"It was truly an amazing experience for the cadets to fall asleep on the night of May 15th, surrounded by nothing but deep blue pacific water, and wake up to sultry sun beating down on El Arco de Cabo San Lucas. The excitement to disembark from the Golden Bear and reach shore was palpable. TS Golden Bear was anchored roughly one mile from Cabo’s marina, and because of this, cadets spent the morning operating the aft crane which lifts our #9 launch boat. A small platform was placed via crane at the end of the gangway on the side of the Golden Bear, which allowed our cadets to step down the gangway onto the free-floating pier and board the #9 boat. From this point on, many cadets enjoyed their liberty over our three-day port visit. Most enjoyed the warm Cabo sun while propped up on a beach chair and were able to witness the waves crash on the shoreline in a thunderous boom."
-Mason Marotta, Assistant Purser
"After a brief hiatus, the TSGB was happy to make a foreign port liberty call. TSGB arrived on a beautiful brisk sunny day into scenic Cabo San Lucas, Mexico early morning Tuesday May 16th. She dropped anchor and promptly started putting out the boat landing platform and liberty boats. After clearing customs and immigration, liberty boats began shuttling eager cadets, crew and staff ashore. The cadets rotated through watches taking their turn at the helm and the engine duty. The wind and seas picked up the second day making the approaches more challenging. The Mexican Navy conducted a drive by, lending an invitation to a formal lunch the following day. Some lucky cadet volunteers escorted by C/M Doug Nagy represented the vessel well and enjoyed a lovely meal ashore with three-star, Admiral Tun, and his crew. Other cadets rotated through daywork, watch and liberty. Each division got time ashore to explore and enjoy the shoreside festivities of Cabo. Reports of snorkeling, beach walking, camel riding, dune ride tours and of course some dancing took place. I am very proud of the conduct of the cadets. Not one cadet arrived past their liberty time. It was a very successful port of call. On Friday, 19 May all hands were back aboard and ready to proceed to their next port of call Apia Samoa. The next leg is a long 16-day voyage crossing over 4200 nm. It will be a great opportunity for the cadets to get into a rhythm and enjoy some blue water."
-Captain Samar Bannister
Captain Bannister, C/M Doug Nagy and cadet leaders getting ready to have lunch with the Mexican Navy.
Mexican Authorities and Port Agents touring TS Golden Bear with Captain Bannister - special thanks to our Port Agent & team for their assistance with our arrival and port stay!
Cadets had a blast running our #9 and #12 launch boats to and from the dock in Cabo San Lucas for the first stop of our voyage. This routine was worked into daywork and watch rotations and was a welcome change of pace. The cadets did a fantastic job ensuring their peers along with faculty, staff, and ship's crew made it to and from the ship safely, with all of their souvenirs and wonderful memories of Cabo in tow.
Check back often and follow the voyage with our blog series that gives the latest news from Summer Cruise! The TSGB will travel to Los Angeles, Cabo San Lucas, Baja Mexico, Apia, Samoa, Hilo, Hawaii, and Astoria, Oregon prior to returning to Vallejo on July 7.
Stay tuned for updates to the Follow the Voyage blog.
ABOUT CAL MARITIME
Established in 1929, California State University Maritime Academy 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’s degree in Transportation and Engineering Management, as well as a number
of extended learning programs and courses.