I can see that the kids will be getting a lot of celestial practice on their way to Philly and Albany.
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One reason is because of the emissions regulations. The TSES is already non-compliant in the Baltic and has not entered for a number of years now. It will be unable to enter the Med in the near future when their own emissions regulations take effect. There has always been at least one domestic port, sometimes Philadelphia, sometimes New Orleans, but I think Albany was one as well at one point. What cadets often fail to remember is that the role of cruise is not a fun-filled sight-seeing vacation, it is to accumulate necessary sea time to sit for your license. The fact that you happen to visit some nice ports is a by-product of this.
Also, the cost for the changeout flights have always been listed on rate for cruise and the plane is chartered well in advance, there are no surprises. The school is not absorbing any cost in this, it is in plain English on your bill for you to see.
Oh yes it was. Around twenty years ago if memory serves me right and on our first foray into town, my friends and I were propositioned by a crack addled prostitute. We politely declined. It Might have been the same Sea term we were again propositioned in a seedy bar in the UK to purchase an ounce of blow. Again, politely declined and backed the F out of there.
Memories made with your good friends is really what cruise is made for 
.
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The TSES is a government vessel, it is exempt from having to follow those regulations. Although for the most part they do try and follow them as best they can.
Emission Regulations are a big limitations for the ports that the TSES can visit, I do agree. The regulations are being updated but the TSES isn’t and that is our problem.
Rumors of domestic ports this year include places like Philadelphia and Albany, as well as Charleston, and Houston. I do agree that training is training no matter where it is located and that is why I associated myself with this college, but the college told my class, the class before me, and the class before them that cruise is the opportunity to travel into foreign ports while at the same time developing experience aboard a ship and accrediting sea days necessary to obtain a license. Again traveling is not the reason why we have a training ship, but I’d rather pay 30 dollars to make it up to Albany by car rather than spend 11,000 dollars by boat. The difference between (tentatively) this year and last year, though, is instead of the next port being Gaeta, Italy, the next port would be a half a tank of gas away.
I have no doubt that the college is handling this epidemic properly, but there is disdain in the regiment about an all domestic port cruise. There are also many rumors spreading about why the college is heading this way since the college hasn’t provided us with any information about cruise yet. Only professors have leaked out the information and rumors that lead to this discussion.
What is wrong with going to Halifax, St John’s, Baffin Island, and Montreal? No emissions issues there. Bermuda? Panama?
It just doesn’t seem right for kids to graduate Nd get an oceanslicemse withouteer seeing the horizon all the way around. There is a big difference between solinga USCG exam question bout. Three star fix, and actually king it ona rolling ship at sea.
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They’re probably going to take two weeks to get from Albany to Philadelphia. I suspect they will go offshore to see horizon lines in that time.
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Well they’d have to since some of the assessments are related to doing celestial fixes right? That’s why we had to do like 12 (or however many) day’s works over the course of cruise as 1st class.
Still seems like they’d have a fine time going to foreign ports here in North and Central America without having any huge issues. When I went to school we never did any domestic ports, but there were usually rumors about adding one that were generally met with disdain amongst the students.
I don’t understand the rationale behind doing so many training ship cruises. Great Lakes does all domestic cruises in order to get pilotage trips in for the deckies, but you only do that your first year and then it’s commercial or MSC.
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I bet the kids would like Havana, Santa Domingo and Cartagena. No emissions issues with those either. (Auto correct has gone crazy lately)
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Hell, San Juan used to be a great time, too; but I understand a lot of the fun has subsided. . . I am enjoying this thread. I only ever cadet shipped at school, so the schoolship experience seems strange to me. Even with a lot of time spent surveying the old TEXAS CLIPPER. . .