Speaking of the waters, the tides here are crystalline blue. I could not believe just how warm the water was at the beach! Despite the beauties of this side of the world, I can’t help but still miss sailing the Penobscot Bay.
The night before we left Palma, the TSSOM was struck by dust rain. It’s a type of rain were sand from the Sahara Desert in the air are caught in rain droplets as they fall. The weather decks were absolutely covered in sand, which took my company and I two days to clean. We started with saltwater fire hoses day one, and yesterday, we finished the battle with freshwater and environmentally friendly soap.
After all of this, 2/C Andrew Brook (Charlie Co.) invited me, 4/C Brooke Foran, to learn some celestial navigation. It was a Brook and Brooke stargazing duo. We absolutely took over the bridge wings just in time to see the Mediterranean shake out the most stunning sunset and moonrise combination I have ever seen. On the port side of the ship, you could see the full summer moon pushing the night up into the sky. On Starboard, the sun was perfectly basketed by two mountains. Brook was nervous that the moon was too bright for us to see our stars and that the sea was too calm for us to have a horizon. As unfortunate as that was I, Brooke, held out hope. All of a sudden, one little star began twinkling- there she was! Our first shot. Then slowly, the next star crept out, slowly and slower. Finally, we had to find Pollux; time was running out, we were losing the horizon. At what felt like the last second, Pollux shed her dark cloak, and shone brightly in the twilight. We took the sighting as quickly as possible! It was such an honor and beauty to see the world spin magnificence before my eyes; I couldn’t be more grateful for 2/C Brook showing me the basics of celestial navigation. Team Brook and Brooke for the win.
Post by: 4/C Brooke Foran, MTO, Charlie Company
![](https://mainemaritime.edu/tssom-training-cruise-blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/06/IMG_6040-150x150.jpeg)
![](https://mainemaritime.edu/tssom-training-cruise-blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/06/IMG_6034-150x150.jpeg)
![](https://mainemaritime.edu/tssom-training-cruise-blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/06/IMG_6014-150x150.jpeg)
![](https://mainemaritime.edu/tssom-training-cruise-blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/06/IMG_6143-150x150.jpeg)
![](https://mainemaritime.edu/tssom-training-cruise-blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/06/IMG_6147-150x150.jpeg)
![](https://mainemaritime.edu/tssom-training-cruise-blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/06/IMG_5838-150x150.jpeg)
Latest 2024 Summer TSSOM Cruise
- Meredith Spotts’ Cruise ReviewAs cruise comes to a close, seventy-odd days after our departure from Castine, I am left to reflect on one of the most unique experiences I have been through- and a quick apology for my lack of updates during this portion of cruise (sorry, Mom!) The ports we visited were beautiful, but incredibly busy, with […]
- Day 72: Arrival to PortlandGood morning, Cruise Blog fans. Today, the State of Maine made its arrival in Portland. It was a peaceful transit from Boston to Portland. We moved slowly under the power of the electric motor, supplied by 3 of our diesel generators. As far as I know, this has been the first time it has been […]
- Day 71: Almost HomeThis morning the Training Ship State of Maine made its arrival into Boston. It was an exciting day because this was the closest glimpse to home that many of us have had in almost fifty days. The excitement began at around 0700, just after our morning muster when we took on a Boston Harbor pilot. We […]
- Cruise Return to Portland and LivestreamThe TSSOM will arrive in Portland, Maine, on July 16, 2024, at the Portland Ocean Terminal. This is the final stop of the 2024 Summer Training Cruise, and students will begin disembarking on Thursday, July 18, starting at 12:00. Please join us in welcoming back everyone aboard after a successful voyage, either in person or […]
- Day 69: Finals and FlashlightsBetween having our two written final exams and our engineering system assessment called “flashlights,” training day 13 was a day that everyone dreaded, juniors and freshmen alike. Alpha company was the last company to have their final assessments, which some may have viewed as a luxury. As a member of Alpha company, I can assure […]
- Day 67: Goodbye CanadaIt was a cold and dreary day when we departed from St. John’s this morning. It was a bittersweet departure just as the gray skies and the rain sprinkling on the deck might’ve suggested. Our departure left everyone with a feeling of completion, a terminus, because St. John’s was our last foreign port before our […]