STATE OF MAINE

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MMA training ship starts winter cruise to St. Croix

The Maine Maritime Academy training ship State of Maine sailed from Castine Saturday morning carrying some 210 students and crew on a two-week training cruise to the U.S. Virgin Islands. With Captain Leslie B. Eadie III in command, the ship is scheduled to arrive in St. Croix on Jan. 8 and return to Castine on Jan. 16 after a three-day port stay. http://www.ellsworthamerican.com/waterfront/mma-training-ship-starts-winter-cruise-to-st-croix

Training ship in real rescue

The "State of Maine" got a call from the U.S. Coast Guard in the morning of June 9, 2015. The training ship was headed toward Portland when the call came from the Coast Guard’s Regional Coordination Center in Boston. The Maine Maritime Academy training ship sailed on the first of four trans-Atlantic legs of the summer training cruise for freshmen and juniors who are studying to become Coast Guard-licensed Merchant Marine officers. The sailboat "Prodigal" was battered by storms, the Coast Guard informed Captain Leslie Eadie. Its skipper, Michael Hurley, had radioed for help. The "State of Maine" was 520 nautical miles south-southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and roughly 29 nautical miles from the "Prodigal". The MMA crew established communication with Hurley within the next two hours. He informed them that the "Prodigal", which was registered in Norfolk, Va., was afloat but taking on water. The training ship made its way to the rescue site, and students prepared to help. When they arrived, the Prodigal came alongside the "State of Maine", Crew transferred Hurley’s personal gear to the training ship. The skuipper stepped across to a cargo net and began his climb up the side of the training ship. The "State of Maine" was due to arrive in Portland on June 13. The educational cruise will continue on to Cobh, Ireland, Norfolk and Searsport, ending in Castine on July 27. Report with photos: http://www.ellsworthamerican.com/featured/mma-training-ship-crew-aids-in-rescue

MMA vessel to depart Tuesday on longer training cruise

The Maine Maritime Academy training vessel State of Maine is scheduled to depart the local waterfront at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, on a three-month voyage that will take students and staff to Europe. This year the cruise will last 90 days because of lengthened requirements in sea time and instruction to receive Coast Guard certifications, according to MMA officials. In prior years, the length of the cruise was 60 days. Cobh, Ireland, which was a port of call for the ship during the 2011 training cruise, and Cadiz, Spain, are among the scheduled stops on this year’s trip. The 500-foot vessel also is expected to make stops in Charleston, S.C., and Norfolk, Va., prior to returning to Castine in late July. In Maine, the MMA ship also will stop in Portland and in Searsport.