Dates & Costs
Courses
Up to 8 Courses
available on this trip
Map
This is the trip for the adventurer who's looking for more - a full semester's worth of credits and 3,000 miles more. Miles you'll navigate through tides and currents with strangers turned friends; passengers turned crew.
Along the way, you'll explore the Lesser Antilles, The ABC Islands, Jamaica, Cayman, Cuba and Bahamas. You'll scuba dive (day and night) among century-old shipwrecks, writhing reefs and glowing bioluminescence. You'll hike one of the world's only two boiling lakes and inside ancient volcanoes--absorbing the history, geography and culture of the islands along the way. Sailing full circle, you'll compete in the world-famous Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta at the adventure's climax.
Life Aboard
collapse-
Voyage Snapshots
550true dots under 412true false 800http://www.seamester.com/wp-content/plugins/thethe-image-slider/style/skins/white-square-1- 5000 slideright true 40 top 80
Enjoying some time to play in GHP, British Virgin Islands - 5000 slideright true 40 bottom 80
Crew of S/Y Argo racing in Antigua Race Week! - 5000 slideright true 40 bottom 80
Hike in Les Saints, Guadeloupe - 5000 slideright true 40 bottom 80
Crew of S/Y Argo anticipating their arrival to Havana, Cuba - 5000 slideright true 40 bottom 80
Exploring Moonhole in Bequia - 5000 slideright true 40 bottom 80
Furling sails preparing for S/Y Argo's arrival in Dominica - 5000 slideright true 40 bottom 80
S/Y Argo under full sail. - 5000 slideright true 40 bottom 80
Shipmates windsurfing in Bonaire - 5000 slideright true 40 top 80
S/Y Argo Divers in Pigeon Island, Guadeloupe - 5000 slideright true 40 top 80
Crew of S/Y Argo plotting course from Jamaica to Cayman Islands
-
-
Blog Entry
One Wheel Down
Author: Jessie
Location: Bequia
Date: 15 FebruaryFinally the job wheel has almost completed one full rotation, placing my name back at the top under skipper. Everyone on board has tried every job and so far we haven't sunk Argo. As a reward, the sea gods decided to smile upon us as we crossed from Jalouise Bay to Bequia. The morning started bright and early at 7 AM with an all hands raising of all the sails. Our first good omen came in the form of dwarf spinner dolphins which decided to grace our bow with their flips, pirouettes and majestic moves. Watch Team 2 took over the deck and had a ripping good sail. They managed to hit 11 knots, which for Argo is flying. Right before lunch, Watch Team 3 took over and continued to benefit from the gusting wind, bright sun and rolling sea. Lunch was chicken salad and before we knew it we could see our anchorage. Captain Steve ranked the sail as top ten in his time, so you know it was one for the record books. Unfortunately, we also had to take our first exam as soon as we anchored. Down came the sails and out came the pens. Our marine biology exam was not a walk in the park, but we all powered through. Sails were flaked and covered, and then swim time began. As the boys continue to try and outdo each other doing back flips off the bow, the girls focus on showering. Dinner was a fantastic mac and cheese. Then once again the sea gods smiled upon us and the staff decided to give us an impromptu night out in Bequia. Most of us loaded into dinghies and rode over to Whale Boner Bar where we socialized and played dominoes. Others of us ventured farther down the shore in search of food, fun places and music. As we waited for the dinghies rides back, the storm which had been hiding all day finally found us and soaked us through. So exhausted, full, happy and wet, we returned to our home to sleep and anticipate the next day.
-
Video Clip
A backflip I did off the ropeswing we fashioned from swinging the boom over the side of the boat and hoisting it up.
Seamester on S/Y Argo
-
Podcast
Listen in to a podcast from the vessel
-
TellTale News Article
The Boiling Lake!
Author: WynnThis was the day we had been preparing for. Weeks of wellness hikes and countless fables of the treachery we would encounter all came down to this moment: the seven mile hike to the boiling lake of Morne Trois Pitons National Park. We set off and instantly after stepping out of the van the rain began to pour. This made the trails muddy, but soon enough, we were in the woods and the rain slacked off. We hiked up an endless amount of steps, at one point Elliot counted 1063 before he dazed off. We climbed up these things and slid down them, then we reached the middle, otherwise known as the Valley of Desolation. Yeah, it was desolate alright. Gurgling hot springs, cold flowing fresh springs, and in the middle these two collided into a fusion of hot and cold known as luke warm water. There was this
silty clay-like mud that does wonders for the skin that we just scooped up and applied directly to our faces and exfoliated. This was the purest of the pure mud and everyone looked as if they had spent a day at the spa. When we finally arrived at the lake, it was beautiful. It is one of only two boiling lakes on Earth, and 80 meters deep. We ate lunch there and then made the trek back, but before we got back in the vans to head home, we jumped in these narrow cliffs, swimming through the most amazing gorges ever. They were actually one of the scene locations filmed for Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and it literally and figuratively seemed like a picture right out of the movie. To sum everything up, it was the best day ever.
-
Blog Entry
First Day of The Classic Regatta
Author: Tom
Location: Falmouth Harbour, Antigua
Date: 15 AprilToday was an incredible day that I think everyone will remember for a long time. We woke up early to get Argo ready for racing, which is something we have been looking forward to for 80 days. It was an amazing feeling to be preparing the sails for racing amidst all of these gorgeous boats with professional crews doing the same jobs as us. As our starting time approached, Captain Steve guided Argo away from the docks along with what must have been 75 other boats forming a parade toward the starting line. There were boats ranging in size from small sailing dinghies all the way up to the largest, majestic J boats. Once we cleared the harbor, we set our sails and began jockeying for position ahead of the starting line. With three minutes before the start for our class, which includes three other boats, we set up our final approach of the line with perfect timing to cross just as the gun went off. After the first leg of the race, we found ourselves in second place. As we made the turn around the first mark for the downwind leg, the wind, which was already light, began to die down even more, and soon we were just barely crawling along. While we were on the downwind leg, the J boats that started behind us caught up to us and passed us just 50 yards away. It was a breathtaking sight to see these works of art underway so close. We held onto second place until the third, upwind leg of the race, where one of the other boats chose a better tack out away from land where there was more wind. We ended up finishing the race in third place. Everyone onboard was very happy with how we raced, and we certainly held our own against some of the best crews in the world. Overall it was a thrilling day, even with the lack of wind. With more wind in the forecast, we are all confident that we can continue to do well and move up in the standings.
-
TellTale News Article
Turning into a Sailor
Author: ShelbyIn the beginning, every day was overwhelmingly new, but we have finally reached the point when life aboard Argo is pleasantly familiar. We have grown accustomed to the ins and outs of our 112-foot floating home. We have acquired the rolling gait of sailors, conquered the setting and sheeting of the sails, and learned to function on 6-hour watch team rotations while underway. We are prepared to wake up at 0700 on Saturdays, or sit through two hours of class while the boat rocks
40 degrees to port and 40 more to starboard. We are willing to spend all day on our feet- soaping the deck, waxing the metal, and scrubbing the hull-with no hope of a nap. We are tanned and salty, and evermore immune to the exhaustive intensity of Caribbean sunshine. With due time, we have hardened into sailors. The most valuable lesson I have learned thus far? What a landlubber defines as hard work is a sailor's definition of FUN!
Voyage Itinerary
collapse| Area | Ports of Call |
| Lesser Antilles | Antigua*, Les Saints, Dominica, Martinique Grenada |
| Netherlands Antilles | Aruba, Bonaire |
| Greater Antilles | Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Cuba |
| USA | Key West |
| Bahamas | New Providence, Eleuthera |
Frequently Asked Questions
expand- Local Phone Cards: Students may purchase local phone cards at each island. While quite expensive, this is our recommended method for ensuring a long distance connection.
- Credit Card Calls: The most universal (yet most expensive) method of paying for a call is to use a valid credit card with operator assistance.
- International Calling Card: We suggest contacting the major phone card providers for their information on the latest rates and access numbers (which are different for each island). In our experience, only international (non-prepaid) calling cards such as AT&T and Sprint, will work and then only with the correct access numbers.
- GSM Cellular Phones: We actively encourage students to bring their GSM (tri-band or quad-band) cellular phones aboard because they may work in many global locations. However, while aboard we do have guidelines as to when students can and cannot use them because the environment we strive to create aboard relies very heavily on each individual remaining focused on the group and our experience. Being tied to the modern world of "instant communications" can, in certain circumstances, be a hindrance to the personal and group processes aboard. We feel that there is ample opportunity to make calls during personal time ashore.
- Tetanus
- Be sure to check that your polio booster is up-to-date.
