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 2024 Summer TSSOM Cruise
- Day 13: It’s Not a Friday!Well, we have seen a lot more of Penobscot Bay than we ever thought we would! Circling Islesboro has given us a new perspective of the area. Seeing the mountains juxtaposed with the ocean from our lovely TSSOM racing at a whopping 10.6 knots is a unique opportunity. Coming back into our beloved Searsport Anchorage, […]
- Day 12: Another lap around the BayLike yesterday with permission of the Coast Guard, the TSSOM was allowed to raise anchor and sail within Penobscot Bay. This allowed the upperclassmen time at the helm as they made laps around the island of Islesboro under the pilotage of the ship’s Chief Mate. Unlike the day before, today we sailed out to a […]
- Day 11: We are Underway…We are underway!* At around 0950 this morning we weighed anchor and set off to do some laps around the Penobscot Bay. It’s a refreshing sight to look out on the horizon and see the land go by after a week at anchor. With lifeboat parts another week away, and our stop at St. Thomas […]
- Day 10: Trapped in Maine…Maine refuses to give up her beloved TSSOM. With the part for the lifeboat 4 davit enjoying a vacation in Norway the TSSOM is expected to remain in Maine for a little longer. The delivery date of 23 MAY 2024 has the whole crew hoping for an early delivery. Fortunately, due to USCG witnessing a […]
- Day 9: Life does not start and stop at your convenience…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. […]
- Day 8: High Spirits not High Seas…Well… we’re not in Florida yet, but that won’t stop our Midshipmen from enjoying a sunny day. The end of the work day rush is always a beautiful sight, as chairs are set up and the cornhole boards brought out. I reckon there will be plenty of practicing for this weekend’s upcoming cornhole and ping-pong […]