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SCHOOL YEAR AT SEA
Expected to Launch September 2025

Following the summer Wilderness Survival Training and Sailing Courses, we introduce the opportunity for 11th graders to travel an entire school year at sea.

 

 Traveling aboard a sailing vessel offers an environment that positively challenges students with situations and routines that only can be mastered through cooperation, teamwork, trust, personal responsibility, confined personal space, and continual physical and mental demands.  Success depends on everyone's contribution; everyone aboard a vessel has responsibilities that impact the wellbeing and productivity of the entire crew and voyage. 

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The depth of maritime knowledge and skills is voluminous. An advantage for students is the diversity of knowledge and skills for which they can gain greater competency if they demonstrate an interest and proficiency in any particular subject. Below is a summarized list of the topics and skills to which students will be exposed.

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Out of the one hundred 10th grade students, twenty of them that meet the criteria will be chosen as candidates for the Year at Sea program. 

BOAT HANDLING

  • Maneuvering under power and sail

  • Helm & maintaining a course

  • Docking & anchoring

SAFETY

  • Safety equipment (flotation devices, visual distress signals, fire-extinguishers)

  • First aid

  • Boat safety

  • Communications (amongst crew, VHF, DSC)

  • Emergency procedures

  • COB (crew overboard) procedures

  • Storm procedures and handling

BOAT SYSTEMS

  • Engine & mechanical

  • Navigational lights

  • Electronics & Navigation (radar, GPS)

  • Communications (VHF, AIS, DSC)

  • Plumbing, Water & Sanitation

  • Docking & anchoring

WEATHER

  • Global & local weather concepts (incl. land/water effects)

  • Weather tools (barometer, etc…)

  • Forecasting techniques

  • Observational (clouds, wind, temp, water conditions)

SAILING

  • Sailboat dynamics and psychics (buoyancy, balance, principles of sail lift and drag)

  • Equipment (spars, rigging, sail controls)

  • Practical (points of sail, line handling, sail shape, reefing)

PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

  • Float plans

  • Provisioning & stowage

  • Inventory management (& replenishment)

  • Crew assignments and rotations

  • Logbook & record keeping (navigation, weather)

NAVIGATION

  • Rules of the Road and boating regulations

  • Aids to Navigation (IALA Systems A & B)

  • Navigation tools and Mercator charts

  • Charting, plotting and taking bearings

  • Tides & currents

  • Watch keeping

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Knots, knots and more knots

  • Splicing and whipping lines

  • Sail and canvas repair (sewing)

  • Basic Celestial (taking Noon Sights)

  • Nature (whales, dolphins, sealife, etc…)

  • Video blogs of the students’ journey

  • Storytelling and jokes – part of maritime life….

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