MMA Sea Term 2008

Tonight marks the last night we’ll be in Buzzards Bay for the next six weeks. It’s been pretty quiet on board, not much different from any other night we’ve had so far. The holds were filled with the usual crowd of people and computers - watching movies, playing games, listening to music. There is an air of excitement building among the cadets, especially with the freshmen. In every hold you can hear people discussing their expectations for going out to sea, and experiences they hope to have. The YouTube video posted by a cadet from a previous Sea Term has spurred many conversations over the past week. I’m hoping that we encounter similar weather on our trip!

The computer lab is pretty full as I’m writing this. Everyone is getting in their last dose of Facebook, AIM, and personal e-mail for the next six weeks (unless, of course, they find an Internet café in port when we arrive). I find it a little funny that one cadet is using his computer time to play online games. There are last minute sign-ups for SeaWave, and advice flying in all directions on ways to save money using it.

First Division takes the watch tonight, which marks the start of at-sea watches. I have watch 0400-0800 and 1600-2000 in the engine room, so luckily I’ll be able to be on deck when we shove off.

Tomorrow I’ll be writing the day’s post from somewhere off the coast on the way to Norfolk. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to post any pictures of our departure due to the cost of sending pictures through SeaWave, but I’ll be sure to write a detailed description of it, and perhaps add some comments from fellow cadets. Just a little over 12 hours to go!

    I have set up my SeaWave e-mail account on board the Enterprise, and thought I would test it to make sure I was able to post blog entries with it. It also seemed like a logical time to post a few of the key points that we’ve been continuously reminded of over the past few weeks regarding e-mail.
The e-mail system charges by how much data the e-mail account sends AND receives. Therefore, things like pictures, music, and any other attachments will significantly increase the total cost of the e-mail system. DON’T SEND ATTACHMENTS OF ANY KIND UNLESS YOU WANT TO PAY A LOT OF MONEY TO SEAWAVE.
E-mail on board the ship is not instant. The system connects via satellite to the shore-side e-mail server, and only connects a couple of times a day. Therefore, it may be many hours until you get a reply from your cadet. It’s not that he or she is ignoring you, there’s simply an inherent delay in the system.
E-mail service availability is at the discretion of the ship’s officers. If it is deemed a logistics or security problem, they may turn off the e-mail server for cadets on board the ship. Again, if it’s a day or two since you’ve received an e-mail from your cadet, it’s not necessarily because they’re ignoring you.
I’m sure that most of this information has found its way to parents, but I thought I’d reiterate it anyway. Less than 24 hours to go!

This morning at 0900 we had the official Coast Guard-inspected fire & emergency and abandon ship drills.  It took about 90 minutes, and appeared to run smoothly, so we now have the official seal of approval to ship out!  We have less than 24 hours until we depart, though you might not know it from the atmosphere on board.  Everyone is continuing to go about business as usual, and I think it’s a testament to the planning and execution of pre-departure tasks that nobody seems to be feeling rushed or pressed for time.  In fact, the fourth class cadets have another shoreside meeting in Admirals’ Hall this afternoon, and then the rest of the afternoon is free!

The weather here is pretty poor today; it rained for most of the boat drills.  Right now it’s incredibly windy and the rain is still coming down in fits.  Luckily, the forecast for tomorrow is good, calling for sun with some breeze.  We’ll be manning the rails tomorrow morning when we depart, so it’s especially nice that we won’t be soaked!

I will try to post some more pictures later on tonight while we still have Internet on board the ship.  Right now, I have to head to our last meeting on campus until we come back from Sea Term!