For $85, USF St. Petersburg students can experience three days of sunsets, sea breeze and maritime adventure while aboard a 37-foot sailboat.
The opportunity, a part of the USFSP Waterfront’s adventure trip program, only requires students to bring clothes, sleeping bags and their sea legs. No sailing experience is needed.
Andrew Porter, the Waterfront coordinator, leads the trips, which have been held for about seven years under the direction of Zac Oppenheim, assistant director of student life and engagement.
Two trips are scheduled for this semester, on Oct. 25 to 27, and Nov. 8 to 10.
On each trip, students will leave on Friday afternoon and return Sunday early evening. Porter said the actual departure times will vary depending on the location sailed to and the group participating.
According to Porter, the Waterfront owns three keelboats, which are a type of sailboat, in the 30 to 37-foot range. Previous trips only gathered enough interest to fill one boat, the 37-foot Wanderer, which sleeps six comfortably. Seats below the deck convert into beds.
“It’s not primitive by any means,” Porter said. “It’s kind of like an efficiency apartment away from home.”
Porter thinks these trips encourage student bonding. For three days, those aboard share close quarters. If conflict arises, the students cannot simply leave the room, Porter said. They have to face their problems together.
Each trip travels to a different location, depending on the group’s preference. Porter said the October trip would probably go to Indian Key by Eckerd College on the first night and Emerson Point Preserve, where the Manatee River meets Tampa Bay, on the second night. On the last day, they would travel back to campus.
Porter said the price of the trip is “exceptionally reasonable.” The cost covers food, maintenance of the boat, fuel and pay for the instructor who goes on the trip. The Waterfront does not seek to profit from the trips.
“We are here to serve the students, and that’s why we keep the prices where they are,” Porter said. He noted most students come back and say the trip was well worth the price.
The trips revolve around what the students want. Porter is able to sail the Wanderer on his own, but he likes it when students help him sail. The meals Porter prepares also change based on the needs of the group.
“Sailing food can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it,” he said. The small stove on board helps with that.
Sign-up deadlines for the three-day sails are flexible. While the Waterfront wants students to sign up as soon as they can, the deadline usually is about two days prior to each trip.
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