BUZZARDS BAY – As part of their 2019 Sea Term, cadets from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne have embarked to the Caribbean aboard the T.S. Kennedy.
During the trip, cadets will rotate through ships operations including deck and engine watches, classes and laboratory training at sea, and maintenance and emergency drills.
“The cadets are excited because for some of them it is their final sea term. They are going to go out into the industry after this, and then you have the freshmen who it’s their first time that they have done it. It is a whole new experience,” said Michael Campbell, Master of the T.S. Kennedy.
Sea Terms are conducted between the two academic semesters at the school in January and February.
Cadets register for the term around the New Year holiday.
The ship sails various foreign destinations of the Caribbean three out of four years, while every one-in-four years it travels to the Mediterranean Sea. At least one of the Caribbean voyages includes the Panama Canal and a crossing of the equator.
This year, cadets will set sail for San Juan, Puerto Rico for a two-day stay on the island.
The ultimate mission “is to get them into a routine and to teach them the good part of this industry and the bad parts,” said Scott DePersis, Chief Engineer of the program.
On the island, cadets will participate in a community service project, and will have the opportunity to go zip-lining in Tordo Verde and embark on a scenic drive through the El Yunque National Rainforest, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forrest System.
The T.S. Kennedy then departs for the British Virgin Islands for another two-day trip in Tortola. Cadets will get the chance to enjoy a Catamaran Day sail and can compete in a rugby match against an island team.
The Sea Term will also make a stop in Barbados for another two days before heading to the trip’s final port visit in Miami.
The TS Kennedy has served as a classroom on the sea for thousands of students since its 10 million dollar restoration back in 2009.
For more information, you can visit https://www.maritime.edu/ts-kennedy
BY: JOHN BONDAREK & TIM DUNN- CapeCod.Com News Center
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