Cadet Flashback: 4/C Brady Belanger

Meet 4/C Brady Belanger, a Marine Engineering major from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Brady attended Calvin Coolidge Elementary School, Oak Middle School, and Shrewsbury High School.

Brady has always enjoyed the water, but boats and ships are a new interest for him. He first began talking about attending Massachusetts Maritime Academy during his junior year of high school. Brady’s uncle, Stephen Belanger, graduated from the Academy in 1998.

A young Brady is on a boat, wearing a yellow lifejacket.

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Welcome aboard the T.S.Kennedy! The cadets, crew, and I are thrilled that you are participating in the 2020 Follow the Voyage program. We are bound for many exciting ports of call. I know that there will be miles of learning ahead. Please watch for new entries to my Captain's Log. I welcome your comments and questions.

Most sincerely,
Captain Michael J. Campbell

Nautical Terms

Aft - The back of a ship. If something is located aft, it is at the back of the ship. The aft is also known as the stern.

All Hands - Entire ship’s company, both officers and enlisted personnel.

Aweigh - The position of anchor as it is raised clear of the bottom.

Bow - The front of the ship is called the bow. Knowing the location of the bow is important for defining two of the other most common sailing terms; port (left of the bow) and starboard (right of the bow).

Bridge - A structure above the weather deck, extending the full width of the vessel, which houses a command center, itself called by association, the bridge.

Deck Hand, “Decky” - A person whose job involves aiding the deck supervisor in (un) mooring, anchoring, maintenance, and general evolutions on deck.

Forward - The front of a ship. If something is located forward, it is at the front of the ship. This is also known as the bow.

Knot - A unit of speed: 1 nautical mile (1.8520 km; 1.1508 mi) per hour. Originally speed was measured by paying out a line from the stern of a moving boat. The line had a knot every 47 feet 3 inches (14.40 m) and the number of knots passed out in 30 seconds gave the speed through the water in nautical miles per hour.

Port - Port is always the left-hand side of the boat when you are facing the bow. Because “right” and “left” can become confusing terms when used in the open waters, port is used to define the left-hand side of the ship as it relates to the bow, or front.

Rack - The term to describe a bed aboard a ship.

Starboard - Starboard is always the right-hand side of the boat when you are facing the bow. Because “right” and “left” can become confusing sailing terms when used out in the open waters, starboard is used to define the right-hand side of the boat as it relates to the bow, or front.