HPU's Students Abroad Blog: Sailing The North Atlantic

Monday, April 22, 2019

Sailing The North Atlantic

After 6 weeks of classes in Woods Hole, it was finally time to set sails aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer!!

For my program, we sailed from Woods Hole to Grenada, which means we spent about 5 weeks on the open ocean without any stops, and then the last week was spent docked in Carriacou and Grenada. In my opinion, if you want to learn how to sail, this is the perfect program! Because you get 5 weeks of uninterrupted sailing experience!

The first week on the Cramer is very intense with a lot of safety training, seasickness, learning a new language, and learning how to stow your bunk so you don’t fall out when the swells pick up (and trust me, they DID). And when I say a new language, I mean learning what all parts of the boat is called, because boat folks have decided that kitchen is called galley, bathroom is head, floor is deck, walls are bulkheads, stairs are ladders, etc., and let’s not forget that each individual line has a different name! So, the first week is very confusing before knowing what everything is! But we used these terms every day, so I get into it super quickly. I learned more the first week on the ship than I have ever done before.

When embarking on the ship, you’re not a student anymore, you’re a part of the crew. This means you’ll do everything the professional crew does. Which entails standing watch, being at the helm, raising sails, and preparing food in the galley.

It might sound like a lot of work, but it's really worth it. While standing at the helm and/or lookout, I got to see some of the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises I've ever seen, and during the night the skies very so clear you could see the entire Milkyway. Oh and let's not forget the dolphins that frequently came to visit!!