During the Trip
As Parents and the staff of the SSV Tole Mour, we share
a common goal. Like you, we want your child to have an amazing experience aboard
ship – to make new friends, try new things, develop new skills and, most
importantly, to have fun! We know that you, the parents, are powerful partners
in the shipboard experience. With your support of community values and ships policies,
campers are much better prepared to fully engage in the shipboard life and to
get the most out of the experience. We, in turn, know that it is important for
us to communicate with you about your child.
There are many things you can do to help prepare your
child for her or his time away from home. Once the ship sets sail, however,
the best thing you can do is relax. The ship is a place for young people to
learn to be more self-reliant, to gain self-confidence, to develop strong decision-making
skills and to become fully involved in a new community. This is a time away
from home, a time for them to be on their own. Parents of veteran sailors know
this but first-time parents might need more information. We encourage you to
browse this page to get an idea of what to expect for your child once the ship
departs. You can navigate by clicking on the links below.
Adjusting to Life Onboard
As is the case with any life transition, many student
crew – especially if it is their first time – will have an adjustment
period when they arrive on board. It may be difficult for some to shift from
family as primary group to shipmates as the primary group. This experience with
temporary separation is an important part of every child’s development,
and our program is designed to involve and engage all crewmembers in the shipboard
environment immediately upon their arrival, and to anticipate the relocation
needs of individuals.
Initially, they may be sad and lonely from being away
from you. This period is healthy though and indicates that your camper is working
through the adjustment process. It’s important to let children work through
this process on their own, with the support of the counselors and ships staff.
Dealing with this transition on their own helps them to develop self-confidence
and self-sufficiency. Rarely do adjustment problems persist, but when they do
we have been very successful in working with the parents by phone to problem-solve
together.
Homesickness
For some campers, the adjustment process of camp may
be more difficult and persistent and may lead to more severe homesickness. Homesickness
is often a normal part of adjusting to life away from home. Homesickness may
have physical symptoms such as stomachache, headache or loss of appetite but
the core issue is adjustment to a new environment. Our counselors and staff
are trained to deal with homesickness and we will always do our best to help.
Communicating
Communication at sea is a difficult one. The Director
does communicate with the Tole Mour throughout the summer and can relay important
messages from home but for the most part this communication is used to support
the ship. For the 21 day trip there is a time in the middle of the expedition
that the students will be able to receive mail. It is best to send that mail
to the CIMI Tall Ship Expeditions address in Long Beach. Do so at least a week
before to ensure that it doesn't miss the ship.
A Note On Content:
Sailors love to receive letters that are informative
and positive: what’s going on with the family, how their favorite sports
team is doing, what the best summer blockbusters are, etc. These always brighten
a persons' day. It’s also great to express confidence that your child
can succeed on his or her own and to pass along your excitement about all the
fun things she or he is doing. Lonely letters dwelling on how much the family
misses them, on the other hand, aren’t helpful. They often do more harm
than good, and can pull your son or daughter away from the ships program.
If you have any important information that you need
to communicate to your child – especially any information that will invoke
an emotional response (i.e. the family is moving, a death in the family, the
dog is sick, etc.) – please don’t send it in a letter but, instead,
call the Director so we can discuss with you the best way to inform your camper.
Again, we want to work with you to ensure your camper has a great experience
and to promote his or her personal growth. Receiving emotional news in a letter
while far from home can be a shocking, traumatic experience for a child or teenager;
we want to assist you so you can communicate with your child in the best possible
way.
Mail can be sent to:
Your sailor's Name
c/o CTSE
65 Pine Ave.
Suite 321
Long Beach, CA 90802
On the 21 day trip your student is able to send letters
home to you during their shore leave. Stamps and postcards will be made available
in the ship's store. Many campers also bring stamps, stationary and the like
with them aboard.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND CARE PACKAGES!
During the 21 day voyage the entire crew will be allowed
sufficient shore leave to satisfy their sweet tooth and purchase any sundries
they might be lacking. We have essentials on board the Tole Mour in the case
of lost or destroyed items. Our Chef provides three square meals per day, with
many options always available, and snacks throughout the day.
If your child forgets to bring something of dire import,
you may obviously ship that to us and we will work to get it to them on the
ship. This is a very difficult and costly operation and ultimately could refocus
an expedition, so please prepare and pack wisely. UPS is the best bet, our UPS
address is:
Your sailor’s Name
c/o CTSE
65 Pine Ave.
Box 321
Long Beach, CA 90802
Telephone Policy
Crew members can not receive phone calls. If your child
is having serious adjustment problems, or if any other concern arises, we will
ALWAYS call
you. Returning crew will tell you that not having access to a telephone is not
an issue at all, in fact it’s something they love about the experience.
Much of the magic of an expedition comes from being completely engrossed in
the community, the program and sea.
Additionally, please DO
NOT send a cell phone with your camper. If
a crewmember brings a cell phone, it will be taken away for the duration of
the trip and returned on departure day.
All of this does not mean we are not always available
or do not want to communicate with you. If you want to check-in on your child
or if you have any concerns, we encourage you to call the Director at any time
for an update.
Emergencies
In case of an emergency or any essential communication,
we are happy to arrange a time for your camper to be near a phone, as appropriate.
The ship can communicate via, marine radio, side band radio, cell phone, or
satellite phone.
Food Service
Our chef provides three high-quality, well-balanced
meals per day. Meals can be made to include a variety of options, including
vegetarian items and a salad. The entire crew eats buffet-style in our mess
or on deck.
We also often will eat at the islands we visit and frequently
have barbecues on board. Barbeques are favorites among student crew and professional
crew alike, where the Chef and professional crew prepares amazing meals of menus
like grilled chicken, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, ribs, beef and chicken teriyaki,
freshly caught white seabass or yellow tail
The chef also provides a variety of snacks and beverages
throughout the day and at night.
If your child has any food allergies or special food
needs we will do our best to accommodate those. Make sure to include all such
information on the paperwork that you turn in to us.
The cheff does a great job of changing the menu often and providing the crew
with a wide variety of meals during the session. The food is high quality and
there is always plenty of it! Please DO NOT send additional food and snacks
with your child as these attract insects and rodents.
Tall Ship Store
Sweatshirts, trucker hats, baseball caps, beanies, mugs,
are available for purchase at the beginning and end of each voyage. The Store
is on the dock so no items will be able to be purchased during the trip. On
the 21 day trip all crew enjoy a brief shore leave where the shipmates can purchase
other items at a convenience store.
Laundry
For the 21 day trip we have the student crews' laundry
cleaned during shore leave midway through the expedition. Individual camper's
laundry can be done on board the old fashion way in case of emergency. We do
have a dryer available on board incase of rain or spray.
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