SEA Semester

At 0240 I was up for anchor watch. I was really tired but I like anchor watch. We check the wind direction, wind speed and we also check our bearings on the compass. At 0430 I was back in my bunk getting more sleep. Breakfast was at 0620 because B watch (my watch) was on deck for 6 hours first this morning. The coolest thing happened today! I was steering at the helm, and we ...

I woke up at 0600 because I heard the big loud engine. I made a cup of coffee and enjoyed the view of Buzzards Bay from deck. This morning my watched learned to climb aloft! Then it was lunchtime and we ate at gimbled tables. At 1300 my watch started for my group. We did boat checks, look out, navigation, and science. A cool thing that happened while on watch was seeing dolphins! I was ...

Today was the first full day on the boat. We learned how to steer, deploy science material, and furl the Jib Topsail, or JT sail. The JT sail was my favorite station because I got to walk in the net off the bowsprit. This is where we also got our harnesses! There are 2 types of harnesses on the boat. The one we got today is one that goes over our shoulders. We would where ...

Today we boarded the SSV Corwith Cramer at 13:20. We settled in and departed the dock at 14:45. This was exciting because I knew my next adventure was going to begin. We cycled through 3 stations to get to know the boat better and understand how things work. My first station we went over how to ease, trim, and cast the sail. The second station was learning about the science lab and the science deck. ...

Today was field day! (Which means a lot of cleaning) We took everything out from all the houses and started cleaning all the prep dishes and dishes for serving. Other groups where on different chores but I was on dishes!! We had big buckets outside and it was under a tree. After about 4 hours of cleaning we went to the beach!!! The beach was so nice and it made me feel happy. There was ...

This morning I made pancakes!! I love making breakfast for everyone it’s so much fun. During class today we did a show and tell about how we are connected to the ocean. I talked about grandpa and how he was in the navy. Then I talked about my sailing from a young age and showed some fun pictures! Today in oceanography we had a guest speaker talk about shark conversation. Sharks are my favorite animal ...

As we begin to prep for the ship everyone is getting excited! Today we took our covid tests. I had to spit into a tube and it was the most disgusting thing ever. I was talking to Captain Sean after class and he told me he would write me a letter of recommendation!! I never even asked him for one so the fact he approached me was pretty cool! Today we also did journal reviews ...

TODAY WAS A FREE DAY!! Today I woke up at 06:30 for a workout. After my workout I was heating my own breakfast because I was hungry. The RAs had left bacon in the oven. The whole oven started to smoke and then I smelled like sweat AND burnt bacon. Then after we ate French toast for breakfast we went on a hike to a garden and the beach. After the hike we came home ...

This morning we had a late wake up! Everyone has been so tired the RAs let us sleep in. For breakfast we had egg sandwiches with ham and I had 2! During class today we discussed the science behind sailing. I found it very interesting because usually I just hop on a boat and do my thing, but learning how it works is fascinating. In oceanography we talked about zooplankton and phytoplankton again. Then in ...

Today I got up at 06:30 to go help make breakfast! My friend Aidan helped too. We made pancakes!! After morning chores we were off to class. In nautical science we talked about the science behind sailing. In history we talked about pirates. In oceanography we did a lab regarding population count. We also had a guest speaker and we got to ask questions about the deep sea. During free time I went to the ...

Today at SEA Semester we had banana bread and sausage for breakfast. This was soooo good!! For classes today I learned new things as usual. My favorite class today was Nautical science because we learned how to find points on a paper chart. We were given latitude and longitude points and the tools to plot the point. During free time I worked on my applications for the Coast Guard and USNA. For dinner we had ...

This morning we had a delicious smoothie bowl for breakfast. After daily chores we went to our first class which was oceanography. We did a lab today! We looked at the importance of O2 and CO2 in the water for marine life. Today in Nautical science we began the basics of paper charting! This was my favorite thing to learn because I have been interested in navigating for years. I kinda understand it, but I ...

At Woods Hole this morning, we had oatmeal for breakfast! I put fresh fruit and peanut butter on the oatmeal and it was really good. During history we continued the importance of whaling to people in the 1800s. In nautical science we learned about weather patterns and how to read black and white weather maps! We started talking about navigation but we will go into further detail tomorrow. In oceanography we did an experiment! We ...

Today was a fun day. During classes we had lots of hands on activities. In oceans and Society we went to The Knob and talked about whaling history and how New Bedford was the “city that lit up the world.” In oceanography we learned how currents form and work. I found this interesting because I have always wondered how currents work while I am out sailing in the Long Island Sound. Today in Nautical Science ...

Today was a free day. We woke up at 10:00 and had brunch at 11! We had cinnamon rolls, home fries and strawberries at brunch… it’s was sooo good! After that we played a scavenger hunt game that lasted about an hour and a half. After that was over, we went to the beach. Most of use swam out really far; it was probably about 12 feet deep. For dinner we had tacos! SOO GOOD!! ...

Today was such a fun day! We had bagels for breakfast then we went to class. We had oceanography today first and we went to the beach to collect samples of sediments. We then went back to Madden (the lecture hall) and did some stations with Captain Sean about sailing. We got to put on a goofy suit called a Gumby suit! We also learned all the names of the sails on the Cramer. We ...

Today was a good first full day. We had overnight oats for breakfast and they were really good. Then we had chores to do; I cleaned the common area and had to take out the recycling in the rain.  My first class was nautical science. I really like the professor (Sean) and he is also the captain! He served in the Navy and Coast Guard.  Second class was Ocean and Society. It’s like history (so not my ...

Today was a fun day. I met a lot of people from all over the country. We talked about class schedules and did some break out activities. Then we made s’mores and a guy named Curtis played the guitar and we were all singing. Now I am in bed after my shower just chillin. What a fun day, and I can’t wait for a full day tomorrow!