The at-sea training program Sea-mester Programs, based in Sarasota, Fla., has been training high school and college-level students on the 88-foot schooner Ocean Star for the past five years. (Ocean Star was built for and sailed in service of this magazine for nine years by magazine founder Greg Walsh.)
Sea-mester has built another ship, slightly larger at 110 feet overall, which will sail with a crew of American students from Thailand on March 15 for the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean – ultimately arriving in Nice, France, by June. Argo, also a schooner and built of steel, was built in Thailand and will fly the British red duster and, like Ocean Star, will be based in Road Harbour, B.V.I.
Sea-mester also announced it will offer a certification program for all its participants through International Yachtmaster Training of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “Our program is a mix of vocational and academic training,” said Mike Meighan, director of Sea-mester. “We have worked with IYT over the years by having our staff trained and certified there. It makes sense for our students to do the same; not only will they get the best concrete training in working on vessels, but the certification will be of use to them if they decide to enter the industry in some capacity.”
Students as young as 13 can work toward an International Crew Certificate and eventually, by college age, earn a Yachtmaster Certificate through IYT as part of their training with Sea-mester, Meighan said.
For more information on the programs, see www.seamester.com or www.yachtmaster.com.
