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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: Students Take the Helm
Ocean Classroom: Students Take the Helm

During their passage through the Sargasso Sea toward St. John, Ocean Classroom students entered the Junior Watch Officer phase of their voyage, directing the operation of the SSV Corwith Cramer and even giving orders to professional crew on sail adjustments and helm positions. Between six-hour watches, students processed research samples and found moments of connection in the daily rhythms of life aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer.

Ocean Classroom: Into the Sargasso Sea
Ocean Classroom: Into the Sargasso Sea

During their passage far offshore in the North Atlantic, across the Gulf Stream and into the Sargasso Sea, Ocean Classroom students' days aboard the Sea Education Association's Corwith Cramer were shaped by the rhythms that emerge after weeks at sea – watch rotations that include time at the helm, lookout vigils beneath the stars, and hours in the lab processing samples.

Ocean Classroom: Finding Their Sea Legs
Ocean Classroom: Finding Their Sea Legs

Ocean Classroom Students are settling into life at sea - adjusting to watch rotations, anchor checks, and the constant motion of the ship, even celebrating a birthday with a "slightly angled" chocolate cake - while conducting science deployments and learning to sail.

Off-Campus Programs: A Step Beyond Comfort
Off-Campus Programs: A Step Beyond Comfort

Off-campus programs at Proctor represent our belief that transformative learning occurs when students exist in that delicate space between comfort and challenge, with one foot firmly planted outside their comfort zone.

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.

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