Yet another day at anchor has passed. Today, at Quarters (our morning muster, meeting at 0710 everyday), we heard news regarding Lifeboat #4 from Captain MacArthur. A replacement part has been found in Norway! Further, he explained that if we left on Saturday then we would be able to still make it to the U.S. Virgin Islands on time if we skipped our port call in Port Everglades, Florida. The hope of potentially being able to be back on schedule was palpable throughout the ship today.
While I was disappointed to be missing the port call in my home state of Florida, I understand that this is the shipping industry, and in turn, practice for my future career. Like myself, a lot of us have found the silver lining in our predicament. Many have been saying “at least we are getting sea days,” “at least the engine room isn’t too hot,” or “at least we have cell reception,” and so on.
To increase morale, our Regimental Wedge Morale Officer, 2/C Miles Bracy, is hosting various activities. We are having game nights, ping pong tournaments, movie nights, and more! This is not only keeping attitudes positive, but bringing us together as shipmates.
On this unexpected sunny day, Alpha Company assigned duty day is “Utility.” This means that part of the company cleans the ship, another part works with Sodexo in the messdeck/kitchen/dishpit, and a select few 4/C work as “yeomen.” Yeoman is an administrative position that helps complete various office tasks, including writing the cruise blog!
Bravo Company has been on “maintenance”. On maintenance days, the cadets fix problems that emerge onboard. Charlie Company is currently on its third training day. On training days there is hands-on practice and also various quizzes. Delta Company has been on watch. They monitor the ship’s conditions.
With the day coming to an end, many midshipmen are excited for movie night! We will be watching The Big Lebowski. I have not seen it but have been told that it is a classic. We are looking forward to any more good news regarding Lifeboat 4 and hope to get off anchor soon.
Posted by: 4/C Robbins Crisp, MTO, Alpha
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 […]
