A Rocky Semester

Hello AFS and welcome back from winter break! I hope it was restful, regenerative, and reflective. While I was away last semester, I missed many amazing club events, which I am quite bummed about. But during that time, I was off on a sailing adventure under a program called Sea Semester.

We first spent 6 weeks on the Sea Education Association campus in Falmouth, MA on Cape Cod. We focused on maritime studies, oceanography, and nautical science during the land component which provided us with geographical/historical, biological/physical, and sailing/boat life knowledge respectively. We learned about the former cod industry operating off Cape COD and the whaling town in New Bedford, which was one of the most productive in the world at the time. We also visited facilities in Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and the Marine Biological Lab where revolutionary marine research and exploration is conducted.

We then spent 6 weeks sailing from San Diego to Tahiti. It was full of open ocean wildlife, sea sickness, amazing sunsets, sunrises, and stars, constant stumbling and being thrown into walls, fresh fish, 3 meals and 3 snacks a day, really calloused hands from hauling on lines, nautical science and leadership roles, sleep deprivation from following a 6 hours working, 12 hours off system, and beautiful port stops on Polynesian Islands. We passed through the Marquesas Islands after 3500 nautical miles (4028 miles over ground) and a month of open ocean sailing and motoring. We docked at Nuku Hiva, snorkeled at Rangiroa (a coral atoll), and continued on to Tahiti. From there, we visited the Society Islands and spent 3 days exploring Raiatea, spent a day in Bora Bora, and docked in Moorea for a night. The trip ended back at Tahiti, totaling 4756 nautical miles.

I truly enjoyed disconnecting from the world and learning to navigate life in this unforgiving environment. There was nothing more rewarding than staying up as others rested, knowing others were doing the same for you, and doing your part to keep the ship moving and sailing safely. Everyone worked tirelessly for one another, which stemmed from the culture and community that arises from sailing. There was a unique moral code of hard work and dedication to every task.

I did experience the challenges of being in the open ocean which include the lack of communication with loved ones, bad exercise and sleep routines, and just a feeling of hopelessness knowing I would have to deal with feeling uneasy and never well rested for the entirety of the trip. However, it was over before I knew it and I’m so glad to have experienced the ocean in this manner. I’ve gotten a better idea of how the ocean is studied and how to use the required instruments, learned about sailing and how people have learned to traverse the oceans, learned about my leadership style, seen organisms I’ve only studied in textbooks, and learned that long sailing voyages may not be for me. I’m more resilient now knowing I can learn, study, work, and lead even when I’m literally being thrown off my feet.

Please come to me if you have any questions about Sea Semester (My name is Henry, hh544@cornell.edu)! I would love to talk with you about it and how you can pursue one yourself. Regardless, keep seeking adventure anywhere you are!

https://sea.edu/programs/undergraduate-programs/