SPIRIT OCEAN ADVENTURE
A Summer Sailing Expedition aboard the
Spirit of South Carolina
Spirit Ocean Adventure FAQ
On this page we have attempted to answer some of the questions you might have about the program. If you have any additional questions please contact South Carolina Maritime Foundation (SCMF) at 843-722-1030 ext 14 or 11 or email marine@scmaritime.org. Sailing aboard a tall ship is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one that has the ability to be a life changing experience. While aboard, participants will be completely immersed in all operations of a traditional sailing vessel, while exploring the marine environment of the Atlantic Ocean. You will be an integral part of meeting all of the ship’s needs including maneuvering the vessel, navigating, cleaning, cooking, identifying plankton, predicting the weather, and much more. Life at sea is fast paced and continues on a 24 hour basis. There is always something to do and learn.
Our goals for the Spirit Ocean Adventure program are to:
1. How old does the participant have to be to participate in the program? Participants for the Spring Break programs must be in eighth, ninth, or tenth grade. Participants for the summer program must be between the ages of 15-18 years of age or qualify for an age waiver. Age waivers are available for rising 9th graders and recent high school graduates. 2. How do I register for Spirit Ocean Adventure? Submit a completed enrollment form and participant contract with a non-refundable deposit. You are not registered for the program until we have received your completed enrollment form, signed participant contract, and deposit. The deposit for the Spring Break program is $100. The deposit for the summer program is $500. Forms are available on the website (www.spiritoceanadventure.com) or a paper copy can be mailed to you. To request a paper copy please contact SCMF.
3. How can I make payments? We accept checks, money orders, and credit cards – VISA, Master Card, Discover or American Express. Please do not send cash in the mail.
Credit Card payments can be made by calling SCMF.
Checks and money orders should be made payable to South Carolina Maritime Foundation and mailed to: Spirit Ocean Adventure c/o SC Maritime Foundation PO Box 22405 Charleston, SC 29413
4. When is my balance due? The remaining balance is due a month before your program begins. If required paperwork and balance due is not received on time, the participant’s enrollment is subject to cancellation without notice or refund. We must set a deadline in order to notify participants on the waiting list of any cancellations. Balances and paperwork are due as follows: Spring Break Session 1: February 28, 2011 Spring Break Session 2: March 18, 2011 Summer Spirit Ocean Adventure: June 3, 2011
5. Can I make monthly payments for the program? You can make monthly payments as long as the balance is paid on time.
6. Can I get my money back if my I decide to not participate? The deposit is always non-refundable. For the Spring Break programs, cancellations made prior to February 1, 2011 will receive a refund on payments made after deposit. Cancellations made after February 1, 2011 will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
For the summer program, any cancellations made prior to April 15, 2010 will receive a refund on payments made after deposit. Any cancellations made after April 15, 2010 will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
7. Do I need to do anything else after I submit the deposit, enrollment form, and participant contract? Once a participant is accepted to the program he/she will receive an acceptance letter and an information packet in the mail. Included in the information packet will be information to help prepare for the program as well as additional forms that will need to be submitted with the final payment. Forms to submit will include the Medical Form, Waiver, and for the summer program, the Travel and Update sheet.
8. Do you take names for a waiting list? Yes, once a program fills we do create a waiting list. Names will be collected in the order they are received. You will be notified when and if there is space available. If you would like your name removed from the waiting list please contact SCMF and have it removed.
9. When is the medical form due? All additional paperwork is due with final payment one month before the program begins.
There is no exception to this rule. All medical forms need to be reviewed by a consulting physician and the medical officer aboard the Spirit of SC to ensure your ability to participate in this program. We encourage you to be as thorough and specific on your medical form as possible. Access to medical facilities is limited while at sea.
10. What kind of medical personnel can sign the medical form? Any licensed medical personnel, such as a physician, pediatrician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant. If the participant has had a physical in the past 6 months, it would satisfy the physician portion of the medical form. However, you must still complete the participant portion of the medical form and attach a copy of the completed physical form. A physician does not need to sign the Spring Break Medical Form. 11. Where do I mail payments and paperwork? Please mail all payments and paperwork to: Spirit Ocean Adventure c/o SC Maritime Foundation PO Box 22405 Charleston, SC 29413
12. What about transportation to and from the vessel? Transportation to and from the city in which a program begins and ends is the responsibility of the participant.
For the summer program, please include your travel itinerary on the Travel and Update form provided in the information packet. A shuttle service will be provided to transfer participants to and from the ship to the airport, train station, bus stop, etc. There is no additional charge for the shuttle.
13. Where will the ship be docked? Once a participant is registered he/she will receive specific directions to the ship’s location at the beginning and end of the program.
The Spring Break programs will begin and end in Charleston, SC. The summer program will begin and end in Portland, ME 14. What is the student to staff ratio? There is a minimum of nine professional crew members aboard during each program. This includes the Captain, Head Educator, Cook, 3 Mates, and 3 Deckhands. During all sessions of Spirit Ocean Adventure we will have nine professional crew members and 21 participants (student crew). The student crew will be divided into three groups called watches (A watch, B watch, and C watch). Each watch will consist of 7 student crew members and 2 professional crew members. The professional crew on each watch will work side by side with the participants to meet the needs of the ship.
15. What are the requirements of the professional crew? All crew members aboard the Spirit of South Carolina are professional mariners and experienced educators. Prior to working onboard they must undergo a comprehensive background check, National Sex Offender Registry search, and a pre-employment drug test. Also, because the Spirit of SC is a Coast Guard Certified vessel all of our crew members participate in a random drug testing program. All members of the crew are First Aid and CPR certified, Darkness to Light trained, and are fully licensed for the position they hold aboard.
16. How is the Spirit of South Carolina Certified? The Spirit of South Carolina is certified under the US Code of Federal Regulations as a Sailing School Vessel. These regulations translate into a rigorous set of safety, training and construction standards. This process is overseen and enforced by the United States Coast Guard.
17. What type of safety training does the ship’s crew receive? All of the crew has received professional training in all types of shipboard emergencies. Additionally, we have safety drills and inspect our gear every week. Safety is our first priority and factors into all of our decision making. 18. What does the ship do in bad weather? While at sea, the weather is monitored constantly; both onboard and through our shore side support staff. Decisions for the ship’s track are based on the current and predicted weather conditions. While at sea the ship maintains communication with the office at least twice a day.
19. What happens if there is a medical emergency onboard? We have an extensive offshore medical kit aboard and the professional crew is trained to deal with medical emergencies. Through our satellite communications, we have access to a doctor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
20. What should participants pack? See packing list under the forms tab for a detailed list.
21. What is not allowed? The following items are prohibited: Additional Food, Fishing Gear, Scuba Gear, Tobacco, Illegal Drugs, Alcohol, Electronic Equipment such as: Electronic Games, MP3 Players, I-Pods, Cell Phones, CD or DVD Players, Computers, Radios, etc.
Participants may bring their cell phone for travel purposes, but they must be turned in to the ship's Head Educator upon arrival to the ship. They will remain locked in the ship’s safe for the duration of the voyage.
22. Why can’t participants bring electronic equipment on the voyage? The use of electronic equipment during a program encourages participants to be solitary and sedentary, which does not correspond with the objectives of the program. These items also pose a safety hazard. Emergencies onboard are made known to the ships company by sounding a verbal alarm. If a participant has headphones on they may not be able to hear their shipmates sounding the alarm.
23. What is the food like? The food onboard is always great and there is plenty of it. We eat very well at sea thanks to the ship’s cook. There are three meals and at least one snack a day. All meals are well balanced and nutritious.
24. What about food allergies or vegetarians? Special food needs are usually not a problem as long as we know about it in advance. Please be sure to note any allergies or preferences on the medical form. This is a really important piece of information for us to have. If the ship’s cook knows about food preferences before shopping for the voyage, we will be able to accommodate you.
25. What is the daily schedule? This is a hard question to answer in that each day onboard is very different. However, we do have a schedule by which we operate the ship.
A ship does not sleep at night. The operations of the vessel must be carried out around the clock. To accomplish this, the professional crew and student crew are divided into three watches or groups. Each watch is comprised of a Mate (who serves as watch officer), a deckhand, and members of the student crew. A watch is responsible for all ship operations during the period of time they are on duty.
The following shows a sample schedule for three days of watch rotation. If you were assigned to "A" watch, your watches would be those underlined:
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 0800-1200 A WATCH 0000-0400 C WATCH 0000-0400 A WATCH 1200-1600 B WATCH 0400-0800 AWATCH 0400-0800 B WATCH 1600-1800 C WATCH 0800-1200 B WATCH 0800-1200 C WATCH 1800-2000 A WATCH 1200-1600 C WATCH 1200-1600 A WATCH 2000-0000 B WATCH 1600-1800 A WATCH 1600-1800 B WATCH 1800-2000 B WATCH 1800-2000 C WATCH 2000-0000 C WATCH 2000-0000 A WATCH 26. Where will participants sleep? Everyone onboard has his/her own bunk. There are two bunk areas where everyone (participants and crew) sleeps. When participants arrive, a bunk is assigned. This will be his/her space and no one else’s for the duration of the voyage. Everything a student brings must live in their bunk. For this reason it is recommended that participants pack only what they will need in a medium sized duffle bag. Please don't bring hard suitcases or hard bottom duffle bags.
27. Does the ship have showers? No. Showers may be available while in port. While at sea swim calls and saltwater showers are available. Many sailors find packing baby wipes and facial cleansing wipes helpful. 28. What is the ship made of? The Spirit of South Carolina is a pilot schooner built in Charleston, SC and launched in March 2007. She is built from various kinds of native and non-native woods (such as: Live Oak, Cypress, Angelique, Fir, Teak, and Purpleheart).
29. Does the ship have a motor? Yes, the ship has two diesel Cummins engines.
30. Does anyone get seasick? Yes, some people can get seasick. Everyone’s body handles motion differently. Seasickness is not something to be scared about and should not stop someone from participating in the program.
If you find that you are not feeling well, give yourself a couple of days for your body to adjust. The adjustment process can be sped up by maintaining your activity level so that your body, brain, and environment are forced to synchronize. If after the first couple of days you are not feeling better, talk to the medical officer or a crew member on your watch. In the rare case that someone is unable to get over seasickness accommodations will be made to get them ashore.
31. Is there anything a participant can do to avoid getting seasick? There are a variety of things one can do to avoid seasickness.
32. Can participants bring their own seasickness medication? Participants can bring over the counter seasickness medication, but it should be given to the medical officer along with all other medications when they arrive on the boat. The Spirit carries an array of over the counter and prescription medications should the need arise. 33. Can parents or friends call or write a participant? We ask that you do not send letters or care packages to participants. While underway, communication is limited to the daily reports posted on our website.
34. What if something important happens at home while a participant is at sea? The office communicates with the vessel on a daily basis and can relay important messages from home, but for the most part this communication is used to support the ship.
If you have any important information that you need to communicate to a participant – especially any information that will invoke an emotional response (i.e. the family is moving, a death in the family, the dog is sick, etc.) – please call SCMF so we can discuss the best way to inform the participant. Please remember we want to work with parents to ensure a great experience for their child and receiving emotional information while far away from home can be a shocking and traumatic experience. Additional details on how to pass an urgent message to the ship will be provided in the information packet mailed once a participant is accepted.
Photo Credit: Norman Walsh |
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