Students are given a complete orientation to the vessel, including safety and emergency procedures. They receive continual training in line handling, sail handling, navigation and other seamanship duties. Each group is on watch twice daily in a rotation of four to six hour shifts. While on watch, students work together with the regular ship's crew to perform all the necessary functions of running the ship.
Individual watches work as teams to solve problems and answer questions posed by the group.
They utilize the ship and equipment along with talents they bring with them onto the ship to address questions, design experiments, collect data and develop answers. Students are relieved from deck duty to attend class. The ship's staff facilitate class explorations in marine science, literature and history as per a curriculum syllabus tailored to the special interests of the particular group. Classes are structured as group discussions, in which students are encouraged to respond to the subject matter and the seafaring experience on board, and to express their questions or ideas to the group. An evening session is specifically designated for a wrap-up and reflection of the day's activities.