Location
Multiple Locations +4
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Portugal
  • Spain
    • Barcelona
    • Mallorca
  • Italy
    • Rome
Length
4 - 12 weeks

Program Details

Activities
Boating Sailing Scuba Diving
Timeframe
Summer
Housing
Boat
Primary Language
English
Age Min.
17
Age Max
24

Pricing

Starting Price
22970
Price Details
9 academic credits from the University of South Florida

International Yachtmaster Training (IYT): International Crew Certificate & Navigation Master
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Equipment Meals Park Fees Tour Guide
What's Not Included
Airfare
Oct 28, 2023
Nov 11, 2019
29 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Crewing a yacht on a transatlantic voyage is not something many can say they have achieved, yet members of our Sea|mester crew will also earn 9 college credits in Nautical Science, Oceanography, and Leadership while visiting Caribbean, Portuguese, British, Spanish, and French ports along the way.

As a team, your sense of accomplishment will be profound, and as an individual, the experience will set you apart. The skills you'll develop and challenges you'll overcome are uncommon. Not only a perfect subject for any job interview, but this Sea-mester voyage is also likely to contribute long after you have departed the vessel. After all, we are the sum of our experiences and this one will be indexing.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Sail Across The Atlantic
  • Earn 9 College Credits from the University of South Florida
  • Learn To Sail

Scholarships

Seamester Scholarships

Seamester Scholarships & Financial Aid

Sea|mester offers scholarships, financial aid, and tuition assistance to applicants who show great potential to succeed and grow from our unique experience yet would otherwise be only able to attend with financial assistance.

The total amount of funds available for any given semester varies. There is no scholarship application fee, and all Sea|mester applicants are eligible to apply.

Value
$500 - $14,000

Program Reviews

4.83 Rating
based on 6 reviews
  • 5 rating 83.33%
  • 4 rating 16.67%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Academics 4.75
  • Support 5
  • Fun 4.75
  • Housing 5
  • Safety 5
  • Housing 5
  • Support 5
  • Fun 5
  • Value 5
  • Safety 5
Showing 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Default avatar
alex
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

An Experience Filled With Fun and Personal Growth

I had done two years of Action Quest prior to my decision to try SeaMester. It seemed like a big jump and a much more serious undertaking- and it was, in the best possible way. My six weeks aboard Argo remain a few of the most significant of my life thus far. During that time, I was responsible for my own well-being as well as that of my fellow shipmates. It was an environment that did not lack in struggle, but was rich with fun, camaraderie, learning and friendship.

You must be prepared to embrace the work and responsibility, as you will be a member of the crew, but do not take that with any negative connotation. The bonds you will form in that type of environment are unique and strong. The full-time staff are knowledgeable, helpful, often hilarious and, for lack of a better word, awesome. You will meet and make friends with people from all over the world, and learn from people who are different from yourself in a way which is wonderful and eye-opening.

If you are lucky enough to be able to get onboard a ship with SeaMester, do not take it for granted- jump at the opportunity and treat it as the privilege that it is. If you are on the fence, pull the proverbial trigger without any more hesitation. I could not be more grateful to have gone on that voyage across the Atlantic, and I am confident that you will feel the same.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Try your absolute best to take in every single moment and experience. It will all pass you by in the blink of an eye. Also, make a point of looking up at the sky at night. There is no light pollution at all in the middle of the ocean (something which is, unfortunately, extremely rare) and the stars, along with everything else, are utterly breathtaking. Words cannot adequately express it.
118 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Mary
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Argo Crew 2016

The Atlantic crossing was an adventure I still talk about to this day and even became an integral part of my story in my medical school application. It was a thrilling experience to be such an integral part of a diverse team working together to navigate across an entire ocean. I saw so many things, big and small, that I would never have been able to experience in any other setting. For example, I watched satellites zoom across a sky filled to the brim with stars, swam in dead-calm water that was thousands of feet deep, made dolphin sightings part of my daily routine, and discovered a love for the Azores hundreds of miles of the coast of Spain. If you've always wanted to learn how to sail in the most unique of ways I highly recommend this trip. Ever wanted to know how land smells? Want to be able to watch Pirates of the Caribbean and point out all the parts of the ship (and know how to sail it)? Have a passion for salt or learning to cook in a tilted kitchen? I picked up so many large and small skills on my crossing that I use more often than anyone would expect. If you don't mind creating close ties with a group of strangers by accomplishing a feat sailors have been doing for millennia, then this is the trip for you.

What was your funniest moment?
Once our captain had to adjust the straps on a foresail that had come loose. We were in waters that made the front of the ship bob up and down, crashing through the waves. One particularly large wave crashed over the captain, fully submersing him. He emerged soaking wet, with an inflated life vest that had mushed his face into the goofiest expression. The entire crew erupted into laughter at the site of our water-logged captain.
126 people found this review helpful.
Oliver
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

What a trip!!!

This summer I spent 40 days crossing the Atlantic ocean with some of the most amazing people I have ever met. The passion and energy that the Sea|Mester crew brought to S/Y Argo is what made my trip so special. I highly recommend any Sea|Mester program to anyone who loves to explore, sail, or wants to push themselves to do something simply extraordinary. I will never forget the time on board or the friends I made.

124 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Becki
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Summer 2016

Seamester is an amazing program. Not only do you experience the world in a unique way, you connect with incredible staff and students from a huge variety of backgrounds. No matter your level of experience you feel accepted and valued.

You learn so much, not just about the tangible activities such as sailing, diving, or navigation but about yourself. You open up and become authentic. Truly life changing.

Recommended 100%.

119 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Alyssa
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My Argo Adventure

I came onto this voyage, excited but not really knowing what to expect, I came out of it with a better understanding and new sense of the world. The trip was phenomenal and I am 100% glad I did it.

Ever since I was little, my big dream was to do an Ocean Crossing, and this trip allowed me to follow my dreams. The smell of the fresh ocean air mixed with the sight of nothing but ocean for miles in any direction is incredible, but also very hard to describe to people who have not experienced it.

We started out in the BVIs with stops along the way to eventually get to our final destination of France. Along the way, we were doing everything on board. We took turns helming, going on watch, cooking our meals, cleaning up and more. You were a full member of the crew, and had the responsibilities as such. On top of that, we were also taking an oceanography class, which you may be able to get college credit for. It sounds like a lot, but it is completely manageable and you will never be bored.

This was an experience that I will never forget and I hope you get the opportunity to as experience it as well.

What would you improve about this program?
At times, all of the class projects got a little hard to handle, especially towards the end of the trip when were hitting new ports more frequently. A more layed out class schedule would be better.
135 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Kevin
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

50-Day Atlantic Crossing

The review prompt asks me to tell a story about my voyage. The entire trip was a series of stories; I'm not sure how to choose. I steered a schooner off the dock before losing sight of land for over two weeks. I and my shipmates took Argo through a squall (with following seas) on a moonless night. I have dozens of pictures of sunrise over the Iberian Peninsula as we transited the Strait of Gibraltar. In the Mediterranean, we saw a tall ship which looked like an illuminated floating mountain. I ate 5 kinds of ice cream in one day in the Azores. This trip was life-changing and produced many of my favorite memories. A top-notch crew and interesting group of shipmates, along with a beautiful ship, made the experience possible. I cannot recommend this program highly enough.

What would you improve about this program?
This program was more nearly perfect than any I have seen. That said, some students embarked primarily for college credit, and others joined primarily for sailing experience. The uniformity of classes on board meant that some students did more classwork than they needed to.
117 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers