Decodable Passage 22

Sailing Ships

The ship glides through the water and up to the dock. The sails flap and groan as the boat slows down, as if to protest the landing. Teens tie the vessel with ropes. Mothers and fathers wait ten feet away. Each student is greeted with a smile. The teens seem relaxed as the ship reaches the coast.

Each spring, at least 40 students sail ships on the open sea with SEA, Sea Education Association. In a lab at sea, students study fish, plankton, sea plants, and the sea itself. The teens finish the course at the end of May. By then, they have grown to love the sea.

Sailing can be difficult at times. The students had to clean the sailboat once a day. They had to scrub the decks and shine the brass railings each week. They helped prepare all the food for each meal.

Each day, a team of students had to keep watch for six hours. Being on watch was demanding. A student had to take the wheel and make sure the boat stayed on course. A helmsman had to pay attention each second. One mistake could mean a real problem.

Students had to watch for boats within three miles away. Between sunset and sunrise, students had to take turns looking for boats on the horizon.

By the end of the trip at sea, each student had learned to sail a huge ship, raise the main sails, and name 200 rope knots. These teens can say they are real sailors.