Since we departed Mallorca harbor last Saturday, we haven't gotten very far. Actually only about two miles or so away, still in sight of Palma. The Captain decided to take advantage of the calm seas around
here to have 3 days of practical seamanship ship drills. These include damage control exercises, boat drills, equipment operation and man-overboard manouvers. We anchored for 2 of the nights, but otherwise
we've been just leisurely sailing around in circles at a very slow pace. The cadets love the fact that we are still in cell phone range and the decks have been full of them calling and texting home in their
spare time. Sometimes, when they are supposed to be working. We started moving west this morning toward our next destination which we think is Cadiz, Spain on the Atlantic coast. On the way, we are scheduled to stop for fuel at Gibraltar at the
mouth of the Mediterranean.
I'm looking forward to the cooler seas of the Atlantic. The ship's air conditioning is dependant on the water around us and the Med is too warm for the AC to work very well. Also, if we take on fuel, the tanks are directly below the library. The
thick oil has to be heated to 150 degrees to flow and much of that heat, despite an insulated floor, rises into the library. If the air conditioning is not working at its maximum, I suffer badly. On previous voyages, I've had to shut the library
for excessive temperatures.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Palma, Mallorca
After trials and tribulations of international diplomacy, we finally reached a port that welcomed us;
Palma, Mallorca. The largest of Spain's Baleric Islands, Mallorca is a tropical paradise in the
Mediterranean. Having cruised the Mediterranean for what seemed forever and viewing islands that we
could not dock at, everyone aboard was ready to set foot on dry land. We entered Palma harbor Tuesday
evening passing a half dozen of the largest cruise ships afloat already in port. The marinas are also
full with private boats and yachts, one almost the size of the Empire State. The city is full of tourists
from around the world.
The Empire State docked around 18:00 at the furthest dock in the harbor. When the ship was secured,
leave was granted and the some of the cadets and crew were off to enjoy themselves in this cosmopolitan
city. It is a pictuesque town with an ancient history reflected in its architecture. Everyone is enjoying
the variety of food available at the hundreds of resturants and cafes.The food is reasonable and delicious. Shopping is everywhere, from
Cartier jewelry to cheap souveniers. Pearls are a speciality of Mallorca. It seems that every other
store is a pearl shop.
The College arranged several tours and activities to keep everyone occupied. The most popular was a tour
of the Caves of Dracht (Dragon Caves), about 50 miles east of Palma. These caves are chock full of
stalagtites and stalagmites formed through millions of years of erosion. There is also a large
underground lake at the bottom and we were treated to a short classical music concert by musicians
sailing on a lighted rowboat in the darkened cave. It was an amazing exprience. There were also
snorkeling and scuba tours as well as a deep sea fishing expedition. I chose not to do any of those. The
beaches have also been popular. There is a small, rocky beach that is in walking distance from the ship, a nude beach!
The busses that take us to town also stop at the large town beach just east of the city. The
Mediterranean is the perfect temperature for swimming.
We ship out again on the morning of July 11 and it is back to work for 10 days or so until our next port.
Sorry I haven't uploaded any pics. I couldn't get to wifi yet in port. These updates are done through simple email. I have sent pics to the Maritime College and you can view them on my official college version of this blog. I don't have the
URL, but you can Google SUNY Maritime College Luce Library blog to find it.
Palma, Mallorca. The largest of Spain's Baleric Islands, Mallorca is a tropical paradise in the
Mediterranean. Having cruised the Mediterranean for what seemed forever and viewing islands that we
could not dock at, everyone aboard was ready to set foot on dry land. We entered Palma harbor Tuesday
evening passing a half dozen of the largest cruise ships afloat already in port. The marinas are also
full with private boats and yachts, one almost the size of the Empire State. The city is full of tourists
from around the world.
The Empire State docked around 18:00 at the furthest dock in the harbor. When the ship was secured,
leave was granted and the some of the cadets and crew were off to enjoy themselves in this cosmopolitan
city. It is a pictuesque town with an ancient history reflected in its architecture. Everyone is enjoying
the variety of food available at the hundreds of resturants and cafes.The food is reasonable and delicious. Shopping is everywhere, from
Cartier jewelry to cheap souveniers. Pearls are a speciality of Mallorca. It seems that every other
store is a pearl shop.
The College arranged several tours and activities to keep everyone occupied. The most popular was a tour
of the Caves of Dracht (Dragon Caves), about 50 miles east of Palma. These caves are chock full of
stalagtites and stalagmites formed through millions of years of erosion. There is also a large
underground lake at the bottom and we were treated to a short classical music concert by musicians
sailing on a lighted rowboat in the darkened cave. It was an amazing exprience. There were also
snorkeling and scuba tours as well as a deep sea fishing expedition. I chose not to do any of those. The
beaches have also been popular. There is a small, rocky beach that is in walking distance from the ship, a nude beach!
The busses that take us to town also stop at the large town beach just east of the city. The
Mediterranean is the perfect temperature for swimming.
We ship out again on the morning of July 11 and it is back to work for 10 days or so until our next port.
Sorry I haven't uploaded any pics. I couldn't get to wifi yet in port. These updates are done through simple email. I have sent pics to the Maritime College and you can view them on my official college version of this blog. I don't have the
URL, but you can Google SUNY Maritime College Luce Library blog to find it.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Independence Day at Sea
Because everyone on board has to stick to the schedule, the 4th of July was no holiday from work on the Empire State VI. Regular Saturday work and class schedules were in effect. That doesn't mean we didn't get to celebrate. The crew from
Chartwell's food service set up big barbeque grills on the sun deck, grilling burgers, franks and chicken breasts. There were plenty of salads to go along with the meats and ice cream sundaes for dessert. They even set up a cotton candy machine.
Many cadets got into the spirit decking themselves out out in red, white and blue. Flags were everywhere. For dinner, Chartwells broke out steaks and baked potatoes as well as a huge American flag cake. No fireworks at sea though. Even barring
local laws, fireworks could be misconstrued as emergency flares.
The Mediterranean has been beautiful since we entered it. Sunny and hot. We're slowly steaming around in calm waters awaiting final confirmation that Palma, Majorca (Mallorca) will be our next port on July 7. Although there is some disappointment
about missing Split, cadets and crew are anxious to hit dry land somewhere.
Chartwell's food service set up big barbeque grills on the sun deck, grilling burgers, franks and chicken breasts. There were plenty of salads to go along with the meats and ice cream sundaes for dessert. They even set up a cotton candy machine.
Many cadets got into the spirit decking themselves out out in red, white and blue. Flags were everywhere. For dinner, Chartwells broke out steaks and baked potatoes as well as a huge American flag cake. No fireworks at sea though. Even barring
local laws, fireworks could be misconstrued as emergency flares.
The Mediterranean has been beautiful since we entered it. Sunny and hot. We're slowly steaming around in calm waters awaiting final confirmation that Palma, Majorca (Mallorca) will be our next port on July 7. Although there is some disappointment
about missing Split, cadets and crew are anxious to hit dry land somewhere.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Sailing to Split..err, Somewhere Else
There has been no land in sight since Sunday. The seas South of Belfast have been mildly active. There
has been constant rolling, but nothing too bad other than one or two rough jolts. The food locker in the
Officer's Mess was more than a little messy Wednesday morning when all of the salad dressings and yougurt
spilled. I haven't heard of anything worse. The sun eluded us the whole way until it finally showed
itself on Wednesday afternoon. Thursday remains sunny as we near the Mediterranean.
The cadets and crew have settled into a busy routine of classes, work and some rest and relaxation where
they can get it. The Library has been busy in the evenings.
Everyone was looking foreward to arriving at Split, Croatia next week. That is until Wednesday
afternoon. The Captain informed us that, despite months of planning, Croatia doesn't want us. There has
been some disagreement between the U.S State Department and Croatia over our berthing rights. Captain
Smith, resourceful as usual, has been scrambling to find us another port to keep us on schedule. It looks
(about 99% certain) that we will be going to Majorca, Spain instead. This means our last two ports will
both be in Spain. At least we won't have to deal with any leftover Croatian Kunas (money) and as we will
have the Euro in both ports. I'm sure the cadets won't be disappointed with Majorca as it is a lively,
cosmopolitan island with lots of entertainment and great beaches. So as we push on toward the Strait of
Gibraltar, we have to remember that it is all about the journey, not the destination.
has been constant rolling, but nothing too bad other than one or two rough jolts. The food locker in the
Officer's Mess was more than a little messy Wednesday morning when all of the salad dressings and yougurt
spilled. I haven't heard of anything worse. The sun eluded us the whole way until it finally showed
itself on Wednesday afternoon. Thursday remains sunny as we near the Mediterranean.
The cadets and crew have settled into a busy routine of classes, work and some rest and relaxation where
they can get it. The Library has been busy in the evenings.
Everyone was looking foreward to arriving at Split, Croatia next week. That is until Wednesday
afternoon. The Captain informed us that, despite months of planning, Croatia doesn't want us. There has
been some disagreement between the U.S State Department and Croatia over our berthing rights. Captain
Smith, resourceful as usual, has been scrambling to find us another port to keep us on schedule. It looks
(about 99% certain) that we will be going to Majorca, Spain instead. This means our last two ports will
both be in Spain. At least we won't have to deal with any leftover Croatian Kunas (money) and as we will
have the Euro in both ports. I'm sure the cadets won't be disappointed with Majorca as it is a lively,
cosmopolitan island with lots of entertainment and great beaches. So as we push on toward the Strait of
Gibraltar, we have to remember that it is all about the journey, not the destination.
Monday, June 29, 2015
Underway
Underway
I spent Friday at Belfast's newly created Titanic Quarter, once the center of shipbuilding in the city. Today, the area that was desolate six years ago when I last visited, has been transformed into a vibrant entertainment and living district
centered around the ultra modern Titanic Museum. The building is at the location of the defunct Harland and Wolf shipyard where the Titanic was built. It is surrounded by the refurbished remnants of the shipbuilding industry including two gigantic
cranes named Samson and Goliath that are today only occasionally used to assemble windmills to power Europe. The museum is a state-of-the-art facility that concentrates on the history of Belfast shipbuilding, particularly the building of the
Titanic. While it doesn't gloss over the sinking, it minimizes it. After all, the unofficial motto of Belfast is "she was floating when she left here". To burn off the rest of my English money, I went back to the central city and took in a movie
in a beautiful, modern multiplex cinema equal to any at home. I returned to the ship by curfew, saying goodbye to a great city and resting up for departure and work.
We shoved off about 09:00 on Sunday, mooring for training at the mouth of Belfast harbor until about 19:00. We are now underway, heading south through the Irish Sea to the Mediterranean and our next port
of Split, Croatia.
Rich Delbango
Ship's Librarian
I spent Friday at Belfast's newly created Titanic Quarter, once the center of shipbuilding in the city. Today, the area that was desolate six years ago when I last visited, has been transformed into a vibrant entertainment and living district
centered around the ultra modern Titanic Museum. The building is at the location of the defunct Harland and Wolf shipyard where the Titanic was built. It is surrounded by the refurbished remnants of the shipbuilding industry including two gigantic
cranes named Samson and Goliath that are today only occasionally used to assemble windmills to power Europe. The museum is a state-of-the-art facility that concentrates on the history of Belfast shipbuilding, particularly the building of the
Titanic. While it doesn't gloss over the sinking, it minimizes it. After all, the unofficial motto of Belfast is "she was floating when she left here". To burn off the rest of my English money, I went back to the central city and took in a movie
in a beautiful, modern multiplex cinema equal to any at home. I returned to the ship by curfew, saying goodbye to a great city and resting up for departure and work.
We shoved off about 09:00 on Sunday, mooring for training at the mouth of Belfast harbor until about 19:00. We are now underway, heading south through the Irish Sea to the Mediterranean and our next port
of Split, Croatia.
Rich Delbango
Ship's Librarian
Saturday, June 27, 2015
We arrived in Belfast, Northen Ireland after midnight on Thursday and didn't get to the ship until about 1:30 AM. Exhausted, we all settled in, got some food and hit our bunks. Unfortunately, my cabin is a little less luxurious this year, located on a lower and noisier deck. To make matters worse, most of the cabins on my deck got flooded on Thursday afternoon due to a plumbing problem. Thank God all of my posessions were off the floor. Some others were not so lucky. Everything got cleaned up while I went into town for the day.
Most of Thursday was spent getting acclimated to the ship and trying to traack down the keys to the Library. I finally found them on Friday and got to check things out a bit. The Library will be opening on Sunday evening 
after we get underway.
On Friday, I and about 20 cadets took a tour of the northern coast on which we visited the Giant's Causeway and the Carrick a Reid rope bridge. New for this year were stops at locations used in the TV show Game of Thrones. Despite rain all day, we had a great time.
Today, after some shopping in town, I'm touring the Titanic museum located on the next pier from our ship. This newly built complex really enhances the dock area that was so run down on my last visit here 6 years ago. Many of the cadets have already been there and loved it.
On Sunday we cast off at high tide sometime late morning heading for Croatia.
after we get underway.
On Friday, I and about 20 cadets took a tour of the northern coast on which we visited the Giant's Causeway and the Carrick a Reid rope bridge. New for this year were stops at locations used in the TV show Game of Thrones. Despite rain all day, we had a great time.
Today, after some shopping in town, I'm touring the Titanic museum located on the next pier from our ship. This newly built complex really enhances the dock area that was so run down on my last visit here 6 years ago. Many of the cadets have already been there and loved it.
On Sunday we cast off at high tide sometime late morning heading for Croatia.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
For the fourth time I will be heading out to sea for the summer as the Ship's Librarian for the SUNY Maritime College's Summer Sea Term. I will be working on board the training ship Empire State VI and sailing the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Atlantic from June 24 to August 10. Ports include Belfast, Northern Ireland, Split Croatia and Cadiz, Spain. Follow my journey here. I will be posting pics here as well when I'm in port. I can be reached by email at Richard.Delbango@ts-empirestate.com
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