SUNY Sea Term 2017 Ends

Click here for previous SUNY sea term posts.  I’m grateful to SUNY for an invitation to ride along from the Upper Bay to the SUNY Maritime campus yesterday.  What a homecoming this must be for the cadets, and their friends and families.

Families and friends were already there off Staten Island.

For cadets–aka college students–the sense of preparing for a bright future must be palpable,

a reward for study and practice.

And the welcome comes from strangers all along these last few miles.  Airports and airplanes just don’t afford this grand arrival.

Those were construction workers at Rockefeller University’s River Campus above, and ConEd workers below.

Small boats followed us.

Folks at the Vernon C. Bain Maritime facility paid attention.

Workers on the Whitestone stopped to watch.

 

NYPD came to greet and

be greeted. “Selfie taking” gives a whole new meaning to turning one’s back on a subject.

McAllister’s Ellen and

Amy C came to greet and assist.  SUNY grads work in many different industries, including the towing industry, maritime services, pilots’ associations, law enforcement, fire departments . . . and the list is much longer.

But on the SUNY Fort Schuyler campus, the welcoming is most intense.

 

 

After 17 days at sea since their last port, this one is probably the best.

 

All photos and sentiments by Will Van Dorp. Hats off to students, families, staff, and of course the 57-year-old ship. 

After a few more catch-ups, I’ll return to the account “Go West Again.”