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 2023 Summer TSSOM Cruise
- Castine, METime: 1404 Position: Castine, Maine Good Afternoon, Between some technical difficulties and end of semester exams I have been crazy busy, but now safely alongside in Castine, I have some time! We cruised back across the Atlantic at 11 knots. Last I wrote, we were heading into some weather creating 3.5 meter seas. I definitely […]
- Return to CastineThe TS State of Maine is quickly approaching the East Coast of the United States and is due back in Castine on July 19th at 6:30 am. Livestreaming of the return is scheduled to start at 6:15 am and is accessible either below or at live.mainemaritime.edu.
- Leaving IrelandTime: 2315 Lat: N 53º 05.4 Long: W 005° 24.6 Good Evening! Ireland was fantastic and has made its way up the list to my favorite port! Let’s start where we left off. Last we checked in, we were rounding the southernmost tip of England and heading north toward Belfast, Ireland. We saw Wolfs Head […]
- The past week and Kiel!The Past Week and Kiel! Time: 2030 Position: Lat: 55° 20.1′ Lng: 011° 02.7 We have been busy in the last week, and I was on watch for most of it, so let’s pick up from where we left off. The very popular ping pong tournament took place last week, with 4C Cleaves taking first […]
- Underway to GermanyTime: 14:35 Lat: 44 42’59 Long: 9 36’51 Good Afternoon, We are cruising along toward Kiel. The water we are cutting through is glassy and the weather is very nice. The only turbulence is the wake off our bow and stern. I am writing this from the berthings, two decks below the main deck. Maintenance […]
- Vigo!Time: 23:30 N 40º 02.4 W 010º 47.1 Good Evening! What a perfect three days on the Spanish coast. Students spent their time ashore exploring the historical monuments, iconic architecture, and incredible food that Vigo has to offer. I went to the beach on both days and enjoyed the refreshing ocean. The time to truly […]
