BUZZARDS BAY – The T.S. Kennedy departs Buzzards Bay Monday morning for Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s annual Sea Term, delayed one day because of the impending weekend snowstorm.
About 600 cadets will handle all the operations on board as the vessel for a voyage that will last almost two months.
Cadets will rotate through class and laboratory training, deck and engine watches, maintenance and emergency drills.
Admiral Fran McDonald, the academy’s president, says Sea Term is the capstone of school’s Learn-Do-Learn philosophy.
“We take what we have learned in the classroom over one semester, on in some cases over three and a half years, and put it in to practice while going to sea,” McDonald said.
McDonald is a graduate of the academy and spent three semesters at see during his time there.
“There are experience while underway that you will never forget like standing watch in the engine room or that first sunrise if you have a bridge watch,” he said. “You’ll also see stars you never thought were in the sky before.”
Cadets will perform anchor drills off Puerto Rico and port visits will be make in Aruba, Barbados, St. Thomas and Fort Lauderdale.
McDonald says the cadets will get to enjoy a few days at each port city and will have the time of their lives after working 12-hour days.
“Then you pull up the gangway and it’s time to get underway again and work your tail off until the next port,” he said. “It’s a real lesson in work hard, play hard and we think that’s a pretty good model to live your life by.”
Sea Term will be under new leadership this year as Michael Campbell will captain the T.S. Kennedy for the first time. Campbell, who was a 1987 graduate of the academy, replaces Thomas Bushy, who captained the annual semester at sea for the last two decades.
“[Campbell] has significant sea term experience under his belt both out as a private mariner and also with us on the training ship serving as the number two person behind Captain Tom Bushy,” McDonald said.
McDonald said Campbell does have some large shoes to fill as Bushy had a great safety record and regularly left and returned on time.
“We’re all very confident that he is the best candidate to fill those,” he said.
The T.S. Kennedy is scheduled to leave at 5:30 a.m. Sunday.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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