"WHERE ARE THEY NOW?" Current Cadets in School

Presently there are three cadets from Hawaii that have received the Lyman scholarship. Ordinarily there are four each year. But Tressie Ostermiller graduated a year early in the spring of 2021 and that created a ‘gap’ in our current list of recipients.

Dakota Kelly will graduate in 2022. He is presently on a commercial cruise this summer working with HORNBECK OFFSHORE in the Gulf of Mexico aboard (so far) two different vessels. He started on a PSV (a Platform Supply Vessel) and is currently aboard a Floatel. A ‘Floatel’ is a large special purpose ship that is actually a floating hotel for offshore platform workers working aboard an oil rig that the Floatel Vessel is standing by with.

Gabby Harrington will graduate in 2023. We were able to get her aboard a vessel owned and operated by PASHA Hawaii, the MARJORIE C, which is a RoCon vessel operating between the west coast and Hawaii. Gabby has been through Honolulu twice since joining the MARJORIE C immediately after completing her Training Cruise aboard the GOLDEN BEAR in mid-July. She has reported … “I’m loving this!”

Max Roth will be our 2024 graduate. He was just here in Honolulu. You may have seen him as he was one of the five cadets, all from Hawaii, that was greeting our guests as they walked aboard the GOLDEN BEAR for our Lyman Scholarship Fundraising event on August 6th. He says he is enjoying the training cruise and his experience at CMA.

Gabby Harrington (far left) on the GOLDEN BEAR during cruise #1 2021

Max Roth sailing down the North shore of Molokai Island this past summer before leaving for CMA

"WHERE ARE THEY NOW?" DUKE QUITEVAS (Class of 2020)

I first met Duke Quitevas while he was part of a cohort with KANEHUNAMOKU VOYAGING ACADEMY for high school students. He impressed me back then as a young man with drive behind what appeared to be a low profile & “under the radar” kind of personality. I was to later learn he is a very sharp young man.

Duke came home from CMA and blended back into to his Hawaii lifestyle. He soon joined the numerous other CMA graduates at YOUNG BROTHERS towing cargo barges between all the islands here in our island state. Duke loves his job working at “YB” and immediately fit right in.

Here are a few pics of Duke onboard the tug KAPENA GEORGE PANUI where he is sailing as a permanent Mate. He could not be happier.

DUKE QUITEVAS STANDING WATCH ABOARD TUG THE KAPENA GEORGE PANUI

DUKE LOOKING AFT INSPECTING THE BARGE WHILE UNDERWAY IN THE CHANNEL.

"WHERE ARE THEY NOW?" TRESSIE OSTERMILLER (Class of 2020)

Tressie Ostermiller is a very special individual. Our first female scholarship recipient. She came to Cal Maritime after some community college time and exploring other career paths. As a “waterperson” she felt the need to be connected to the ocean in her future. After discovering Cal Maritime, she went all out. Tressie graduated from CMA a year early and immediately came home to Hawaii and looked for work. Landing at the MM&P hall, she patiently waited her time for a job to come up. Here she is today:

“Aloha Captain Ed, 

I am currently on the Cape Orlando with Patriot Contract Services through IOMMP as 3rd Mate. I am on a 120+ day contract w/gangway up orders for the duration of the hitch. It’s day 70 and we haven’t been ashore since being in Alameda back in May. We are sailing foreign right now and we don’t know what our next ports will be. It’s been an exciting first ship since graduating last October. I’ve learned so much while underway and realized how much I gained from CMA. 

Here are a few photos: on the bridge wing outside West Oahu after leaving Pearl Harbor (where the repeater is much larger than me)

I should be back home in October! I hope you have a great event this year! Please tell all the donors how thankful I am for the contributions they made! 

Cheers!!

Tressie Ostermiller “

Tressie has been an exemplary individual that we truly hope can be a model for more young women in the future, from Hawai that will follow her path into the local maritime industry.

In fact, this year during our interviews of applicants for the scholarship for students starting in the fall of 2021 at CMA, half of the applicants were women. More than ever before in a single year.

Third Mate Tressie Ostermiller on her ship after departing Pearl Harbor, with Oahu in the background.

"WHERE ARE THEY NOW?" RYNE ROBELLO (Class of 2019)

Ryne Robello left CMA after graduation and headed south briefly to enjoy a break with friends in Australia. Upon his return he found work right here in Honolulu working aboard the University of Hawaii’s research ship. He eventually moved on and is very happy working for Young Brothers today:

“Aloha Captain Ed!   

I bounced around working the UH research vessel Kilo Moana for a few months and taking night mate jobs at MMP but have since landed at Young Brothers. I got a spot as a second mate on the Hoku Loa doing the Molokai/Lanai run weekly and have been loving it. Best job I could think of! 

Me and Duke (Quitevas) actually got hired on the same day. Capt. Jeb Baker and Capt. Chris Kojima are two good captains over here plus a bunch of mates who are CMA graduates. 

Mahalo for everything, 

Ryne”

Here’s a picture Ryne that he sent to us taken just the other day on the back deck of the tug KAPENA GEORGE PANUI, while outbound from Honolulu Harbor towing a barge behind.

Is this awesome … or what?

"WHERE ARE THEY NOW?" GYLE McGURN (Class of 2018)

Gyle McGurn is our man representing Maui and we are very proud of him. After graduating, Gyle has been diligently making the effort to sail offshore on his license. He has spent time working on the vessels operated by P & M Services ( affiliate of Mana’o Nui ) running out to the Leeward Islands and other voyages on contract to the Federal Gov’t. Recently after patiently waiting his time, Gyle was able to land a job with Matson, through the MM&P hall, just this week:

“Aloha Capt Ed! I scored big time last week and got a rotary third mate job on the Lurline. Iʻm flying to Oakland on Tuesday to meet the ship. Iʻll be sure to send you a pic of myself at work before your fundraiser event. Hope youʻre doing well as always, and I guess Iʻll be seeing you on that pilot ladder pretty soon! 

Mahalo, Gyle “

Capt. Ed (L) and Third Mate Gyle McGurn onboard the M/V LURLINE on August 13th 2021. Capt. Ed was about to disembark as the ship was departing Honolulu Harbor.

"WHERE ARE THEY NOW?" SHANE HAGGERTY (Class of 2017)

Shane Haggerty has been motivated to sail on his license since graduating from CMA in 2017. I remember seeing him a few times on the docks walking aboard an arriving ship to work as a Night Mate on Matson and Horizon ships. Still living in Hawaii full time, he travels all over the Pacific Ocean going wherever he is dispatched to sail on his license.

“I am currently sailing in the Indian Ocean with Patriot Contract Services through the International Organization of the Masters, Mates, & Pilots. I am on a four month hitch as 3rd Mate, however I also sail as 2nd Mate. I am in the process of acquiring my C book with MM&P and am diligently working to acquire my Chief Mates license. Since graduating from California Maritime Academy I have sailed with Matson, Horizon Lines, APL and Patriot. I am blessed to be working as often as I do out at sea for months at a time. Sadly I will not be able to attend your fundraiser on August 6th because I will be at sea for 3 more months. I always look forward to these events and meeting the new young officers coming out of CMA from Hawaii. Kind regards to everyone attending the fundraiser, the scholarship really helped motivate me to become something greater than myself.”

We’re very proud of Shane’s hard work and determination. We assume someday we will be seeing him on a regular basis here on our own Honolulu waterfront.

"WHERE ARE THEY NOW?" BRANDON PALOMPO (Class of 2016)

Brandon Palompo was our scholarship recipient in 2016. Though he is from Hawaii originally and was living here in Honolulu, he had many family ties to the Bay area of California, which influenced his decision to attend Cal Maritime. When poised to graduate from CMA, he opted to seek employment there in the Bay area, where he has since remained with his family:

“ Within a month of graduating I started at a company called Interface Engineering based in San Francisco, CA. It is an MEP (Mechanical / Electrical / Plumbing) engineering consulting firm. At this company I worked as a mechanical designer and gradually worked my way up to a mechanical engineer position. The work I did at this company was both challenging and rewarding. I remained at this company for 4-1/2 years until last October when I made the move to a new company called Blokable based in Sacramento, CA. 

This company's focus is in modular housing construction for both affordable and market rate multi-family homes. The company aims to optimize efficiencies in a relatively inefficient construction industry by developing a product that is repeatable and manufacturable at scale. In this way we strive to reduce the cost of housing, reduce the construction time on projects by maximizing work done in a controlled factory environment, and provide a high quality product at an affordable price. This company is still relatively new, but the work is rewarding and the vision is something I am very excited to be a part of. 

I want to express my thanks to the Lyman Foundation and to you Captain Ed for providing the help needed to attend such an exceptional school. The skills and lessons learned, friendships made, and real world experience gained, all set me on the professional path I find myself on today.”

"WHERE ARE THEY NOW?" RYAN DUGAY (class of 2015)

Another update from the past. Here’s more info on what our scholarship recipients have been doing since they graduated from the California Maritime Academy. Here is Ryan Dugay, class of 2015. Ryan is from the Island of Lana’i and amazingly, has returned to stay there with his wife and kids and remains on Lana’i today working full time serving his community and neighbors:

“ All is well here on Lanai. Since graduating CMA in 2015 I have had some great life experiences. My family and I are truly grateful for the opportunities that have become available after completing the MET (Licensed Engineer) program. After graduation in 2015 my professional timeline has been as follows:
1) Seattle, Washington: Assistant Engineer on Kirby Offshore ATB fleet for 2 years (2015-2017). 

2) Big Island, Kona: Worked as a power plant operator for Hawaiian Electric Light Company at Keahole Power Plant (2017-2018). 

3) Lanai, Hawaii: Lineman apprentice for Maui Electric. Journey out next year (2018-current). 

4) To keep my maritime skills going I have been able to do some moonlighting at Manele harbor conducting boat maintenance on several small recreational fishing boats. 

My journey so far has been exciting to say the least. I have had the privilege to transport the fuel necessary for power plant electrical generation, burn that fuel at the power plant to provide power to the electrical grid, and currently work on our local electrical grid of Lanai to provide safe and reliable power to its residents and guests. I hope we may be able to keep the opportunity going with more Hawaii residents enrolling at CMA.”

What an admirable path he has taken since graduating. Furthering his career, as an engineer, he has been able to move ashore with his technical skills and work experience. On a daily basis his job plays a vital role in Lana’i island’s power infrastructure.

A LONG OVERDUE POST oR "CATCHING UP"

Almost a year since the last blog post, with the world gripped by COVID pandemic issues, there have been many distractions. But suffice to say, much has happened since last summer. And just as important, much did NOT happen and this has caused some issues for cadets at EVERY state maritime Academy. Not just at Cal Maritime.

In the summer of 2020, the owner of all Maritime Academy Training Ships ( MARAD ) instructed all Academies to NOT take the Training Ships out on a summer training cruise, due to concerns of the COVID spread. This created an issue for all cadets not being able to obtain enough ‘sea-time’ for the original license. There were some creative efforts to make up this lost time and even a modification of the rules. In the end, some cadets still needed to get more time training at sea before graduation.

Fast forward to this summer, 2021. The Cal Maritime Administration planned two cruises for the summer. Training Ship GOLDEN BEAR would conduct a routine cruise in June & July. Upon return to Vallejo, the first cohort disembarked and shortly after, cadets on the next training cruise from July thru August got ready to depart for Cruise #2.

The GOLDEN BEAR will arrive into Honolulu Harbor on Friday, August 6th at 0800. She will berth at Pier 10/11 at Aloha Tower. A Private function, the DAVE LYMAN MEMORIAL FUNDRAISING EVENT will be held onboard from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. This is a “by invitation only” affair, as the State of Hawaii COVID Protocols for social gatherings remain in effect. Therefore, only 75 guests have been invited to a reception onboard.

We will post more information and updates tomorrow.

Captain Sam Pecota (left) with Pilot Ed Enos on departure from Honolulu, June 28, 2021

EULOGY FOR CAPT. DAVE "KAWIKA" LYMAN

As promised, here is the link to the Soundcloud site where the audio file is open for the public free of charge.

https://soundcloud.com/captedenos/david-lyman-eulogy-by-norman-piianaia

This is Capt. Norman Piianaia speaking, a long time friend of Kawika’s. This took place at the Central Union Church in Honolulu, Hawaii on Feb. 6th, 2006. During the Service, there were actually three eulogies given. The first person to speak representing the Lyman Family, was Dave’s daughter Danielle. She shared words with everyone that were heartfelt and warm, as I’m certain the entire Lyman family would have done had they had the emotional strength to do so in the wake of Kawika’s accident.

The next person to address the overflowing crowd that filled the church and spilled out onto the lawn outside, (an estimated 1,200+ people) was Capt. Ed Enos. Capt. Ed represented the Hawaii Pilots Association and was mentored by Capt. Dave who spent years grooming Enos to pursue a Pilot’s job in Hawaii. The eulogy provided by Capt. Enos can best be described as a “warm up act” to what would follow.

Capt. Norman Piianaia’s eulogy was truly an effort that everyone in attendance would cherish the rest of their lives. Given in the tradition of the “Eight Bells ceremony” where a mariner is relieved of his watch to the sounds of the bridge clock, the eight bells signifying he is finished, he can now lay below for a rest. In this case, it’s the last time.

Piianaia’s recollection of Kawika’s life was a wandering voyage that took everyone through some unique Hawaiian maritime history, shared hilarious sea-stories involving Kawika and his many waterfront friends, his life at California Maritime Academy, Kawika’s adventures while he “shipped out” on deep sea vessels, and of course his time working as a Harbor Pilot.

The 35 minute long MP3 file is tough to hear at times, with the audio dropping out once in awhile. It doesn’t even start until Piianaia had already been addressing the crowd for a few minutes. Its is grainy and requires focused listening to hear. But it is all worth it. This file was only recently discovered by Gordon Piianaia, Norman’s brother. With his permission we are sharing this so everyone can enjoy this event for what it truly was. An incredible celebration of Kawika’s life.

“ … and that was the last time I saw my friend …”

Orson Wells, as Father Mapple, addressing the Whalers from his pulpit, before they set out to sea.

From the movie MOBY DICK, 1956