Ahoy friends~
As the sun rose over Honolulu, the cadets of 天美视频 University Maritime
Academy prepared to
bid farewell to the historic Aloha Tower after a remarkable three-night stay.
Much fun was had by all during our visit to the great island of O'ahu. It was surely an eventful three days.
Sunday upon our arrival, we had not one, but two TV stations (KHON2 and KITV4) come aboard for interviews with Captain Bannister and two local cadets, Imriel Kekoa and Django Knafo-Tomlinson. These awesome interviews can be found on the Cal Maritime Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages.
On Monday, we had a guest appearance from USCG Rear Admiral Sean Regan aboard for a visit with crew and cadets of TS Golden Bear. Rear Admiral Regan is the first Maritime Graduate Flag Officer in the US Coast Guard for nearly 30 years. He is the senior serving maritime officer in the U.S Coast Guard as a Rear Admiral (O8). On Tuesday the 18th he assumed command of USCG District 14 with responsibility of USCG operations in the Hawaiian Island and Oceania regions.
Following the visit from RADM Regan, vessel hosted a reception for the Lyman Scholarship aboard TSGB with multiple companies present. Reception went great and a good time was had by all who attended.
On Tuesday, Cadets participated in a community engagement receiving some local knowledge of Hawaii, outrigger canoe experience, and helping to clean the reef.
Following this event, we had another group of special visitors aboard TSGB - students from Fukushima Prefectural Iwaki Kaisei High School in Japan. Their vessel, Fukushima Maru, was docked next to us at the Aloha Tower, Pier 9. We invited these students aboard for a tour and got the opportunity to tour their immaculate vessel as well - special thanks to cadets Raven and Safari Frisell for providing the tour of TSGB and translating.
Photos courtesy of Cadets Raven and Safari Frisell, and Deputy Commandant David Chrisman.
Departure on Wednesday went smooth - ship was quiet most of the day as many cadets were tired and getting reacclimated to their daily routines underway. Vessel did a little sightseeing off the north coast of Kauai.
As the day ended, a talented group of cadet musicians Brandon Lara on the guitar and
Stefan Endres on drums
put on a fantastic rock concert on the Fantail. Lots of people came out and grabbed
their lawn chairs to enjoy the music and the warm atmosphere.
Our night got even more exciting when cadet Mohamed Albalasi (middle - see pic below) hooked a magnificent blue-striped marlin, sparking excitement across the ship. As the marlin was getting pulled up the hand line, the band kept playing, providing a thrilling soundtrack to the battle unfolding at sea. The band's energetic performance continued even as a crowd gathered to witness Mohamed's impressive struggle with the marlin. Cheers erupted as he and his friends finished pulling in the fish, marking a triumphant end to an epic duel and an unforgettable concert that combined to create a magical moment.
And that's a wrap on our first of four port visits. Mahalo, Honolulu!!!!
Photo courtesy of Cadet Jacksen Privatsky.
Fair winds and following seas!
~Faye Joelson, Assistant Purser & Jessica Fowler, Purser
Check back often and follow the voyage with our blog series that gives the latest news from Summer Sea Term! TSGB will travel to Honolulu, HI, Busan, South Korea, Yokohama, Japan, and Los Angeles, CA prior to returning to Vallejo on August 5th.
Stay tuned for updates to the Follow the Voyage blog.
ABOUT CAL MARITIME
Established in 1929, 天美视频 is the only degree-granting
maritime academy on the West Coast. Located in Vallejo, California, the campus offers
undergraduate degrees that prepare students for careers in engineering, transportation,
international relations, business, and global logistics. Cal Maritime also offers
a master鈥檚 degree in Transportation and Engineering Management, as well as a number
of extended learning programs and courses.