Zoya Buckmire, of St. George’s University in Grenada, talks completing her final academic assignments and Caribbean Reef Expedition’s conclusion in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Greetings from the SSV Corwith Cramer,

Today begins the sea component of class C-266, SEA Semester: Marine Biodiversity & Conservation. All of our students boarded the Corwith Cramer today at 1400 hours and joined the ship’s company as student crew.

We sailed into San Juan harbor yesterday afternoon after a swim call on the southern edge of the Puerto Rico Trench, the deepest place in the Atlantic! After passing El Morro, the 400 year old fort lit by the low angle setting sun, we dropped anchor for our final evening aboard. We shared an all-hands supper of ribs and veggie burgers, then gathered on the quarterdeck for a “swizzle” to toast Neptune and give thanks for our safe passage.

At 0930 this morning, we pulled in our dock lines, headed to an anchorage, and rolled into the rest of orientation - safety drills, line handling and science deployments. After a long second day, we decided to delay our departure from San Juan until tomorrow. The Trade Winds are light in the morning and strengthen through the afternoon. We anticipate calm seas as we leave the harbor tomorrow morning, making for an easier transition to life underway. In the meantime, students are settling in to the routines aboard the Cramer.

Greetings from San Juan Puerto Rico,
Class C-259 and the Marine Biodiversity & Conservation semester course has begun aboard the Corwith Cramer. All of our staff and students have safely arrived at the ship and are settling into life onboard. We will stay docked overnight in Old San Juan and get underway on Tuesday April 21st, bound for the Sargasso Sea & eventually Bermuda, 900 nautical miles to the North.

As prudent mariners it is always important to look ahead and plan accordingly, but as an academic, I will take the time to also summarize what the students have been doing the last 24 hours.

After a busy day of travel and several hours of shipboard training, the students quickly retired to their bunks last night.  All reported having slept well in their new home and were ready for the day’s adventure to start at the leisurely hour of 0645.

The students have all safely arrived onboard, and general ship orientation and safety instruction is well underway!  After a brief welcome by our captain Sean Bercaw and an explanation of the Sailing School Vessel (SSV) status of the Corwith Cramer, students were introduced to the professional crew and organized into their respective A, B, and C Watch groups. And so begins their acclimation to the culture, customs, and language onboard a scientific, sailing vessel that will continue for the next six weeks!

Greetings from the SSV Corwith Cramer, docked in beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico. Today is the beginning of a five week voyage for class C-252, SEA Semester: Marine Biodiversity and Conservation. All of our students, visiting scientists and crew are now aboard ship and beginning to settle in to their new home. We will remain alongside the dock tonight while all hands take part in a thorough ship orientation and safety training.

Greetings from the Atlantic Ocean! Class C251 is officially underway heading north (ish) (and hopefully east!) from San Juan, Puerto Rico. We are sailing full and by, beating to windward as we make our way towards Antigua, our first port stop.

The program “Ocean Exploration, Caribbean,” C-251, has now begun.  Thirteen students from ten different American colleges and schools have boarded the Corwith Cramer and have started their orientation for life aboard a tall ship—their “sea component.”  Some students arrived in San Juan a number of days ago with friends and family and have begun the “port stop” exploration that will be an integral part of the program.  The sixteenth-century walled city of Old San Juan will provide an excellent starting point for comparing and contrasting the histories, cultures and economies of the Caribbean island nations we visit.