News

For Immediate Release – Woods Hole, MA

Students Set Sail from Woods Hole to St. Croix aboard Tall Ship Ocean Research Vessel

This fall, college undergraduate and gap year are sailing south from Woods Hole, Massachusetts on a blue-water ocean passage to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The purpose of their adventure is to gain a deeper understanding of the complex marine environment through field research conducted from the deck of a tall ship ocean research vessel.

The students are enrolled in Ocean Exploration and Atlantic Odyssey, two shore and sea-based programs offered by Sea Education Association. Ocean Exploration students arrived at SEA’s Woods Hole campus on August 30th for five-and-a-half weeks of preparatory coursework before boarding the SSV Corwith Cramer, SEA’s state-of-the-art 134-foot brigantine, on Oct. 8th. Gap year students, enrolled in Atlantic Odyssey, arrived on campus Sept. 20th.

While on campus, the students followed SEA’s strict protocols to form a Covid-free bubble prior to their ocean voyage. There will be no port stops. The ship will serve as the students’ home, classroom, and laboratory for nearly six weeks as they sail about 1,500 miles to St. Croix, where the program ends on Nov. 18.

All students are full working members of the ship’s crew, sharing responsibilities for standing watch, processing oceanographic samples, navigating by the stars, and participating in round-the-clock operations. Perhaps most importantly, students learn to challenge themselves and cultivate new skills in leadership, teamwork, and field research.

In addition to gaining practical skills in seamanship, students deepen their understanding and appreciation of the ocean through hands on research and personal experience.

The Ocean Expedition and Atlantic Odyssey programs will next be offered in winter 2022.

• Track the voyage on the SEA Currents blog through Nov. 18.
• Download photos and access more information about SEA Semester through our online press kit.

About Sea Education Association (SEA)
Sea Education Association (SEA) is an internationally recognized leader in undergraduate, gap year, and high school ocean education. For 50 years and more than one million nautical miles sailed, SEA has educated students about the world’s oceans through its Boston University accredited study abroad program. SEA is based on Cape Cod in the oceanographic research community of Woods Hole, Massachusetts and has two research vessels: the SSV Corwith Cramer, operating in the Atlantic Ocean, and the SSV Robert C. Seamans, operating in the Pacific. In 2016, SEA was honored with the National Science Board’s Public Service Award for its role in promoting the public understanding of science and engineering. Last year, the National Maritime Historical Society presented Sea Education Association with the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Maritime Education.

Contact: Douglas Karlson, Director of Communications, 508-444-1918 | [email protected] | www.sea.edu