During this trip, the students have the opportunity to experience situations, which many sailors go a lifetime without ever encountering. The trip necessitates a sail down the Houston ship channel, one of the busiest in the United States. Dealing with, and being aware of all the container ships, tankers, shrimp boats, and barges using this waterway, requires the utmost awareness. Once in Galveston, the first night is spent at anchor. Meals are prepared and eaten aboard.
Anchor watch is set and preparations are made for the next day.
The next day includes a forty-mile offshore sail from Galveston to Freeport, where the night is spent at the Bridge Harbor Yacht Club. The third day s trip includes a jaunt up the Intracoastal Waterway. During this time, students not only have the experience of operating within confined spaces, but in dealing with, and communicating with the vast amount of barge traffic. All of the instruction is done on board while underway, and utilizes the many practical experiences that are encountered. After completion of this intensive class, the students not only have obtained proficiently in the handling a cruising boat but will also have the personal confidence to venture offshore.