Why should you spend a semester or year at sea with class afloat?

Great question. And we're dying to tell you! Join us at our next virtual information session, taking place in May including a quick Skype presentation followed by a casual Q&A with our Director of Admissions. We'll answer all your questions and share all the reasons (cough cough looks great on university applications) you should seriously consider spending a semester or full year at sea with Class Afloat.

I am writing the beginning of my blog sitting in the mess on the 23^rd around lunchtime. All around me, people are talking, laughing and watching movies. The atmosphere is relaxed and cheerful given that our midterm exams are behind us and parent port is right in front of us!  It really feels like the last day before Spring Break. It is safe to say that we are all imagining our upcoming reunion with our loved ones. The past seven weeks have passed unbelievably fast and part of me still does not fully realize that it is the coast of Cuba that I am seeing through the porthole.

Day watch is an essential part of everyday ship life. Whether it be at sea or in port, day watch influences the lives of students and crew. The hours spent doing maintenance on the ship, performing sailing maneuvers, or keeping watch over the ship’s safety is something that all students have done, and it has created many amazing memories of life aboard the Gulden Leeuw.

CLASS AFLOAT TOP TEN

Selection criteria: Photos must be taken by a Class Afloat student and must have been posted on Instagram (not necessarily taken) during the month for which they are to be considered for Top Ten.

Speaking for majority of the crew on board, including myself, we were all enraptured to arrive in Cartagena. Strong winds had us sailing an average of six knots an hour with only the forestay sail set, although as we usually do when we arrive early, we didn’t have the opportunity to drop anchor. The past sail from the Dominican Republic had felt much longer than an eight day sail because we had no other choice than to slow down as much as possible and even detour to incorporate an additional two hundred nautical miles into the voyage. It felt as if it was the epitome of being so close, yet so far from something.

Into the bay we sailed. Wind so intense it could capsize the unprepared sailor; I was greeted to the Dominican Republic.

Class Afloat, what a strange concept it is. Why choose to spend nine months on a sailboat, with people you don’t even know, being seasick, depriving yourself of well-needed sleep, having blocks of 15 consecutive days of school and being away from your family for all this time? Precisely for all these reasons!

Spring into action with class Afloat:

Join us at our next virtual information session, taking place in April including a quick Skype presentation followed by a casual Q&A with our Director of Admissions.

learn more about class afloat!

Whether you're a high school student looking for the perfect study abroad opportunity or a university bound graduate ready to embark on the ultimate Gap Year experience, now is the time to gather the information you need to make a choice that's right for you. Don't wait until the ship has sailed (literally) before you take the time to learn more about spending a semester or year at sea with Class Afloat!