I doubt any of us have learned so much in such a short period of time! Our first full day at Hawaii Pacific University was filled with introductions and lectures. After going over class syllabi, we jumped into learning about important ecological concepts and Hawaiian culture. One of the most complicated, yet interesting lectures we received was given by Dr. Kehau Watson on Hawaiian Ecosystems, Ahupua’a, and traditional management systems.

Hello and Aloha from the island of Oahu and the beautiful windward campus of Hawaii Pacific University.  After months of preparation, countless emails, numerous Skype conferences, last minute syllabus changes, and a fair bit of coffee, the faculty of this years Aloha ‘Aina program can finally send our material to the printers and await the arrival of our students.  We are beyond excited to share the Hawaiian concept of Aloha ‘Aina – love of the land and sea with the students.

The students of S-260: Aloha ‘Aina, Peoples and Nature of the Hawaiian Islands, begin class on the Hawaii Pacific University campus, on June 4th. They will join the SSV Robert C. Seamans on June 20th for their sea voyage, Honolulu to Honolulu.

Aloha Family and Friends,
We are happy to report that the HPU-SEA Aloha ‘Aina cruise (S253) has been a resounding success.  The students, crew, and faculty are well and the SSV Robert C. Seamans is safe and sound tied up alongside Aloha Tower in downtown Honolulu, HI.  Our final task onboard is to give our home a thorough scrub and then students will move back to their familiar HPU campus home to clean themselves, I hope, before they meet with tonight’s guest speaker.

Ahoy S-253 Friends and Family!

Day four of our sailing voyage led us to anchor off the west side of Lana’i for the night before motor sailing to Manele Bay this morning. It’s hard to believe that our voyage is coming to an end already; it feels as though just yesterday we were coming aboard and learning the ropes (figuratively and literally!). In such a short amount of time we have bonded with the crew and each other while learning nautical skills including knot tying, sail setting, and steering. I believe I can speak for everyone when I say that we are truly grateful for all of the opportunities that this SEA Semester has offered to us, especially lifelong friendships and memories.

Aloha Friends and family!

Wow! What a journey it has been!! I cant believe we are almost at the end of our sailing journey.  Over this short one week of sail time I have gained an experience of a lifetime.  From setting and striking the four lowers to collecting zooplankton from intense science deployments, this has been everything and more than I expected out of this program.

The last 24 hours has been the most exciting time on the ship.

Aloha friends and family!

It’s hard to believe that it’s only day four at sea. The days have practically melted together as we’ve been jam packed with standing watch, scarfing down delicious food, deploying science gear, learning about our new home aboard the Robert C. Seamans, napping on occasion, and tapping into our inner sailors.

The first thing I learned after stepping on board the ship was a little saying that goes, “Ship, Shipmates, Self.”

Aloha!
We had a wonderful day sailing today as we headed south east. In the early morning hours, we finally passed the Big Island and made headway into the open ocean. A watch took mid-shift watch from 2300 until 3:00am where we observed the moon rise over the mountains of Big Island and learned about sailing in larger waves and stronger winds, as we went through the inter-island channels. Everyone took turns at the helm, learning to steer, and on bow watch or doing boat checks.

Aloha family and friends of class S-253: Aloha ‘Aina,
After a morning filled with Man-Over-Board, fire, and abandon shipexercises, we are finally underway! We set sail off of Lahaina Port on the west shore of Maui at approximately 13:00. The first half hour was “all hands on deck” as we set our mainstay’s’l, forestay’s’l, and top s’l and headed south. We are currently headed out to sea to, as Jeff likes to say, “do science” (aka the fun stuff!) and will remain at sea until Tuesday when we will return to the island of Lana’i.

Anchored just offshore the west coast of Maui, near the historic town of Lahaina, Maui.  This historic town was once an important commercial port built on the profits of whaling and sugar cane plantations.  Today it is a popular tourist destination due to pristine waters ideal for snorkeling/diving, sport fishing, access to the inter-island ferry terminal.

The students were soooo excited last night as they finally moved aboard their new home – the SSV Robert C. Seamans.