Sea|mester is excited to announce a new academic partnership with State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF).
Sea|mester’s unique program blends the teaching of practical watermanship skills with academic interests in ocean and earth science while promoting teamwork and leadership. The program attracts students from around the world.
“SCF’s innovative partnership with Sea|mester broadens opportunities for our college and offers greater access than previously available to unique international exploration,” said SCF President Dr. Lars A. Hafner.
Students will engage in experiential learning beyond a traditional classroom as they embark on a journey aboard sailing vessels Argo or Ocean Star to locations including the Caribbean Lesser Antilles, Mediterranean, Australia, Indonesia, Asia, Polynesia and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. College credits will be earned in SCF courses including seamanship, oceanography, marine biology, leadership and speech communications.
The SCF- Sea|mester program will launch this summer and courses will be taught by SCF-approved Sea|mester faculty whose credentials and experience meet standards of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
“We’re excited to partner with SCF and are confident this partnership will enhance students’ academic experiences,” said Mike Meighan, Sea|mester director, who attended the board meeting with Travis Yates, Sea|mester director of operations and marine superintendent.
Yates noted that SCF’s new baccalaureatedegree- granting status and the ease of working with a local college makes SCF an attractive academic partner.
Dr. Hafner echoed the local connection appeal. “It’s great to have the opportunity to partner with a local company that has a respected international presence and vision,” Hafner said.
Note from the editor:
So far our trip has been fantastic. The islands have all been beautiful and the people have been really nice. Life on the boat has been good especially since I’ve gotten over the seasickness of passages. Diving in St. Lucia was breathtaking with the reef checks and the awesome fish and invertebrates we saw. The island tour of Dominica was really interesting, the island was so pretty, all the fruits we ate were amazing. Boat life is great and I could definitely live like this forever, just exploring and sailing -Caitlin Smith
Sea|mester has been Reef Check partners since 2005. This semester the crew of S/Y Argo teamed up with the Blue Ventures Malaysia Expedition team to conduct Reef Check (RC) surveys around Pulau Tioman, Malaysia. The Sea|mester crew had joined S/Y Argo in Jomtien Beach, Thailand about 1 month earlier for a 1,200nm adventure south to Singapore. The Blue Ventures Malaysia volunteers had been working hard to monitor and survey the reefs around Tioman, and contributing to local community and education projects.
At the beginning of the voyage, the Sea|mester students worked on mastering the skills of scuba diving. As we headed south everyone began developing their fish and invertebrate identification skills alongside learning to sail and taking classes in Oceanography. Our diving in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea focused on preparing for RC surveys and the culmination of the Oceanography course was the RC surveys planned for Tioman.
Upon arrival in Tioman, both teams welcomed the new faces and were keen to see “the other side” of two different expeditions. We spent the first day training; above and below the water. Blue Ventures Malaysia volunteers buddied up with the Sea|mester crew to teach them some local knowledge of the marine life. We dove a beautiful site called Renggis, just east of Tekek Village. Here we were greeted with our first sea turtle sighting of the trip - although he was too busy eating to notice us! In the afternoon we dove the house reef, just offshore from the Blue Ventures Base and the Tioman Dive Centre. Here we completed a practice survey to be sure we were all set on procedures for the following day.
The next day all teams assembled at Labas ready to begin their surveys. Our original plan was to dive Sepoi, but this was called off due to a jellyfish invasion! Labas is a great site, with many rocky swim-throughs, caves, and nudibranchs on the rocks. After lunch we headed to Batu Malang to carry out our second survey. Again more beautiful nudibranchs, blue spotted ribbon-tail rays, and clownfish filled our views. The reefs of Tioman are beautiful with so much coral cover that, in some places, I struggled to find a rock to tie the transect line onto.
In the evening back on the beach we entered our data and enjoyed a social evening together; we had done our part to contribute to the Reef Check Surveys. The following day we explored the interior of Tioman; it is a beautiful island. The lush rainforest is home to many animals, but among the highlights seen on our hike to Juara were the Kecka monkeys, snakes and giant squirrels.
The 2010 Spring Caribbean and Global voyages are now underway. The crew of S/Y Ocean Star arrived in West End, Tortola and has started their 80-day voyage which will take them as far south as Grenada while making stops at nearly every island in the Eastern Caribbean. The crew of S/Y Argo arrives in Cape Town, South Africa today and will begin their 90-day voyage across the Southern Atlantic Ocean making stops in Brazil, French Guyana, Barbados and Dominica en route to Antigua where they will finish up.
To follow along with these voyages please check the blogs page of our website for the most current log entries and podcasts.
Sea|mester has been nominated for the American Sail Training Association Sea Education Program of the year award. This is annually awarded to a program offered by a current ASTA member which significantly contributes to the educational credibility of program under sail.
Qualified programs...
Must be offered in conjunction with a school, school system, school group or other recognized educational institution.
Must have a clear curriculum of educational goals which are compatible with curriculum goals of traditional schools.
Must have qualified instructors on a certified vessel.
Awards will be presented at the Sail Training Awards Banquet during the Annual Conference on Sail Training and Tall Ships in November.
If you are an alumni and would like to vote for Sea|mester to be awarded with this nomination, please send an email to Lori Aguiar, Director of Operations at ASTA at asta@sailtraining.org explaining that you are an alumni of the program and tell her a little about your experience and why you feel that Sea|mester should win this award!
The Fall Global Sea|mester is underway and the crew has set sail from Singapore bound for Borneo, Bali and ultimately Cape Town South Africa for Christmas.
Follow their blog at http://extras.seamester.com/updates/updates.php?id=344
If you are interested in joining a Sea|mester voyage at some point in the future and want to get a sense of what life on program is really like, visit the blog and newsletter pages of the website and read about the programs at they happen in the words of our students...
S/Y Argo and S/Y Ocean Star have both set sail on their Summer voyages. Argo is currently in Malaysia en route to Singapore. Ocean Star is currently in St. Barts and will be stopping in Saba and Statia before finishing up her voyage in the British Virgin Islands. Visit the blogs section of the website to follow all the news...
Back in December, 14 students from the Schooner Ocean Star proudly conducted three Reef Check surveys in Soufriere, St Lucia. The fall semester began in the British Virgin Islands on 20th September, where most of the students took their first breaths underwater. After a month of Marine Biology and Oceanography classes, accompanied by many underwater adventures, they were all ready and excited to begin surveying. Read more on the Reef Check website here...
The Phuket King's Cup Regatta is Asia's biggest and most popular regatta. Inaugurated in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand, the event has been held every year since during the first week of December.
With the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King, the Regatta is organised by the Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organising Committee under the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy and the Province of Phuket.
The Phuket King’s Cup is the jewel in the crown of the Asian Yachting Circuit, a circuit of the leading regattas in Asia including the Raja Muda International Regatta, the Singapore Straits Regatta and the China Sea Race.
Argo last competed in 2006, taking second place in her class, the classic devision, and winning the special trophy for "Most Classic Yacht".
Link to the Kings Cup website for more information and photos from this year's races. www.kingscup.com
This time of year a lot of students start to have a rethink about their second semester. Perhaps their school was not all that it was cracked up to be or maybe it’s just time to take a break. If this sounds like you, and you are looking for a change of place and a different pace, we only have a few berths remaining for this spring starting in January. Ocean Star will continue to ply the Caribbean waters while Argo will cross the Indian Ocean, ending in Greece!
If sailing aboard with us this spring is something that you are considering, do not wait too long. Application procedure usually take about two weeks to complete and we wouldn't want to leave you standing on the dock!
After almost two years to the day - and well over 25,000 sea miles - S/Y Argo crossed her own wake off the coast of Singapore to complete her first circumnavigation of the globe. Since her launch in Thailand in 2006 S/Y Argo has seen nearly 200 students come aboard and have the opportunity to take her helm.
The current crew will enjoy a short stay in Singapore before continuing northwest via Malaysia en route to Phuket where they will have the privilege to once again take part in the Kings Cup, a yearly regatta held in celebration of the King of Thailand.
Visit our Logs and Blogs pages for up to the minute news...
The crew of the Fall Global Sea|mester has arrived in the port of Darwin in Northern Australia after visiting the Aboriginal communities of the Tiwi Islands. Visit their BLOG to read more on the adventures of Argo and her crew... GO
S/Y Argo and her student crew had a very quick transit of the Panama Canal and will now continue west to the Galapagos Islands where they will visit the famous Charles Darwin Reasearch Center. The crew will spend a week or so in the islands and should get a chance to tour, SCUBA dive and do some community service before continuing west to the Marquesas Islands and eventually finsihing up in Tahiti.
Living in a community that started out as strangers, became friends and left as a dedicated family and devoted members of an awesome team. This was the most valuable treasure that I gained from the voyage.
Sea|mester is excited to announce a new academic partnership with State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF).
At the beginning of the voyage, the Sea|mester students worked on mastering the skills of scuba diving. As we headed south everyone began developing their fish and invertebrate identification skills alongside learning to sail and taking classes in Oceanography. Our diving in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea focused on preparing for RC surveys and the culmination of the Oceanography course was the RC surveys planned for Tioman.
