Massachusetts Maritime Academy - Muster Yearbook (Buzzards Bay, MA)

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When the parade was over, the tall ships went to the West Side and we went back to Bayonne to disembark the V.I.P. ' s. It now became obvious to us that our primary mission on this cruise was to be public relations rather than professional training. We realized, too, that this wil l benefit the school. Because of the unfavorable docking conditions at Bayonne, the Academy administration decided we should leave New York earlier than planned. On our way to Buzzard ' s Bay, we resumed our duties as youngies, which included cleaning and preparing the ship for our next assignment: host for the Boston tall ships parade. After several days in Buzzard ' s Bay, we proceeded to Boston, where the cadets participated in the festivities or went home. Philadelphia, our last port of call, found us again at a navy base, where we had the opportunity to work aboard navy vessels, and, for a few of us, the chance to work closely with navy officials. The city, which few of us had ever seen before, was of interest because it is America ' s birthplace, it was an appropriate port for the Bicentennial Year. All in all, we had a good time, but our condition as Youngies stifled some of our expectations. We had grown mentally. We had resentments, but also some good memories. We were relieved that we had made it through the cmcial Youngie year. Little did we know what the future held in store for us.

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MAR IT I M E CRUISE OF 77 Our second class year began with our first cruise to Europe. (Jnforseen shipyard delays postponed our departure for many weel s. More important than the financial problems and uncertainties that this situation caused the cadets was the fact that three key professional faculty members left the Academy. When we finally departed for Northern Europe, we concentrated on feelings of great expectations, hoping that nothing else would go wrong. Some of our classmates shipped out on commercial vessels, either for experience or so they could participate in the Marine Corps P.L.C. program. Our North Atlantic passage offered no surprises, enabling us to concentrate on professional training. We welcomed the chance, especially since our Youngie cruise had given us little opportunity for such training. We were also given a chance to exercise some leadership responsibilities. Our first port, Dublin, held special significance for those cadets of Irish heritage. Besides being a relatively cheap port where we could buy gifts for friends back home, Dublin was our first opportunity to meet people of a different culture. Many cadets left the city to visit relatives they had never seen before. A few of the more adventurous ones went to Northern Ireland and saw physical evidence of the conflict there. A few of us got pushed into rather humorous incidents with the locals which ended up in the papers. Our popularity did not wane, however, and we left with memories of a hospitable port.