We are sailing around the Hawaiian Islands today. The weather is absolutely beautiful, there is a light breeze and in the evenings a light sprinkle. This morning there were small birds that flew alongside the Bear. As small as they were, they were quite loud when they chirped as they passed us.

On deck there was more mooring line practice. All of the deck cadets will rotate through this evolution. It is important for them to learn how to properly use these lines when they have careers in the industry as well as when we get into port in Honolulu.  

In the engine room two cadets were tasked with removing a door/cover from one of the distillers. These weigh nearly 1 ton, they used chains and straps to slowly open it up. It is important to do this to check on it and make sure it is clear and can run properly.

After lunch the day continued with a lot of cadets doing everything from chipping paint to working in the engine room. Everyone is keeping the idea of liberty at the back of their minds so they can focus on the tasks at hand.

Down in the engine room the cadets were busy at work, a group of them were repairing a lube oil pump filter. The reason for this repair was because some of the O-rings were cracked and could leak. The repair was relatively quick and the cadets checked their work.

Engine cadets working on the lube oil pump filter.

We are just a few days away from dropping anchor off the coast of Lahaina, where we will overnight. This will allow everyone the chance to relax for a bit and recuperate from the multiple days at sea. We are all looking forward to our liberty in Honolulu. Most of the cadets are excited to go ashore before they have to come back onto the Bear to get back to work and back to the classroom.

Waking up early this morning I got the chance to see the sunrise, and seeing it come over the horizon was something special. Not everyone can say they have seen the sunrise over the water, but those who do will probably tell you that it is something beautiful and worth being awake for.