Seamester (also known by the trade name Sea , mester) is part of the
Global Expeditions Group
Global Expeditions Group, or GXG, is the parent company of the Sea, mester, ActionQuest, and GoBeyond Student Travel brands. The company's origins began in 1985 with ActionQuest some years after its founder Jim Stoll left the Flint School. Ov ...
, an organization that offers academic, study abroad programs on board three sailing vessels, ''
Ocean Star
Ocean Star is an Australian children's television series that first screened on Network Ten on 10 February 2003 until 2003.
Plot summary
Trent and Dylan Steadman are city kids who are sent by their mother to live with their father in a sma ...
'', ''
Argo
In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of sour ...
'' and Vela. Sea, mester began running programs in 1998 as an extension from its sister organization
ActionQuest
ActionQuest is an organization which offers adventure programs for teenagers during the months of June, July and August. These programs include sail training, marine science, and SCUBA training courses in locations throughout the Caribbean, Austra ...
. A full semester's course load is offered on board including classes in
Oceanography
Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...
,
Marine Biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies s ...
, Professional Skipper Certification Training, Leadership, Basic
Seamanship, and an Independent Research Project. Courses are accredited through the
University of South Florida (USF).
Mission
Sea, mester is an institution dedicated to the facilitation and development of practical watermanship skills and defining of academic interests in ocean and
earth science
Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spheres ...
, while offering college credit and promoting personal growth, teamwork and leadership through a distinctive, experiential educational program based upon active participation and individual support.
History
Sea, mester ran its first program in 1998 aboard two
Beneteau monohulls. In 1999, Sea, mester acquired the
schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
''
Ocean Star
Ocean Star is an Australian children's television series that first screened on Network Ten on 10 February 2003 until 2003.
Plot summary
Trent and Dylan Steadman are city kids who are sent by their mother to live with their father in a sma ...
'' and began running 80-day programs with high school graduates and college students.
''Ocean Star'' sails throughout the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, from
Tortola to
Grenada
Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...
. Occasionally, ''Ocean Star'' sails with another
monohull or
catamaran
A Formula 16 beachable catamaran
Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States
A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...
, allowing berths for over 25 students.
The steady growth of Sea, mester with
''Ocean Star'' allowed for the expansion of its fleet with the design and construction of the schooner ''
S/Y Argo''. ''
Argo
In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of sour ...
'' was built in
Samut Prakan,
Thailand and completed in June 2006. Since then,
''Argo'' has been making her way around the globe with students. She had completed her first
circumnavigation of the globe in December 2008 and was hoping to start her second during the spring of 2009. Unfortunately, the vessel was unable to secure an escort from the
US Navy or EU coalition through the
pirate-infested waters of the
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden ( ar, خليج عدن, so, Gacanka Cadmeed 𐒅𐒖𐒐𐒕𐒌 𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒗𐒒) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channe ...
and had to head back to Asia to wait out the
Monsoon season in order to sail south to
Cape Town. Argo has completed her second circumnavigation via
Cape Town.
Vessels
S/Y Argo
''
S/Y Argo'' is a two-masted
Marconi rigged schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
designed to cross oceans with up to 26 students on board and 7 professional staff. ''Argo'' is certified and inspected by the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency as a Category “0” vessel, allowing her unrestricted operation in the world's oceans. She is registered in
Road Town,
Tortola,
British Virgin Islands, and has been circumnavigating the globe with students since her launch in 2006. She is currently a member vessel of the
Tall Ships America Organization. The name of the vessel was inspired by the constellation
Argo Navis.
S/Y Ocean Star
''
S/Y Ocean Star'' is a two-masted
schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
originally built for Ocean Navigator Magazine as a sail training and promotional vessel. Ocean Star now conducts educational programs for Sea, mester Global Programs in the
Caribbean Sea, and is a member vessel of the Tall Ships America Organization. The vessel is 88 feet (27 m) in
overall length and accommodates sixteen trainees and four professional staff. ''Ocean Star'' is certified and inspected by the British
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is an executive agency of the United Kingdom that responsible for implementing British and international maritime law and safety policy. It works to prevent the loss of lives at sea and to prevent marine ...
for ocean service. ''Ocean Star'' undergoes an annual refit in
English Harbour
English Harbour is a natural harbour and settlement on the island of Antigua in the Caribbean, in the extreme south of the island. The settlement takes its name from the nearby harbour in which the Royal Navy established its base of operations ...
,
Antigua
Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...
at Antigua Slipway Ltd.
S/Y Vela
''S/Y Vela'' launched in July 2020 and is a duplicate of S/Y Argo that had previously been commissioned by Seamester.
Awards
Sea Education Program of the Year Award from Tall Ships America 2011
References
{{Reflist
External links
Sea, mester Global Programs
Study abroad programs
Semester at sea programs