O Captain! My Captain!

 

The last 48 hours have been quite a bumpy ride.  Captain Jeremy has been doing his best to thread the needle and avoid two converging storms and get us into Japan on time.  The sounds of the ship barreling through the rough swells has kept many of us up at night and looking forward to being on solid ground again.  Today the waves have gotten so bad they have shut down most outside decks and are giving warnings over the loudspeakers.  

Kelly and I got the chance to take a tour of the bridge yesterday and watch the waves crash against the bow.  We learned all about how this ship operates and keeps us on course.  The bridge is very high tech with lots of buttons and monitors.  I tried to keep my hands away from everything just in case.  It was a little disappointing that there is no giant steering wheel to spin like in the movies.  It was interesting to learn that they do still us physical maps to chart the course.

Yesterday was a busy day for Kelly and I around the ship.  Besides the bridge tour, we also had an ice cream social for my sea, an appetizer tasting for the upcoming port of Japan and a Dean’s social where we mixed with faculty and other staff.  All of them went very well despite the chaotic atmosphere of the ship’s rolling.   I am amused by my student’s in my sea.  We were given the name of the Arabian Sea but for some reason they have taken to changing our name to the Persian Gulf.  They are a smart-alecky group and I wouldn’t have it any other way.