Sea School Northwest will offer an open house June 13 for potential applicants.
Capt. Hali Boyd, the program director, will lead a presentation followed by a Q&A for those wishing to learn more about Grays Harbor Historical Seaport’s unique new training program.
Their classroom will be the tall ship Hawaiian Chieftain, a 103-foot steel ketch with a 75-foot mast.
Chieftain’s next visit to her home port in Aberdeen will be June 21-24, but Sea School cadets will go along wherever she sails during their eight-week course.
The first cohort will board in mid-July to live and work with the professional crew that operates the vessel, Boyd said.
“Their room and board plus education is covered in the cost of the program,” she said, adding: “We are currently providing full financial aid for our cadets.”
That element is very important to Boyd.
“A vital element of Sea School Northwest’s mission is to support the professional development of residents in the coastal communities that our industry impacts,” she said. “Throughout the state of Washington, and specifically in our home port of Aberdeen, we will be doing focused outreach and recruitment to serve populations that have had barriers to accessing family-wage jobs in the maritime industry.”
The payoff for cadets is the start of a career that’s in high demand, especially as so many lifetime professionals are retiring. The average annual salary for maritime workers in this state is $70,800, and deckhands can expect to make $150 to $250 per day starting out.
The Sea School curriculum “grounds modern maritime training in our trade’s traditional roots,” according to the website. Its cadets will earn an Ordinary Seaman license.
Boyd herself has come full circle, having started her maritime career through Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, training on the tall ship Lady Washington.
Over the years, she’s served many roles on vessels ranging from traditional ships to tugboats, sailing along both U.S. coasts as well as the Great Lakes and the Columbia River.
“I returned to GHHS to contribute to marketing and outreach while still working on tugboats,” she said, “and had the privilege of stepping into the role of Sea School Northwest director in January.”
According to its website, the school seeks to “change the face of the maritime industry” by addressing “our society’s inequalities, including those based on race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, and geography.” With that in mind, the program is open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 35 who meets specific financial qualifications.
The first cohort will include two to four cadets, but Boyd hopes that number will increase with future classes. The current plan is to start each new cohort two weeks after the previous one ends.
The Sea School open house will take place Wednesday, June 13, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Seaport Landing, 500 N. Custer St., Aberdeen. Visit www.seaschoolnw.org for more information.
