The winter season hits Castine with typical Maine ferocity: sleeting rain, blowing snow and everything in between. It leaves Old Man Winter asking, “What?” At Maine Maritime Academy, academics remain our focus, as usual, but several things come up that bring the holiday spirit into everyone’s door.

With the first snow falling today, Monday, Dec. 9, we can expect to see all of the uniformed midshipmen in the regiment attempting the ever-joyous sport of “Bates Skating,” a moderately risky but immensely fun whimsy to engage in on the way to class. Our dress shoes, called “Bates,” are so worn out from constant daily use, they make perfect sliding shoes for light snow. With just an inch or two on the ground, you can look outside and see those khakis zip along the street and the sidewalk—and we just hope nobody goes over backwards!

Castine’s town band puts on a yearly Christmas concert and our regimental band is always asked to participate. Band Master William Silver attended with his baritone sax, and Allyson Sawyer, Ryan Armstrong, Adam Kravetz and Charles Spear represented the upperclass, while first-year midshipmen Simon Burditt, Elisha Reed and Corey Eastup perform on, respectively, the tuba, percussion and baritone horn.

This is one of the events that helps bond Castine to the academy in community spirit, which in such a small town is an immensely important factor of life.

One of the grandest things to behold during the Christmas season is Midshipman Kurt Borkman and his fantastic holiday schemes. Every year since his arrival, Borkman has wowed  the regiment and the rest of campus (and caused much amused head shaking) with his enthusiastic embrace of the season. A sea story told around campus relates how he, in his first year, attended quarters (morning formations) one morning in uniform but wrapped in Christmas lights. After quarters were complete, the story goes, he stood outside and plugged himself into the wall and stood at attention singing carols to the midshipman and commandant’s staff as they departed.

This year, Borkman has topped his own act with the first annual tree lighting ceremony. A great many people turned out, including the entire regimental freshman class, to compete in and see a caroling competition and then the lighting of the tree outside the student center. It would be a lie to say the ceremony went without a hitch, for several things went wrong, but the ceremony was certainly a total success.

Dennis LaKomski and myself played Hanukkah and Christmas songs, and each company in the regiment competed in the singing competition as well. Borkman topped the show with his a cappella operatic rendition of “Let it Snow,” and then called for a countdown to light the tree. The hilarity ensued when the whole crowd called “Zero!” and the tree failed to light, but a dog in the audience let out a huge bark at that moment, causing plenty of laughter. The lights were fixed and lit to the sound of Borkman’s football cannon, and everyone broke for hot eggnog and sweets.

Capt. Loustaunau, the academy’s vice-president, gave some words of encouragement and thanked us for demonstrating for the thousandth time the community spirit that is so important to the academy and to the town. He wished all a merry whichever holiday it is, and reminded us that we have a week of classes and a week of exams left to go!

Benjamin Stevens of Islesford is a sophomore at Maine Maritime Academy and writes about his experiences for The Working Waterfront.