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Captain's Log
05/12/2007
Five days, or so, have passed since the
last Captain’s Log. Out at sea we are continuously busy and
the days all start to blend together. Individual days of
the week no longer matter because each day is like the
previous day which will be like the next day. The days all
start to blend together……
Every day the
routines are the same…..the specifics that make up the day
can, and do, vary.
 
The harsh marine environment causes
rust to form everywhere. We protect the wires on the cranes
from rusting by “slushing” them (with grease). The Chief
Mate (Dan Lintz with his back to the camera and wearing the
blue ball cap) instructs and then assists a cadet slushing
the wires to the midship crane. Another cadet (under the
watchful eye of the ship’s Boatswain (Tom Allen)) applies
the grease to the top storage drum located on the crane.
Please note all of his PPE (personal protective equipment).
The galley, as
the kitchen is called at sea, has made close to thirteen
thousand meals. Now, I have a number of children at
home…But thirteen thousand meals is an awful lot of food!!
Five days ago
we were able to go to single engine operation and thus
reduce speed and most importantly fuel consumption.
Captains think a lot about the fuel burn. By reducing speed
we save at least 12 tons a day. Twelve tons translates to
almost $7,000 saving each day. Close to fifty-thousand
dollars a week!
Also, a few
days ago we shifted some weights in an effort to make the
ship run a bit more efficiently. Again, in an effort to
save fuel.
The winds and
seas have been from about 120 degrees off our “port” bow. I
had hoped that they would “back” a bit and give us a harder
“push” from behind.
1st
Class Cadet Paul “Leo” Howard opens a forward ballast tank
valve which will allow water to flow into the tank (from an
after tank). This shift of water, and thus weight, will
essentially “rock” the ship forward and reduce the amount of
trim. Our bow (the pointy end) will go down deeper into the
water causing our stern (the back end) to rise out of the
water.
We experienced a bit of
patchy fog today. But, for the most part the weather has
improved. The First Class Deck students are off to great
start in their Celestial Navigation program. Students at
the California Maritime Academy navigate using all available
means; from the most technologically advanced methods (ECDIS)
to the more traditional.
First Class Cadet Ben Daviscourt using
his sextant to “shoot” sun-lines
Forgive me for the personal note but
my oldest daughter is a competitive Irish dancer. She is
dancing in Reno this weekend. Best of luck Isobel and have
fun…… |
