Japan: Himeji Castle!

Konichiwa!

Yesterday we went on an amazing adventure to the Himeji castle. The Himeji castle is the largest castle in Japan and was home to the Honda empire. About 40 minutes west, we took the train to the castle. Trying to figure out how to get on the right train and then how much it costs was a real headache. After we got to the town of Himeji we learned that the tourism dept. in town offers free bicycle rentals to tourists. So we got our bikes and started cruising around town. The small town of Himeji was a blast to ride bikes around. The castle is on a hill at the top of the town and has some great views from the grounds. After we cruised some paths around we went inside. The main castle itself was closed but there was still plenty to do. It was really cool to see the history and experience some of the original Japanese culture. After the castle we spent some more time in the city, had lunch and then headed back to Kobe. The rest of the night was filled with walking around looking for something to do (to no avail). We had good sushi for dinner and I tried Sea Urchin, Horse Meat and Puffer Fish...all of which I will not eat again :( We had a great time in Japan, however the Yen is very high compared to the dollar so everything was very expensive. It was hard to find a place to eat that was reasonable and then after that anything you wanted to buy was too much. The trains were pricey as well and so was the taxi. Luckily Kobe was small enough to walk everywhere. Today we are headed for Guam and everyone on board, after the stress of language barriers, is ready for a relaxing day on the beach. Rumor has it you can rent Hobie Cats on Guam...:) I am on kitchen duty today so I was up early and cleaning dishes all day! Tomorrow is back to day-work, and we get to Guam on the 5th of June. Love You all enjoy these pictures of me and some friends in front of Himeji Castle

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Kobe!

Hello,

Today was my first day on liberty in Kobe Japan. Kobe is halfway between Osaka and Kyoto. The town is an old western settlement and mainly a port town. It is very cosmopolitan and not a lot to do in the way of tourism. We started out the day on the train to the downtown area (we could've walked) then we walked around the enormous shopping areas and exchanged money and took in the vast city. There are people EVERYWHERE millions, and they are all in a hurry. We continued walking around the downtown area and then to the waterfront where a maritime museum and some waterfront shops and temples are. We took a bus which does a city loop and we were able to see most of the city (which isn't very big). We got to eat some good food and take in a lot of culture. Tomorrow the plan is to head inland to experience the forests and some more temples. I will post some pics and write a bit more tomorrow on Kobe but all in all it was very overwhelming and exhausting. I love you all and wish me luck tomorrow!

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Japan!

Hello,

Today we arrived in Kobe, Japan! I started the day doing line handling on the stern, we met at 0715 and waited until we finally got to Kobe about 0930. Being on the stern we throw the messenger lines to the dock and then tie them to the big mooring lines. The dock crew secures the line to the bollard and we heave in on it with the capstan until its tight enough when we then pass the stopper. The stopper wraps around the mooring line and holds it tight until we can get the line off the winch and then start figure 8 turns around the bitts (cleats). The area in which Kobe is in is called Kansai and is very beautiful. There are many hills lush and green and the cities make their way up the sides of them. You can see temples and statues from shore and I am excited to get off tomorrow. My division started the stay with watch, luckily for me I don't have to stand watch so I can just hangout. Throughout the day I looked at maps and travel guides and tried to get a plan together for tomorrow. The early reports from cadets that have come back from liberty is there will be plenty of walking. Luckily for us there is a train station in the port building at which we are moored. The train goes into the center of the city and then you can take more trains, the bullet train or walk around the vicinity. I am going to bed early tonight in anticipation of a long day tomorrow and the next day.

Love You All and enjoy the pictures.
V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Japan Tomorrow!

Hello Hello,

Well we arrive in Kobe, Japan at 0800 tomorrow morning! I am on line handling on the stern, and have to be up and ready at 0700. We pick up the pilot and make our way into the bay at 0645 so I plan to be on deck then. Everyone is excited for another port, I kinda wish it was a little longer off cause port stays go to quick and I don't want it to be over. Today started daywork and the morning was spent hauling up mooring lines from the forward line locker and the after line locker. THOSE LINES ARE HEAVY!! I definatley got a good workout in. In the afternoon I volunteered myself for a little carpentry project, and while doing the project realized that stage crew was to blame for learning all this stuff :) Tonight we worked on sea bags some more and I finally got one side of the bag done! Tomorrow my diviison has watch but I lucked out and don't have it so I have the day off (cept for I have to stay on the ship) I might work on the sea bag and then catch up on sleep before the long days of liberty. It was warm and very windy during the day and made our emergency drill kinda hectic. Can't wait to see Japan...Love You all and talk to you tomorrow!

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Half Way Day!

Hello All!

Today was the last day of our practical training and was also the last day of the rotation. Tomorrow starts the rotation over again with day work. That means that today was the half way point (not including port days) and to celebrate the Captain put together an awesome barbecue on the fantail. The mess staff along with the captain, barbecued some DELICIOUS ribs and chicken along with egg salad and baked beans which finished off a great meal. Everyone sat around in the setting sun with 70 degree temps and light wind. It was a very pleasant evening. I had to redo a portion of my sea bag which has been very frustrating and is taking longer than anticipated. We arrive in Kobe on Friday and I am on line handling team stern. Pray that the weather holds throughout our stay!

Tomorrow!

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Day...: At Sea

Hello,

Wow does it feel great to be back at sea! There is definitely something about being rocked to sleep and confined to the ship that I like. Today was business as usual, started off in the morning with some class and then headed outside in the afternoon to do mooring line scenarios. The weather today was amazing the water temp matched the air temp at right around 75 degrees! With a light wind and high humidity that crystal blue water looked very nice and I wanted to jump in badly. We passed many islands today, one of them was a volcano that was active and putting out some smoke so that was really cool to see. I got back into the gym today and felt really good after, however I ruined it with Pizza dinner which was very good yet carbo load...its kinda bummer but the only choice we have. Tomorrow is our last class day and then we switch to day work. Japan on Friday! I have been reading the travel guides available in order to prepare some kind of plan when we get to shore. Did some work on the sea bag and I may have to redo some stitches and my hands are raw already :(

Sayanora,

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Korea Yoboseyo!

Yoboseyo (hello/goodbye),

We left Korea this morning :( I had an absolute blast in that wonderful country, the Korean people were very welcoming and their hospitality was great. On Saturday I stood watch and then Sunday was let off for liberty again at 1100. Before liberty on Sunday a local orphanage that our school raised money and supplies for came and performed a drum and dance show on board the ship. There were about 60 kids and they put on a very professional show! The orphanage was grateful for our donations and in turn did the performance, which was followed by lunch and then tours of the ship. There is definitely one thing I noticed about Korea that was different than the U.S. and Canada...the people are in general exceptionally respectful and nice! Everyone I encountered smiled and went out of their way to greet me. The friendly attitude of the taxi drivers, bar owners, restaurant owners and shop owners took the stress out of trying to communicate and get along in a foreign country.

On Sunday we went back into the city and into the raw fish market, we ate lots of tempura and fried squid. I have eaten many delicious and very greasy fish on this trip. A monsoon came into the city Saturday night so by mid day Sunday we were well drenched from head to toe however we were still having a blast. After the market we hit some stores and tried to find a club/bar to post up and get out of the rain. There is a street in the midtown area that is called Texas street, famous for its bars, clubs and women it was definitely an attraction for all the CMA guys. So we spent the rest of the day at Texas street and was able to spend some quality time of laughter and dancing with the shipmates. I got back to ship early and hit the sack around 2200.

Today we set sail under partly cloudy skies, it was kind of sad to leave Korea yet we are all anticipating Japan and excited to get off and experience more culture. After we were underway class started up again and was easy and we got out early, we learned about emergency steering systems and rigged block and tackles with a bosun chair. I also was able to complete some CBT (computer based training) we have about 10 due in the next month and each take about an hour. I am going to bed early tonight to catch up on some much needed rest.

The attached picture is of one of the fried fish stands that killed the fish right in front of you and then cooked it up, this lady was very nice and a basket of squid (3 big pieces) was 3000 WON or $3.00.

Love,
V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Busan, South Korea

Hello,

We arrived in Pusan, South Korea yesterday at 0900! We were greeted by blue skies and warm temps...we got the pilot on board at about 0830 and headed for the city. Busan is separated into three different islands, our mooring spot is at the international cruise terminal, the southern most part of the harbor (also the farthest away from the city) We share the mooring area with the Korean Coast Guard and across the bay is the Busan Maritime Academy which has over 9000 students! After we tied the lines up and were cleared for liberty, everyone in the division headed inland. The school chartered buses to take students to the middle of town which is about 3 miles from where we are. Unbeknown-st to us however we took a taxi...we started the day in Huandae beach which is the most northern part of the harbor and also the tourist district, the taxi ride was 30 minutes and only cost 19,800 KOR which is less than 20$. There were a lot of brand name shops and hotels however the Korean culture mixed in nicely and we were able to experience it nonetheless. We ate lunch at a Korean barbecue place and I was not impressed, it was very spicy and really weird mix of octopus ribs and mussels in a weird noodle and sauce combo. After lunch we explored the little markets in search of something to drink and then headed to to the beach to relax in the awesome sun. The beach was very crowded and full of white people, tons from Canada! After awhile we ran into more CMA guys and then decided to split and head into the Casino! We hung out at the Hotel/Casino and I won 60,000 KOR (70$) off of only 1$ in the slot machines! After that we headed to a fish market and sampled some stuff and got into the real culture of the place. The Koreans like spicy, fried, tentacles and very exotic foods. After seeing all that we wound up at TGI Fridays! HAHA we ate some Korean/American appetizers while we planned where we were going next. By this time it was getting dark and we decided to head to the Jagalichi Market in midtown where there are suppose to be clubs and bars and an upbeat nightlife. We took the taxi back down and got there with 4 hours to spare (I had to be back to the ship at 2400) It was Buddha's birthday so there were celebrations all around and people everywhere! The air was muggy and gross and being amongst so many people was overwhelming. If you think that 15 people is to many for 1 elevator, in Korea they'll try for 30! It was fun to walk around the nightlife, there was a lot to do and see and I cannot wait to go back on Sunday for my half day liberty. The plan right now is to go to a raw fish market, and international market and this place called Texas street. It is a lot of fun to be in a new country, this place is surprisingly crime free for the amount of people here and not to dirty. Everyone is having a great time, today was our watch day and I am standing the 12-4 watch and then doing some light daywork, the fuel barge has been here and we are fueling and offloading trash today. Attached is a picture of the south city from our ship...Love You All and stay tuned for more updates on Korea.

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Korea!

Well well...today we arrived in South Korea! This beautiful mountainous region was an absolute blast today! It is currently 2430 and I am really tired so I am going to elaborate more on what liberty brought me tomorrow! All in all a very fun day was had and some great Korean culture was experienced. Tomorrow I will break down exactly what went down and maybe add a picture or two. Stay Tuned!

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Day 14 LAND HO!!!

Ahoy!

Today at around 1600 we came into Japanese waters and entered the tagasaru(?) straits. Huge mountains and a ton of ships and ferries are seen! There is a distinct smell, maybe just the smell of land but definatley not normal. The air is hazy and yellowish green with pollution. The water is deep green and there is trash everywhere. The channel is 15 miles across so the land is somewhat distant as we are in the dead center of the channel. Dozens of jumping dolphins within yards of our ship were seen as well, welcoming us to the Far East. It is nice to see land again and the ship is loud with excitement. We arrive in Busan, S. Korea on Friday at 0700! It is ~700 miles to Korea from where we are so we will be in a big sea for a few more days. Today was our last classroom day and was spent on more Rules of the Road and then we backboarded some people. In the afternoon we learned how to calculate ETA in different timezones and how to convert to GMT and back into Zone Time. Tomorrow we move into line handling and knots. I wish I could post picture but can't exceed the limit of 200k :( I hope to see more ships and more land and stuff in the coming days and will keep you all updated as often as possible.

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Day 13: At Sea

Hello!

We finally got a solid day of sunshine today! It was great to sit on the fantail of the ship and enjoy some Vitamin D for awhile, it's still a bit cold but hopefully once we get inland it will warm up. We are just a few days away from Busan, South Korea, our next port. We are due to arrive on Friday at 0700 (Thursday in the US) and my division will be released for liberty at 0800...I cannot wait to see what S. Korea is like and experience a new culture! Today was spent doing more classwork, in the morning we went over First Aid and back boarding, boring stuff seeing as I have done it a million times but good to refresh on. In the afternoon we did more chart work with dead reckoning and plotting. I am learning a lot of new tricks and tips for chart use and am excited to put these skills to use on board the family boat this summer. Tomorrow is the last classroom day and then we move to practical training which includes line handling, knots, splicing and creating our own canvas sea bag. The food today was sub par, and we had a thanksgiving dinner tonight (for no apparent reason) after dinner I was able to get to the gym and it felt great! I got to talk to Krysta for a good 30 minutes today and it was nice to catch up, I also talked to Mom and Dad for a short time (my calling card was running low) it was great to hear their voice and weird to be in such a different time zone as they are. We switch back yet another hour tonight so we will be 7 hours behind and a day ahead of Pacific time. We are expecting to see land tomorrow as we follow the Japan coast south to make our entrance towards S. Korea.

Till Next Time,

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Day 10, 11 and 12: At Sea

Hello,

What a crazy past few days it has been out here on the high seas. I started classroom rotation on day 10 and have been enjoying it. In the mornings we go over rules of the road and communications and then in the afternoon we go up to the navigation lab and learn chart plotting. Chart plotting has been a blast and learning all the tricks to using the triangles and compass have been fun. It's been 08-1600 days and has been nice to relax after class. I went to sleep at 1900 the past two nights and am still tired, something about being out here with the rolling makes me sleep forever. We had our first man-overboard drill today, and my position was lookout on the bridge, so whenever someone goes over myself and 5 other cadets are lookouts on the bridge wings. I guess we are a week out until Korea which means like 4-5 days until we see land, everyone is excited and ready to get off the ship. The food is getting worse, they have fallen into the chicken and rice mode and that is never a good thing. Updates have been slacking because I have been falling asleep so early. Nothing interesting for the next few days, two more days of classroom and then it's on to practical training. We are currently 18 hours ahead of Pacific time. Love you all!

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Day 8 and 9: At Sea

Hello,

Today was my last watch! Finally...at least for another 15 days. Tomorrow we move into the classroom rotation, we learn Rules of the Road and Navigation as well as other shipboard and maritime classes. We have morning session from 0800-1130 and then afternoon session from 1300-1530. I am excited to get back into a sleep schedule as well as a workout schedule. Early this morning, at 0300 in fact, we crossed the international date line. I am now 5 hours behind and 1 day ahead of Pacific Std Time. Tonight we go back another hour which means some more sleep. After watch today I was able to do some much needed laundry as well as kick back and watch a movie with some friends. The weather was really calm today, 4knots of wind and calm seas with overcast skies. We are moving into a low pressure system which is supposed to produce 30 knot winds and 11-15 foot seas, should be fun! After that storm however we are suppose to finally get some sun as we finish the final 1100 mile stretch to South Korea.

Till tomorrow!

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Day 7 and 8: At Sea

Ahoy!

Well what a few days this has been! If you are following our ship on google maps you may have notced we are passing through a couple of BIG storms. LAst nights storm sent stuff flying all around the ship. People have been getting hurt by slamming doors on fingers and falls on the deck. I got to talk to Mom yesterday on Mothers Day which was awesome to hear her voice and the rest of the family, I bought a calling card and should be able to call home more often, via the ships satellite. I have been on watch, the mid-watch (0000-0400, 1200-1600) I have 2 more days of watch left and then I go into professional training which should be fun and then I can sleep again. Not a whole lot of new stuff going on onboard, everyone is getting xcited to go to Korea and Japan and can't wait to visit Guam and Saipan. Tensions are increasing on the ship especially now since we have been rocking pretty bad. Hopfully I will have more to talk about in a couple of days. If you would like to e-mail me, janderson@csum.edu

Love,

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Day 6: At Sea

Hello,

Well this morning at 0000 I started watch rotation. My first watch was security rounds of the ship, we made rounds every hour to check for fire/flooding/fornication. It was a long 4 hours but the "mom" on board cooked us a snack at 0400 which was awesome! I slept after watch till like nine and then went to the gym until lunch. After lunch I started watch again and stood the helm watch. The helm was intimidating, steering a 500 foot ship for the first time is kinda nerve wracking but nonetheless easier than driving a small boat. The helm switches with the bow lookout after 90 minutes and the runner in between is incharge of the coffee/everything else that needs attention. In the bridge there are 1 licensed watch officer and 2 seniors. All in all a really long day and I go back at 2400 tonight to do it all again. Wish me luck and pray that my little sleep time is refreshing.

Love,

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Day 5: At Sea

Ahoy!

Well today was a long work day! After getting 13 hours of sleep myself and one other senior tackled a huge painting job in what is known as the horseshoe. The rooms in the aft of the ship near the steering gear have a green deck leading to them, we had to chip, sand, scrub, and paint two coats on the decks all in one day. It was a long day but it felt good to actually get to work hard the whole day rather than standing around. I start watch rotation tonight, currently it is 2310 and I start watch at 2400. For the next five days I will stand the 1200-1600 and 2400-0400; it should be a fun new experience and I won't be getting a ton of sleep but that's okay. We had some sun breaks today which was nice and the seas have been super calm. We are chasing a low pressure system so in the next day or two the seas are suppose to get worse, up to 15 feet. Being up at this latitude sucks cause it is always cloudy or raining (kinda like home) I can't wait to be in Guam and the tropical weather. Well I am off to watch wish me luck.

Love,

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Day 4: At Sea

Hello Again,

I write this a day later because I feel asleep at 1845! Today, was a little more interesting. Our group of eight followed the Cheif Mate into a ballast tank and we were fixing a leaky/stuck valve. I had fun, alot of standing around but fun to be down in the tanks of the ship! Not much new today, food was good and as I said I fell asleep really early on accident and ended up sleeping clear through to the morning...all in all getting about 13 hours of sleep what with another time change backwards and all. Still cloudy and rainy, the seas have let up quite a bit and just waiting for the good ole sun.

Love,

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Day 3: At Sea

Ahoy!

Well we must be getting near the 45th parallel as the rains have caught up with us! It has been pouring all day, combined with 20knots of wind, low visibility and 10-12foot following seas, it has been a ROUGH day! We set our clocks back an hour at 2400 last night as we crossed into the +7 time zone, so I got somewhere around 10 hours of sleep last night :) .

Today we spent the morning setting up a scaffolding on the forward house for painting...let me tell you, setting up scaffold in the pouring rain with a 20 knot wind is NOT fun! After a delightful lunch we had formation inside and then continued with putting a newly sewn cover on the boat, we ended early and had a clean sweep down of the ship at 1600. Dinner was Cinco de Mayo themed and was delicious! Following dinner I finally got to the gym and attempted to run on the treadmill only to realize that heavy seas are no fun when you are trying to run. Laundry in the dryer as I type and then it's off to bed...a relatively easy day with some good laughs...finally! Enjoying cruise so far, more day work tomorrow!

Love,

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

Day 2: At Sea

Hello All,

Day 2: At Sea

Another very long day! Awoke at 0530 to report at the galley at 0600 for CC duty (compartment cleaner) Basically I was in the "scullery" (dishwasher station) for all three meals! It was a real pain and I do not want to do it again. We seperate our trash on board and we threw all the cardboard and paper/food waste overboard, which was a really weird feeling just dumping all this into the sea but apparently it goes away. Aside from just cleaning all day I slept for 90 mins in the afternoon and relaxed on deck a bit. The wind has died down and the temp is up, still expereincing about 15-20 foot swells,so lots of kids are sick still. I am doing fine however and am sleeping like a baby. It's back to daywork tomorrow, and hopefully some time for the gym!

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy

1st Day At Sea!

Hello All,

Well I just finished my first day at sea! We are currently about 60 miles offshore and running north-west towards the 45th parallel to make a circle track to Korea. It is VERY windy 40-60 knot gusts with upwards of 90 knots expected tonight as we sail through a gail force storm. A lot of kids are getting seasick, luckily I have been able to not get sick and am starting to get used to the rolling. The water is really blue, bluer than I have ever would of expected. I am excited for the stars tonight as it should be very dark. Yesterday we spent the day on SF Bay and trained, I was fortunate enough to go on a brand new HUGE tugboat to the pier to tie up the ship! (I might want to be a mate on a tug) We sailed under the Golden Gate about 0900 this morning and am relieved to be out and headed to the far east, you can still see the faint shadow of mountains from here but that should slowly disappear. I am on Day work this whole week and am doing various jobs around the ship, today I spent most of the time cleaning out the Chief Mates office and securing items to the deck, oh and scrubbing toilets. So far the food is decent, and I have found time to be in the gym in the evenings. Tomorrow Andrew and I are on CC duty which involves washing dishes and cleaning the galley/mess deck for all three meals. The first few days have been pretty exhausting and now that we are in routines it should get more enjoyable. Pictures are hard top upload and probably will have to wait until home to share, sorry. Well I am off to the gym, just done with dinner. Love You All and have a good night!

V/R,

CDT Jonathan Anderson
Squad Leader, Division 6 MT
Corps of Cadets
California Maritime Academy