Yesterday was our last day in port in Panama, and what a time it was! The past four days have been incredible. The weather alone has been a nice treat, and we’ve had tons of fun in and around Panama City. I spent a lot of time in a part of town known as the …

It’s about 2315 as I’m writing this, and we’re currently passing through the part of the Panama Canal known as “The Cut” – the man-made portion after the Gatun Lake. We finished going through the Gatun locks around 2100 and have been steaming along ever since. We couldn’t have asked for better weather! The temperature …

We spent today anchored in the waiting area right outside the entrance to the canal. We’ve been in the company of about 30 ships of all shapes and sizes, from ROROs to small sailboats. I was mistaken in my post yesterday regarding the schedule for going through the canal. We are weighing anchor between 1630 …

This afternoon we arrived at the Panama Canal. We have to wait until tomorrow night to go through, so we’re going to be hovering outside until then. We’re doing anchoring and turning drills right now, so even though we’ve arrived at our destination, the ship is still moving. Tomorrow maintenance should be easier since the …

Today we have Sunday at Sea, when we get some well-earned R&R. There are no musters, except for the divisions on watch and maintenance. Watch division continues on its regular schedule, and maintenance division has maintenance in the morning and the rest of the day off. Lunch and dinner are both cook-outs on the helo …

Today we’ve had much larger waves than the past few days. The ship has done quite a bit of rolling, and we’re starting to understand much better why the tables in the mess deck have slide guards on the edges! I’ve been in MSEP training since Thursday, and today was the last day. The chairs …

Today was the first day of the new division rotation. On board the ship, each division has a general duty assignment that changes every three days.. On any given day there’s a division on watch, a division on maintenance, a division in training (license), and an alternate division, which right now means we’re doing the …

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’ll be periodically publishing the thoughts and comments of fellow cadets on board. Tonight 4/C Buckley of 3rd Division is featured. “It’s Thursday January 17th 2008, and I just completed my first day of Engineering lab classes. We first went down to the tank top level of the stern …

This morning we found ourselves in much bluer, warmer water with an air temperature that goes nicely with shorts and a T-shirt. The water has been much calmer today than it was last night, which made working much easier today. Speaking of working, I have taken on a new job on board the ship. I …

Being on board a ship with as many people as we have is similar to being in a big city. There’s always something happening, you can always get something to eat, and it’s never really quiet. The population density inside the holds is greater than some New York subway cars. At night, though, the ship …