The T.S. Kennedy docked in Key West, Florida
OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA – The nearly 600 Massachusetts Maritime Academy cadets at sea are on their way back to Buzzards Bay.
Students are navigating the T.S. Kennedy through its final leg of the 2016 voyage, as the vessel moves up the Atlantic coast of the United States back to Cape Cod. The Kennedy is scheduled to arrive Sunday at 8:30 AM.
Cadets enjoyed a weekend at port in Key West, Florida, the last port of call on the voyage.
“Key West was a great stop,” said Captain Thomas Bushy on the school’s blog chronicling the trip. “The walk to the gate was somewhat arduous, but a good cooling off period for those returning from liberty. Our hosts, the US Naval Air Station Key West – Port Operations, were wonderful to us. All the Navy personnel were both polite and firm with the cadets – which is likely how they treat their own sailors making a port visit. I sure hope that we left a good impression because returning to Key West is on everyone’s mind.”
Many cadets explored the port, while some took a day-long boat trip off the Florida keys for a snorkeling trip.
The grand parade during the annual Oranjestad, Aruba Carnival
The Kennedy docked in Aruba a week before the Key West stop, with many cadets choosing to explore the island and the annual Carnival in the city of Oranjestad, which is held on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.
“The small city of Oranjestad was alive with thousands of people viewing the Carnival Parade that included hundreds of folks dressed in festive costumes, marching (actually dancing) along the parade route with incredible truck-mounted sound systems blaring,” Bushy said. “The parade lasted for four continuous hours. I think it was a great time – probably more so for the local folks who had friends and relatives in the parade – but the tourists enjoyed it too.
Some cadets also chose to visit some of the island’s beaches.
The Kennedy made two transits through the Panama Canal during the trip, and also docked in Panama City and Costa Rica. Earlier in the voyage, students spent four days conducting anchoring drills off the coast of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, one of the major training elements of the trip.
Cadets dropped off humanitarian supplies in Haiti and also held a memorial service at the site of the sinking of the El Faro cargo ship, which was lost during Hurricane Joaquin in October.
Two Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduates, Keith Griffin and Jeffrey Mathias, were among the 33 crew-members lost at sea.
Griffin was a native of Winthrop and graduated from the Academy in 2005. Mathias was from Kingston and graduated in 1996.
By MATT McCARTHY and MATT PITTA, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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