Skip To Main Content

Each fall since 1994, 22 Proctor students have boarded a tall ship to sail North Atlantic waters from Canada to Cape Hatteras. On Ocean Classroom, you are not just a passenger studying marine science, maritime literature, history and navigation, but an active crew member. From the first moment you board the vessel, you are divided into “watches”, the core working group on any ocean-going vessel, answering directly to their professional watch officers. Twenty-four hours a day, watches rotate, learning to operate all aspects of the schooner, and eventually independently sailing the 135 foot ship. 

After nine weeks of studying and working with professional educators and crew, first on the campus of our partner organization Sea Education Association (SEA) in Woods Hole and then aboard their schooner SSV Corwith Cramer, students are transformed learners, marine biologists, navigators, and experienced sailors. Ocean Classroom has the potential to be one of the most powerful experiences that a Proctor student can have. Are you ready?

Ocean Classroom

Proctor Academy Ocean Classroom: Hands-on maritime education; students become skilled sailors, scientists & learners

Last night on bow lookout, I was fortunate enough to witness a pod of whales on our starboard side. As if this wasn’t mesmerizing enough, we were greeted earlier today by several porpoises as we sailed north. As we began to see the lights of Rockland in the distance, we gathered in the center of the deck singing classics as Holly strummed softly on the ukulele. Although a polaroid was taken, I don’t believe a photo could ever fully capture the emotion of this moment. - River ‘22 

Meet the Instructors

Proctor's Ocean Classroom instructors are experienced nautical educators who have sailed the world and worked on educational vessels. They possess a wealth of education and field experience, and pour their passion and talent into Proctor’s students each term at sea.  Learn more about the educators at our partner organization Sea Education Association HERE. 

Courses and credits

Students enrolled in Ocean Classroom receive the following course credits: 
  • Math
  • English
  • Marine Science (2 credits)
  • Maritime Leadership

Contact Info

To learn more about Ocean Classroom, contact Ocean Classroom Co-Directors John Bouton and Heidi Thoma. 

Proctor Academy Ocean Classroom
Ocean Classroom: Good Shipmates
Ocean Classroom: Good Shipmates

After nine weeks aboard SEA's SSV Corwith Cramer, twenty-one Proctor students returned to campus transformed from novice sailors into capable young mariners and scientists. Welcome home, Ocean Classroom 2024! We hope you enjoy this last collection of ship's logs.

Ocean Classroom: Where Science Meets Seamanship
Ocean Classroom: Where Science Meets Seamanship

During their second week at sea, Ocean Classroom participants sailed the SSV Corwith Cramer from Long Island Sound to Baltimore, facing their biggest challenge yet: 36 hours of strong winds and ten-foot swells south of Long Island.

Ocean Classroom: First Seven Days at Sea
Ocean Classroom: First Seven Days at Sea

Proctor’s 31st Ocean Classroom program set sail aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer on Friday, October 4th, and students are quickly adapting to life aboard the ship, learning vessel operations, conducting scientific research, and bonding over shared experiences like overnight anchor watches and witnessing breaching whales.

Ocean Classroom: Dispatch from Mystic
Ocean Classroom: Dispatch from Mystic

Seeing those from Ocean Classroom visiting Mystic Seaport during the second weekend of the program, I was struck by the extraordinary energy, adaptability, and resourcefulness of this group of students and the SEA staff who accompanied us.

Ocean Classroom 2024: Sailing Into Challenge
Ocean Classroom 2024: Sailing Into Challenge

The Ocean Classroom 2024 journey begins with a three-week orientation in Woods Hole, building a foundation of knowledge for their upcoming voyage aboard the Corwith Cramer. They will spend the first three weeks getting oriented to oceanography, marine science, and human interactions with the sea and its margins.

Proctor Academy Off-Campus programs
The Power of the Off-Campus Experience

Proximate learning does not occur without risk, but it is in those moments when students are living their education alongside the issues they are studying that worldviews are transformed.

Proctor Academy Ocean Classroom 2023
Ocean Classroom 2023 Symposium and Final Reflections

As students presented their research projects, shared about their voyage, and beamed with pride to their families, we sat in awe of what they were able to accomplish. Teenagers are capable of so much more than we think; we/schools just need to give them a chance to show us. 

Proctor Academy Ocean Classroom 2023
Ocean Classroom: Voyaging the Open Waters

The past two weeks at sea since leaving Lunenberg, Nova Scotia have proven harrowing as they navigated high seas, arrived in Bermuda for 24 hours before casting lines and getting back on the water in order to beat another potential hurricane. 

Paging