Students set sail on a week's adventure

New London - In the next seven days students may be transformed. Most have never even been on a boat - let alone a tall ship.

After just a few hours on the Half Moon - a replica of Henry Hudson's Dutch ship 'Exploration' - these students have gotten more than just their sea legs.

Students have already gotten familiar with the ship.

The 12 middle school students from the Hartford area will crew the ship - a weeklong learning experience up the Connecticut River to East Hartford.

Before the ship even left port in New London, this young crew was well aware of its duties on deck.

"We're gonna be you know steering it in the area and lookouts," Nadia Wentzel, of South Windsor, said.

And down below, Michael Brunette, of Glastonbury, knows his duties.

"At six o'clock in the morning and I'm gonna be doing maintenance down in the bathroom," Brunette said.

They're still learning the lingo.

"I know port, starburn, bow, stern... no bow, stern," Wentzel listed.

Not only is it a lot of work but they may be roughing it a little bit too. The kids are gonna actually just be sleeping on the boat's hard wood floor with a sleeping bag.

They start off with more enthusiasm than experience and they end this "Voyage of Discovery" with an appreciation for sailing and the sea.

"I'm hoping to learn how to actually work a boat," Alanna Serville, of East Hartford, said. "It actually gives me a learning experience."