Are You Doing Your Part?

This morning was perhaps the foggiest it has been on the whole cruise. I
emerged on the deck only to be greeting with a wall of white mist and the
ship’s foghorn blaring. I happened upon Professor Palmiotti, the head of
the Deck Department and mentioned that I hoped that the radar was still
working. He said because there was no wind the fog is just sticking.

By lunch time, this spectral mist had passed and the day was more or less
filled with cadets preparing for their exams. Even as we passed through
the mighty Pillars of Hercules (which happened earlier than expected so I
didn’t get to see the Rock), almost all hands seem in their own universe
of studying --- ahem – or goofing off… take your pick.

So even as I write this we have entered the Atlantic and the sea is
already slightly rougher, but nowhere near what we had experienced on our
initial crossing. Yet a warning has been posted on the “Plan of Day”
saying to make sure things get secured.

Speaking of which, I don’t think I ever mentioned these “Plans of the
Day,” but in order to give you a taste of the daily grind around here, you
must indulge me in this relevant tangent.

The “Plan of the Day” is a sheet that gets posted all about the ship that
gives a general outline of what is happening on a given day. It includes
a list of class sections that are meeting, the sections on watch, and then
a schedule of events… Here is today’s schedule as listed, with some
explanatory commentary:

0600 – Reveille (don’t worry, they don’t use bugles)
0615 – Report to Cleaning Station (Muster on Sun Deck)
0615-0645: Cleaning Stations (this is when they clean all the popcorn from
the floor of the Cadet Lounge)
0645-0700: Cleaning Station Inspections (this is when they make sure there
is no popcorn on the floor of the Cadet Lounge)
0615-0750: Breakfast (I never make it to breakfast – I am a night owl on
this ship)
0800: Cadet Formation (this is where they make sure everybody is here who
is supposed to be here)
1100-1250: Lunch 1/c (because of their seniority the First Class gets to
eat first – at 11am)
1130 – 1250: Lunch 2/c
1200-1250: Lunch 3/c (they get to eat if they are lucky)
1700-1850: Dinner 1/c
1730-1850: Dinner 2/c
1800-1850: Dinner 3/c
1900-2100: Mess Deck Closed
1900: Cadet berthing inspections (undoubtedly somebody is going down to
the holds with a white glove)
1930: Movie: The Hangover (I didn’t pick this one I swear!)
2115: Movie: Signs (I didn’t pick this either)
2100-0000: Cadet Snack Bar (this is where our cadets can stock up on
pizza, nachos, popcorn, and other snack foods)
2300: All quiet about the ship (this is purely theoretical, but mostly
obeyed. At least there is no needle guns going off at this hour)

The plan of the day also includes various hours of operation such as the
library, the ship’s barber (bet you didn’t know we had one – I’m sure he’s
skilled, but I am leery of letting someone cut my hair on a moving
platform), and sickbay.

It is also a place where we put important announcements such as
information on our flight to JFK (Flight WO3001 landing at terminal #4 at
1215am), that you can’t do laundry while in port, when certain exams are,
and of course the most important announcement of all: RETURN YOUR LIBRARY
BOOKS!

Other announcements are made as well, such as the need to conserve fresh
water with instructions for sea showering such as, “Wet yourself down,
turn off the water, lather up with soap, turn shower on to rinse off
quickly, turn shower off.” I also think if we just dunked cadets over the
side it would keep them clean and totally conserve water.

It is also a place where birthdays are announced, such as Cadet William
Schroeder’s. Happy birthday to Mr. Schroeder!

These plans of the day are good, because a) it shows we do have a plan and
b) it lets everybody know we have a plan. Yet in all seriousness, it is
the most public form of announcements and bulletins we use.

Perhaps if everybody made up their own individual plans of the day, the
world would be a more organized place. If you took the effort to write
out your plan, then you would no doubt gain the discipline we are
instilling to our young cadets as well as conserve our resources… Just
remember, everybody must do their part. Are you?

Fair Winds and Following Seas,
Jo