from last. Last year we were heading home at this time. This year we
still have over a month to go. Last year it poured on our celebration.
This year the weather has been gorgeous. The best thing is that this year
it luckily corresponded with our Sunday at Sea and that means relaxation
for most of us and barbecue for all.
There were no classes today. The only cadets working were those on watch
or with extra duty jobs. The hardest working people on board today were
the Chartwell's Food Service people who toiled all day getting the
barbecue set up and cooking for over 500 hungry sailors. Thanks to Henry
and his crew who did such a great job as usual. Burgers, franks and
chicken for lunch; steaks and shrimp for dinner. Between meals, we had
some fireworks as cadets shot off some expired flares and smoke marker
grenades. Not the Macy's fireworks, but it would have to do.
Since it's Sunday, I have half the day off. I don't open until 18:00
(6pm) on Sundays. Mostly it is to show the evening movies. Only the most
motivated cadets come down to do work. That means I've got the morning
and afternoon off to sleep late, relax and enjoy the BBQ. Between
feasting, I sat on the deck soaking up the Mediterranean sun and reading.
When I got to the library in the evening I was greeted by a blast of warm
air. The library is ungodly hot again as the result of the fuel tank heat
since our re-fill in Gibraltar. It's already up to 85 degrees. The deck
feels like it is 100. I hope the heat dissipates fast or the next four
days are going to be hell.
We are somewhere in the mid-Mediterranean Sea, heading east. We will
probably sail between Corsica and Sardinia to do maneuvers before heading
to Malta. Everyone is getting anxious to get to land, especially to swim..
Nothing is more frustrating to me than being surrounded by water on a hot
summer day and not being able to jump in. Maybe I'll volunteer to replace
the dummy we use in for the man-overboard drill.
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