We have now been at sea for four days! Everyone is starting to get in the swing of our watch schedules of 6 hours on and 12 hours off. Slowly but surely we are beginning to stop crashing into walls every second, hitting our heads everywhere we go, and learning how to not have everything spill off the rolling tables at meals.

Sneakers in a sea of Chacos.

Everywhere I go, I am surrounded by Chacos. It seems to be the shoe of choice for adventurers, sailors, biologists, and study abroad students.

Today was an exciting day for all aboard the Cramer.  From a scientific standpoint we have entered into the predicted spawning area of the American eel, Anguilla rostrata.

It’s our third day at sea! After the initial shock of getting used to the constant rolling waves, and the many subsequent donations made to Neptune in hopes of a safe voyage, it seems as though people are starting to get their sea legs.

What a whirlwind these past four days have been! We are in full swing now; Mama Cramer is under sail as we cruise past Eleuthera and into the open ocean. It is wonderful to see everyone becoming more familiar with her, getting the hang of very busy watch schedules and all the various tasks that must be performed to ensure that she is in true working ship shape.

I can’t believe we’ve only been at sea for three days!  It seems like we’ve been out here a week already.  I know it has been three days, because I got to take my first shower today-a bit of a celebration!

Today, after a two-day weather-delay, the crew of SEA Semester Cruise S285 departed Lyttelton Harbor, New Zealand aboard the Sailing School Vessel Robert C Seamans.

C-285 students are all aboard and ready to depart for the high seas!  The full ship’s company have spent the past day and a half preparing for the voyage, orienting themselves to safety, lab operations, sailing, and life aboard their new 134-ft drifting home away from home.  We’ll set sail tomorrow on our voyage through the Sargasso Sea from Key West, FL, to Bermuda, to New York City.

Greetings from the SSV Corwith Cramer docked at the Stock Island Marina Village near Key West, Florida. Today, class number C-285 joined the ship for the sea component of the Marine Biodiversity and Conservation Program (MBC).

The students of SEA Semester class S-285, Oceans & Climate, have all arrived safely in New Zealand and are now settled in aboard their home for the next five-and-a-half weeks, the SSV Robert C. Seamans. Be sure to follow their voyage on this blog.