Proctor Academy’s Ocean Classroom program has made its way south to the Carribbean, and by the time this article goes to print, it will have been the first high school students aboard an authentic US Tall Ship to dock in Havana, Cuba, in over 57 years. Andover’s Sam Royal ‘18 and Aiden Cox ‘18 are among the 22 students aboard the schooner Roseway and recently shared reflections on their time at sea on Proctor’s Web site at blogs.ProctorAcademy.org.

Aiden wrote on September 24:

“We set sail for Provincetown from Gloucester at 08:00. There was our first whale sighted at 14:30. Watch rotations started after a full night’s sleep. Everyone seems to be enjoying the trip thus far, and with a calm ocean today, seasickness is at a minimum and morale is high.

Sam wrote on September 28:

It was a windy day on the Roseway, with wind speeds up to 27 knots and seas reaching five feet. We made good time on our transit from the Sakonnet River to Mystic, Connecticut, traveling at 8 to 10 knots. We had Lit Class in the main saloon (the indoor common area at the back of the ship). Due to the rough seas, many people got seasick and took breaks so people could get fresh air.

In the middle the class, while we were reading from our book, someone at the kitchen table yelled, “SHARK!” and we all shuffled outside to try to catch a glimpse of the large basking shark. For the rest of class we stayed outside, getting sprayed by waves, and sang sea shanties.

Rose: Getting to sail in rough weather.

Bud: Getting to walk around in Mystic tomorrow.

Thorn: Getting seasick during class.