July 2, 2020

This is SEA’s second statement on Black Lives Matter.  We listened to many alumni and staff who told us that our first statement failed to rise to the level of the crisis engulfing our nation. Thank you to those who reached out for helping us do better.

In response to travel restrictions and health guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sea Education Association (SEA) has revised fall programs, shifting all operations to coastal U.S. Atlantic waters aboard our flagship vessel, the SSV Corwith Cramer with no international travel or port stops required.

SEA Semester Assistant Scientist Emily Burke, the recipient of the 2020 Armin E. Elsaesser III Fellowship Award, has begun exploring the rugged coastline of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula for her Elsaesser project, “Canvas and Ice: A Sailing Study of Alaska’s Changing Fjords.” She has created a website and will soon begin posting updates.  We encourage you to follow her progress!

When they visited the island of Kanton in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) two summers ago, SEA Semester students of Class S-281 quickly became friends with the schoolchildren there, playing frisbee and soccer after dinner, dancing, and taking pictures.

Normally, at this time of the year, SEA’s campus would be welcoming the incoming class of college students enrolled in the Woods Hole Partnership Education Program, or PEP, for short. But this summer is different.  Instead of welcoming students in person, on Monday afternoon, they received a warm welcome via Zoom!

After the SEA Semester’s Colonization to Conservation in the Caribbean program (C-290) ended in St. Croix in March, a professional crew returned the SSV Corwith Cramer to Woods Hole, where it arrived April 18th.  Since then, the ship and a small crew have been alongside at Dyers Dock, making the ship ready for its next voyage, when the time is right.  Captain Kevin Murray is the master of the ship.  We asked him about daily life aboard the Cramer.

Do you have youngsters in your family looking for good ocean-related books to read over the summer?  Our recent list of adult books recommended by SEA faculty was so well received, we decided to ask them what they recommend for young readers. Here’s what they suggested. (LG = Lower Grades K-3; MG = Middle Grades 4-8)

Happy World Baking Day! Looking for something appropriate for any meal of the day? From our SEA Galley to yours, here is a popover recipe! Thanks to sometimes steward Kim for the recipe, to captain Allison for making them, and to neighbor Peggy for the photo and use of her pan! Includes ingredients scaled for a ship’s company as well as tips for preparing on a heeled over vessel. ⁠

Here is one of our favorite chocolate chip recipes. It’s peanut butter- chocolate chip, its delicious, and just so happens to also be gluten free, not that you would know. They are so tasty!

If you make them, we’d love to know if you liked them and to see pictures shared on social media!

SEA’s Director of Stewardship Monica Bowman recently had the opportunity to check in with SEA Semester alumnus, Dr. Joshua Weil.  They spoke about his new position as emergency preparedness lead for the Permanente Medical Group at Kaiser Hospital in Santa Rosa, California, and how during major health and safety crises, including this time of COVID-19, he finds himself calling upon his SEA Semester experience to inform his approach to leadership, trust, and being a good shipmate.