SETTING SAIL

Sea|mester was borne of three men’s passion for the sea and their desire to share that passion with others.

Experiential educator and adventurer, British-born Mike Meighan learned scuba diving and sailing at 15. He then traveled the Mediterranean teaching scuba and sailing before entering Southampton University in the UK. There he took a First Class Joint Honors degree in Oceanography and Marine Biology. In 1995, Mike joined Jim at ActionQuest as the program’s biologist, oceanographer and scuba instructor.

His passion for the water and for experiential academics led him, in 1998, to develop a sister program to ActionQuest, one for students 18 and up. With the acquisition of the schooner Ocean Star in 2000, Sea|mester’s year-round college-level academic program was under sail.

As a young man Jim Stoll was an avid ocean racer, crewing aboard legendary yachts like Jack Eckerd’s Panacea, S.A. Long’s Ondine and Jim Kilroy’s Kialoa. In 1970, Jim became the owner and captain of the 156-ft. school ship Te Vega and her sister ship, the 175-ft. Te Quest. It was aboard these two vessels that Jim first began to develop his programs to teach young adults, 13 – 17, sailing and hands-on academics. After 12 years and 50,000 miles of cruising throughout Europe, the Mediterranean, South American and Caribbean waters, Jim returned to his childhood home in Sarasota, Florida and began ActionQuest, a non-traditional summer program that challenged teens with high-action adventure on summertime voyages aboard 50-ft sailing yachts through the Caribbean.

Travis joined the team in 1995 having graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy with a degree in Marine Engineering. Always a sailor, Travis competed at both national and international levels, culminating in a bid for the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team in 1996. Travis holds an MCA/IYT International Master of Ocean Yachts, US Coast Guard Captain’s License and is an Instructor Evaluator for US Sailing. He is also a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer. As Director of Operations and Marine Superintendent, Travis is responsible for day to day operations as well as all Sea|mester vessels and equipment.

Over time, the success of Sea|mester’s program made possible the realization of a long-held dream – the construction of specifically designed schooners that would circumnavigate the globe. The school ship, Argo, was built in 2006 and her sister-ship, Vela, in 2019. Setting sail with 24 students each semester, Argo and Vela’s educational boundaries are limitless.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BUILDING OF ARGO AND VELA ON OUR BUILD BLOG AT WWW.SEAMESTER.COM