New London — After spending six months dry-docked in Baltimore for significant overhaul, she's returned to the fresh, salty air to sail the seas with 250 people onboard making stops in Key West, Fla., the Bahamas, Bermuda and Boston, among others. But this weekend marked her return to her former longtime home: New London.

The Coast Guard barque Eagle arrived in the city Friday as part of the 2015 cadet summer training program. Eagle and her crew have been at the Coast Guard yard facility in Baltimore as part of a service life extension project. Her homeport has temporarily shifted from New London to Baltimore for the lifespan of the project.

On Saturday, cadets participated in what is called school of the ship training, during which they rotated between about a half dozen different exercises. They underwent safety and health briefings about how to prevent sea sickness and stay healthy aboard the ship.

They stepped into their harnesses and climbed into the rigging up and over the ship. They learned line handling and sail handling techniques. The training provides leadership and professional development experience for the cadets.

Coast Guard Academy cadet Nathan Belanger, a member of the class of 2016, explained that he and other members of his class were bringing cadets from the class of 2018 on board and "getting them situated."

"We're doing all of the necessary training for them to get underway so that they'll be safe," Belanger said while standing on the Eagle's main deck. Next to him a line of cadets was loading food rations onto the ship.

Food Service specialist Justin Pearl, the Eagle's lead cook, said every port call the crew tries to stock up on its food supply. On Saturday, Pearl estimated about $35,000 worth of food was being brought onboard. Before the Eagle left Baltimore, the port call prior to New London, about $25,000 worth of food was brought on board.

"We usually carry around $80,000 to $100,000 worth of food," Pearl said. "We feed 250 people four meals a day. Each meal requires about 130 to 140 pounds of meat to feed the rations for all those people plus all the sides."

When asked what it's like to cook for 250 people, Pearl said, "busy." He gets up at 4 a.m. each morning and is at work between 4:30 a.m. and 4:45 a.m., and doesn't go to bed until 11 p.m. or 11:30 p.m. each night.

Several cadets mentioned that they were eagerly anticipating the Key West port call. Swab Meghan Van Hise, of Temecula, Calif., said she'd never been out of the country so she was looking forward to the port calls in the Bahamas and Bermuda.

Cadet Micaela Crabtree, of the class of 2016, was eager to get to the port call in Norfolk, Va., where she's from and where her family still lives. Crabtree was also excited to get underway.

"I just love feeling the waves, the wind, watching the sails go out," she said after completing climbing safety training, during which she learned what to do and what not to do "when you're up there."

Many cadets said their favorite part of the day was the climbing training.

"So they go up and over; that gets them used to the rig, gives them a better understanding of how to work the rig," explained Petty Officer First Class Melissa Polson, a member of Eagle's crew. "It prepares them for the sail stations twice a day during their training, where it's all hands on deck and the sail is either being set or taken in or shifted in some way based on our transit and the weather that we have."

Once they're done with that training, the cadets will then break off into smaller sections called watch on deck led by qualified boatswain's mates of the watch, Polson said. The boatswain's mates will lead anywhere from six to eight cadets in handling the sails.

"This is a very dynamic unit in that it provides us the element of teamwork, leadership development, so they have to work in small groups," Polson said.

Townshend Hirst, who is the cadet public affairs officer on the Eagle and a member of the class of 2016, said, "It's going to be a great opportunity to learn a lot about myself."

Several cadets, including Adam Kline, class of 2016, mentioned the good view from the top, though Kline said it's "a lot cooler" to climb when the boat's moving "because you sway back and forth." If it's rough out, it can get scary, but when it's calm, he said, "it's like a tranquil rock."

Built in 1936, the Eagle last underwent an overhaul from 1978 to 1982. Polson said she went through a significant overhaul having to do with hull work. All of the lead ballasts were removed and treated to reduce the crew's exposure to lead, and then reloaded onto the ship, according to Polson. The lower officers' area and the upper officers' area were completely redone, and rig work was also performed.

"The biggest thing is ensuring that our metal is still what it needs to be to keep us a solid ship," Polson said. "Overall, she's in great shape to begin with, and it's a lot of fun, and as much as we put in to taking care of the ship, she definitely takes care of us."

j.bergman@theday.com

Twitter: @JuliaSBergman