Disembark

A tug helps push us to the pier in Everett.

The aircraft elevator comes down from the flight deck to the hangar bay so the gangplank can be put in place.

The sailors are lined up with their sea bags to disembark.  They've been on board for 8 1/2 months so I'm in no hurry.  They deserve to get off first.  Excitement is palpable.

Sailors walking the gangplank hurrying to get to their loved ones.

Today is the day the USS Nimitz comes into port.  We've been making circles in the Pacific so we don't come in too early.  Rumor has it the tugboats charge extra on weekends so that is why we left San Diego on a Friday and arrive in Everett on a Monday.  It's hard to believe the cost of a tugboat could influence the trip of such a large and expensive air craft carrier but that is what people are saying.  As soon as I wake up Monday morning, I can tell we're not in the ocean.  My body isn't rocking back and forth in my bed.  I'm still and the boat is still.  I get up early to have breakfast.  No tours are available today so a large crowd gathers in the open door of the hangar bay to see the Puget Sound.  The pines are large out here in the northeast.  Beyond the bay we can see snow capped mountains.  The view is very beautiful.  Excitement and smiles permeate the ship today.  My bags are packed and waiting in my room.  I'm not carrying them around any more than I have to.  As we watch the landscape go by we see a Coast Guard cutter leading us along.  Our group of officers and parents have an early lunch.  At noon we reach the pier but it takes an hour to tie up the Nimitz.  The sailors who manned the rails on the flight deck come down and they are cold!  Some are shivering and I can see their eyes watering.  They were wearing pea coats but their hands are frozen.  I hear gun shots.  A thin line is shot ashore with a gun.  The heavy ropes are pulled across with the thin line.  At a pier the anchor is not used;  a dozen ropes hold us in place.  The first ones off the boat are the seven new fathers who are about to meet their children for the very first time.  Then the flight deck crew leave followed by officers, sailors ranking from E6 through E8.  And then everyone else.  A big roar goes up with all are given leave.  Roses are sold for $3 each so the sailors can hand out flowers at the reunions.  All sailors are required to dress up in uniform to get off the boat.  When Offspring #1 and I get off we see what a big deal this is.  People are holding up signs greeting their loved ones.  The USO and a local VFW have trailers here with tents, coffee and donuts for the families.  One family has a sign with a huge, larger than life face on it.  Offspring #1 recognizes the face on the sign and laughs.  We could take a bus to the parking lot or the NEX (store on the base) but we decide to walk instead.  We walk about a mile.  There is a gate to get to the pier.  We can leave through the gate only in single file which creates a bottleneck on the sidewalk.  A bus might have been faster.  At the store Offspring #1 buys some civilian clothes.  We walk another mile to the parking lot.  The Navy and the patriot guard are there to help start cars that have not been run for 8.5 months.  Some cars need assistance but not ours.  My cruise is over.  I have learned some things.  Sailors on deployment make a huge sacrifice.  They work 18 hours a day 6.5 days a week.  They put service to our nation above their personal needs and the needs of their friends and family.  I knew it was a sacrifice but now I really understand how difficult it can be.  The sailors work hard and they take pride in doing a good job.  The USS Nimitz was well run and very clean.  Morale seemed high.  I learned that I don't get seasick but I do get sea legs.  I feel the motion of the boat even though I'm on solid ground.  Today is actually Saturday and I've been off the boat since 2 o'clock in the afternoon on Monday and I still have sea legs!  Who would have thought sea legs would last 5 days?  Another thing I've learned is that is must be difficult to be a Navy spouse.  Sometimes it is difficult to be married to someone who is around all the time.  And sometimes it is difficult to be married to someone who is not around for 9 months at a time.  But a Navy spouse has to do both.  I think I could do one or the other but both would be very difficult.  I consider myself very lucky to get to go on this tiger cruise.  It was the trip of a lifetime.  Circumstances and health worked out for me.  A friend at work was all set to go on a tiger cruise when H1n1 flu broke out and her trip was cancelled. I was lucky.  I got to be a tiger on the USS Nimitz!