Ready to set sail?

Each semester Williams-Mystic students and faculty take a 10-day voyage aboard a traditionally rigged tall ship. The Offshore Field Seminar complements the Williams-Mystic curriculum by exposing students to a broad scope of experiences at sea. You live out of sight of land for an extended period of time, experience a 'salty' way of life, and have fun along the way!

For those who have not sailed before, there is the excitement and challenge of life at sea. For students who have some sailing experience on smaller vessels, there is the exhilaration of being back out on the open water, but this time on a large tall ship. For all students, there is the first time experience of learning about the ocean in depth—its science, history, policy and literature. The tall ships we charter are sail-training vessels designed for teaching under sail and are registered with the United States Coast Guard as Sailing School Vessels.

You become a member of the crew, assigned to take the helm, set and strike the sails and stand lookout on the bow. At sea, the ship functions around the clock. Three watches rotate so that you get a chance to stand watch at all times of the day and night during the voyage. Each watch remains a cohesive unit, led by a mate who teaches you to steer, navigate, handle sails and operate the ship.

Daily classes are presented by science and humanities faculty, and in seamanship by the captain and professional crew of the ship. An interdisciplinary approach allows you to view the offshore experience—and the waters in which we sail—from a variety of disciplines. You join the intimate ranks of the seafarers you study in Maritime History and you feel the sensations that inspired the authors whose works you are reading in Literature of the Sea. You will tow nets to collect biological data in nearshore and offshore waters, and deploy advanced instrumentation to collect chemical and physical data of the surrounding seawater. These experiences provide a new perspective for you, as you consider maritime law and policy governing trade, fishing and other commercial exploitation of the worlds' waterways.

The fall semester voyage departs from coastal New England in early September. Destinations include the productive waters of one of the world's most famous fishing grounds, Georges Bank, a "warm core ring" of near-tropical waters spun off from the Gulf Stream and the stunning rugged coastline of New England.

The spring semester voyage takes place in February in the warm waters of the Florida Straits. Here we explore the origins of the Gulf Stream, sample the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall on the famous Dry Tortugas, home to one of the country's most important bird sanctuaries, 19th-century Fort Jefferson and marine habitats such as coral reefs ripe for exploration.