Saipan Day 1!

Hello All!

First off my apologies for not updating this blog in a few days. When we are in port we are let out at 0900 and don't get back to ship til 2400 and finding time to write is difficult.

Where do I begin with Saipan? My sister asked me which port was my favorite so far and Saipan takes the cake by a long run. If you don't know where Saipan is it is located 100 mi. north of Guam in the Northern Marianas Islands. Saipan is among the islands that were fought over during WW2 and over 20,000 American soldiers lost their lives while claiming the land. The island is set among crystal clear blue tropical waters with reefs that stretch up to a mile offshore. The island itself is full of tropical vegetation and is relatively flat with a few bluffs and one "mountain." About 16 miles around, we were able to experience Saipan fully in the 2 days off the ship. I was on watch coming into the port and was able to experience what it was like to work with a Pilot (the local man who comes on board and directs the ship movements into the harbor) and test my skills and close quarters maneuvering. Our ship was greeted by the local tourist agency which had a line of island dancers dancing to the local island music. It was very nice to have such a warm welcome and we felt more at home here than in any other port. The captain of the ship was stationed here in Saipan on board one of the Ready Reserve Ships just offshore and was best friends with what seemed like half the island. Once onshore we had to walk, again, about 30 minutes to get to the downtown and tourist area where we spent the entire first day. The downtown area is nothing but a lot of rundown old garment factories, classless bars, and dirty strip clubs. However the hotels provided an oasis amongst the poverty with everything you expect from a world class resort. We hit the beach (1st picture), which had white sands and palm trees with cabanas and a tiki bar. The water was just a little too warm and the sun could roast you in a second. All the CMA guys had the barkeep busy all day as we enjoyed the wonderful paradise with an occasional and refreshing downpour. After a good 6 hours on the beach we headed inland, burnt and tired to the captains bar, the Godfathers. We were welcomed with 50% off everything in the bar, an island jam band was playing in our honor and the place was packed with old sailors and cadets all laughing and telling the stories of the sea. After a good night out on the town we got a ride back with some friendly local girls that we had met earlier in the evening.

V/R,

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

Back At Sea...Sorta.

Hello,

We left Guam this morning and set sail for Saipan. Saipan is another island in the chain of Marianas Islands and is only about 100 miles away from Guam. The training ship is going to take 3 days to get there however so that the seniors can do some piloting exercises and get signed off on some requirements. So really we are just circling the Marianas Islands for 3 days. I however am on watch rotation and will be doing the 2000-2400 watch, and since they are doing piloting during the day I get off easy and only have one watch a day. So tomorrow and the next day will be good relaxing time for sure. Today was spent sleeping, gym time, and work on the sea bag which is coming along nicely for the due date this week. Everything else is going well, Saipan will be our last port of call before Hawaii and it couldn't come sooner. Cruise is starting to where on me and I am definitely looking forward to being back home with the family (and out of this stupid humidity) Enjoy some more pictures from Guam, raw sugar cane and fresh coconut!

V/R,

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

Guam!

Hafa Adai!

Today was my watch day, I had the 0800-1200 and 2000-2400 watch sigining people on and off the ship. Yesterday we started the day off at the Exchange where I was able to call my sister and talk to her for a little while. We decided to go get some lunch and headed off to this little place called Jay's, it was a bar and grill right on a small boat harbor. The grill was given a C by the health department but was packed with people so we decided to give it a shot. I ordered the Catch of the Day sandwich which was grilled Ahi Tuna! Yum! The waitress even pointed to the boat that caught the fish that was on my plate. After lunch we headed around the island to do a little tour and see the real island life away from the commercial part. We stopped at this little shack on the side of the road where a little old couple was selling fresh fruit. We bought some coconut and mango as well as starfruit and sugar cane. It was great to talk to them and they were just as excited to see us. We continued around the south end of the island and just drove and sight seeeed(?) We stopped at some little gift shop that was a locals favorite restaurant called Jeff's Pirates Cove which was just as it sounds piraty. Afterwords we got lost trying to navigate back to the base but finally got back just in time to do about 2 hours of snorkeling before we had to return the gear. After we returned the gear we headed to the Hotel row to find some clubs/bars and get some dinner. We ran into a bunch of CMA guys and we hung out and cruised the strip. Dinner was Chinese food which was delicious. We headed back to the ship and returned the car well exhausted after another great day on the island. Enjoy some pictures!

V/R,

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

Hafa Adai!

Hafa Adai, pronounced half-a-day, means hello and welcome in the native Guam language of the Chamorro people. The last two days were spent exploring the island of Guam. We got here on Saturday morning and we are moored at the US Naval Base right next to an aircraft carrier and a battle cruiser. It has been awesome to be on base however the base is quite a bit out of the way of town. On Saturday, after we did day work, I decided to go off by myself so that I could cover more ground and see more stuff, little did I know how much walking I had to do to get anywhere. I finally ended up at the Navy exchange and got myself a beach towel, a new pair of sunglasses and a much needed haircut. After I decided to make my way to the restaurants on base and get some lunch, after a delicious burger I started walking to the beach and ended up getting a ride by a Marine Corps officer who took me to this beach called Gab Gab. It was the dream beach, white sand, clear water and riddled with palm trees. It was there I met up with a friend who had rented a car (thank god) We went to the Navy recreation center, they rented all sorts of water sports equipment including kayaks, bikes, and snorkeling gear. We got a full set of snorkel gear ($5/24hr) and headed back to the beach. We spent a few hours right before sunset snorkeling around...WOW! I have never seen anything like this before, the huge coral reefs with thousands of colorful tropical fish and everything you see in the movies and pictures right at my fingertips. I LOVE SNORKELING! It was such an amazing experience and not to mention it felt great in the 85 degree water afte being out in the 95 degree sun with 85% humidity all day. I want to try scuba diving, especially after snorkeling. After the beach we drove out of the base and towards hotel row where we decided to get some dinner at Chilis and then call it a night. Stay tuned tomorrow for what happened on Sunday also lots of fun pictures!

V/R,

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

The Southern Cross!

Hello All,

Well apparently we are far south enough to see the Southern Cross. It was a very starry night last night as Venus shone almost so bright that it could light your way around the ship. Shortly after my midnight watch started the moon was mistaken for a ship as it rose not so subtly over the horizon. It was a beautiful, 0000-0400 watch, although still hot and quite sticky! After I got off watch the ships "mom" made the off going watch some delicious breakfast sandwiches YUM! I slept clear till 1100 when I had to get up get some lunch and head back to watch again. A pretty uneventful afternoon watch with clear blue skies light winds and a strong current making steering a challenge. After watch I was able to go to the gym and then settle in for some dinner a movie and sea bag making time. At 2000 we had a freshman test, on helmsman and lookout. It was a challenge with some surprising questions yet I still felt I did well. I have but 3 hours before my next watch and then we arrive in Guam at 0930 tomorrow! I cannot wait to relax in the sun. Enjoy the picture of me steering the ship. Ta Ta!

V/R,

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

Sticky...

Hello All,

Today was the hottest and most humid day on this trip thus far. The air temperature matched the water temp at 80 degrees and with 95% humidity today was very sticky. Thank God for the air conditioning on board, without it I might die. Today was spent repairing fire extinguishers and finishing up that job. Nothing too exciting in the way of scenery just very blue and taunting water. I just want to jump in so bad and cannot wait for Guam and the beaches. Tonight starts the watch rotation, I have the 0000-0400, and 1200-1600 watch. This time a round its the exact opposite of cold and rainy when I was on watch before. The captain is permitting shorts on watch, which I will be wearing. Wish me some rest, I won't be getting much over the next 5 days. Love You All!

V/R,

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

Iwo Jima!

Hello,

Today we passed Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima is a small island on which the US forces claimed during WW2. Over 25,000 lives were lost in the month long battle and the history and stories that come from the island are amazing. It would be really cool to visit unfortunately it is closed to outsiders. The captain sounded three blasts on the ships whistle in remembrance of the lives lost, as we watched the island slowly go by us while it was pouring rain. For the past few days I have been doing day work, which is general ship maintenance and includes everything from painting to stocking and fixing small items. Yesterday the job was to take the used SCBA's (self contained breathing apparatus) bottles from the damage control lockers to the very top deck to refill them. It was a long and hard day up lots of stairs with heavy bottles but felt good to be out in the sun and doing some hard work. Today as the rain plagued us my job was to put my hands on and inspect every fire extinguisher on board, we had a list to go off of and at the end of the day we spent 5 hours walking the ship and finding the extinguishers. The food was pretty bad today, poorly cooked pork chops and awful clam fettuccine. Tonight I worked on my sea bag and watched Sherlock Holmes (pretty good.) Tomorrow is our last day work day and we move into watch rotation. We will be in Guam on Saturday morning and not a moment too soon. The weather is rainy like I said but hot and sticky...very humid outside thank god for our air conditioning. Good Night and TTYL!

Enjoy some more pictures from Japan!

V/R,

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