Voyage of A Lifetime
In Summer of 2003 I embarked on the three month long Semester At Sea with my wonderful parents. My father had applied to be a professor in the program and it was too good an opportunity to pass up.
We sailed on the Steam Ship S.S. Universe Explorer, which looking back was a very small vessel. But the ship became the backdrop on one of the greatest adventures I’ve ever been on. We became accustomed to shipboard life and came to enjoy the little quirks of our aging host campus.
We attended classes while at sea, and then were free to travel and sightsee when we arrived in port. Our voyage took us around the Ring of Fire, hitting stops around the Pacific ocean.
These are some photos I took of the ship while we waited in Vancouver for the rest of the students and faculty to arrive. As you can see there were a few amenities onboard. Sports deck, swimming pool, student union. The Navigator’s lounge was unavailable to students during the voyage. If we wanted to see off the bow, we had to look from up above on the observation deck. Out in the wind.
I was lodged on one of the lower decks in a small two person room. As you can see I at least had a porthole which helps keep you aware of the time of day outside.
In some ports we anchored and tendered using the ships’ boats. However in most ports we docked at a pier.
The boats were very utilitarian, they were our lifeboats, but they did lend an interesting perspective of the ship. Looking at your transport from a distance after several days trapped on board is mildly cathartic.
The staff did their best to keep us entertained while we were at sea. These are some pictures of the polar bear swim in the north Pacific. The pool was filled with sea water and brave souls ventured across the frigid span. We also had a ceremony for crossing the equator where you waded through the pool filled with fish guts and shaved your head. And there was also a sea Olympics and Captain’s dinner to pass the time.
The ship really became our home. From the library in the bow which pitched wildly when there were ocean waves, to the U shaped running track that couldn’t have stretched 100m. The sun deck became our dining room, and the various lounges our classrooms. This old steam ship whose soot burned holes in our shirts became not only our home or three months but the backdrop to an amazing journey filled with inspiring vistas.
The first port of call for Semester at Sea is
Vancouver, Canada