Passengers Must Pull Their Own Weight on This Cruise

After mastering the intricacies of dinghy sailing and moving up to keel boats, many students in the Orange Coast College sailing program are ready for an open-ocean challenge.

OCC helps adventurous sailors take the next step with classes aboard Alaska Eagle, a 65-foot yacht owned by the school. Currently, Alaska Eagle is on the final few legs of a round-the-world cruise. Every few weeks a 10-person student crew joins an OCC skipper, first mate and cook on an offshore voyage.

Tuesday, an all-female crew led by skipper/instructor Karen Prioleau will start a 2 1/2-week trip from Hawaii to Friday Harbor, Wash. The students, who range in age from 20 to 70, paid $3,150 for their trip, not including air fare.

Crew members on Alaska Eagle voyages are expected to be able to handle all chores, from standing watch and changing sails to navigating and cleaning the head.

Prioleau is confident her crew members will pull their weight. The college carefully screens applicants and warns them of the difficulties of the voyage.

“It takes a different kind of person,” she said, “to sign up for an upwind blue-water trip than for a cruise around the islands or something easier.”

Alaska Eagle, scheduled to return to Newport Harbor in mid-August, will be making several five-day trips around the Channel Islands this fall and next spring. Anyone with at least intermediate sailing skills can apply. Call (949) 645-9412 for details.