Participants will sail back to base on Friday, August 2nd and depart early on Saturday, August 3rd.
Your journey has begun: it starts immediately with completing your Admissions process.
This is your “go to” location for all forms, gear lists and information specific to your course. Bookmark it for future reference! Your Course Advisor will send you to this page for reference materials, forms and other information.
In the blue tabs below you will find your Course Overview, Course Paperwork, Clothing & Gear List and Travel Information.
Join us for a 5-day expedition among the scenic and pristine islands of the Maine coast. Your adventure will take place aboard Outward Bound’s classic 30-foot sailboats, your home for the week. The Outward Bound experience will offer a perfect opportunity to explore the art of leadership, develop a sense of team, and discover the wealth of talent, ability, and spirit that you and your new Tuck friends possess. No prior experience is necessary. Your instructors will teach you the skills necessary for propelling your boat through the blue waters, navigating along a planned route, and keeping your crew healthy, well fed, and hydrated every step of the way. During the expedition you will assume a variety of roles, e.g., captain, navigator, cook, etc., each of which is essential to the crew’s success. The days can be long and tiring, especially when weather, winds, and currents add to the challenge, so make sure you bring all the necessary clothing and get a good night’s sleep before you arrive to ensure a good start to your journey.
The program ends on Friday evening at 5pm, followed by showers and a final dinner (lobster bake) celebration. The bus will transport everyone to Hanover, NH on Saturday morning.
The 30-foot open sailboat is your home and classroom. These seaworthy boats are rigged to take full advantage of the power of Maine coastal winds, and when the winds do not cooperate, the boats can be rowed by two or four people pulling on oars. At night the boat will be configured as a sleeping platform and you and your watch mates will take turns at anchor watch under brilliant night skies. Underway, you will learn to set your sails properly for sailing at different angles to the wind, and to anticipate and respond to changes in weather. As you practice rowing, you will discover that by coordinating all of the rower’s movements so that the oars splash as one, you halve the effort it takes to travel on windless days. You will learn to navigate using a chart and compass across open water and among the bold granite islands, concentrating on the environment around you.
Open Boat Sailing Skills
Expedition Skills
Group Dynamics
Your course area along the coast of Maine, with its intricate and indented shoreline, is a unique segment of the North Atlantic seaboard. It is renowned among sailors for its picturesque beauty, iconic lighthouses, abundant bays and harbors, rocky islands, and quiet coves. Our cruising area covers nearly 200 miles of the Maine coast, with countless rivers, bays, and islands to explore. The rocky, spruce-covered islands are the summits of a prehistoric mountain range; many generations of inhabitants have made their livelihoods here. Evidence left behind on the islands reveals the historic presence of indigenous Abenaki camps, pre-colonial fishing communities, post-colonial timber and farming operations, and early 20th-century granite quarries. Cold, nutrient-rich waters flow from the Canadian Maritimes and make the Gulf of Maine home to a wide range of sea birds, seals, porpoises, and whales.
Next Steps: Within a few days of submitting the Medical and Liability Release Form, you will receive a Welcome Email with a link to your Student Portal. Your Student Portal will have links to follow-up medical forms which are part of our screening process. Please be aware that we cannot clear you for participation without the medical screening process being complete, so timely return of these forms is critical.
Note about Medical Screening: Safety is our top priority. All students undergo a medical screening process to make sure they are safe and ready for their specific course. Occasionally, we are unable to clear a student to participate due to their medical history.
You are welcome to bring extras of the items marked with a plus (+) sign. Where a range of quantities is indicated, e.g., “1-2” bring the smaller quantity if you are on a one-week course, and the larger quantity if your course is 10 days or longer. There are multiple brand name options available at varying prices. The clothing and equipment on this list is widely available in many places. Specialty outdoor stores like L.L.Bean, REI, Campmorand Eastern Mountain Sportswill have a range of appropriate items to choose from. Discount retailers, like Sierra Trading Postand the REI Garage often have good prices on name-brand gear and clothing. You may also locate many first- quality clothing and equipment items at military surplus stores and area consignment stores and thrift stores, such as Goodwilland The Salvation Army.
The HIOBS website has some great items. A complete collection of HIOBS-recommended-for-course items can be found HERE. Please contact your course advisor for suggestions.
Packing several light layers rather than fewer heavier layers allows you more flexibility as the weather and workloads change. Inner layers should fit closely, middle layers should fit loosely and outer layers should be just a little bit baggy. When shopping or packing, it is a good idea to try on your layers together.
Before your expedition, your instructors will check your gear; they will assess your clothing with the actual route and the anticipated weather in mind. Items you don’t take on expedition will be stored safely at base. We suggest leaving the tags on any items you purchase in case you don’t actually pack them for expedition, but please note that you should check with each store to see what their return policies are. If there are items that you would like to bring but which are not mentioned on this list, feel free to call and ask your course advisor at 855-802-0307.
Tick- and mosquito-borne diseases are an increasing risk of traveling in the wild regions of the Americas, including our course areas in Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, the Bahamas, and Costa Rica. Fortunately, there are prevention steps that are very effective and, in most cases, treatment is relatively simple and recovery complete, so long as the diagnosis is made early. Students and their families should educate themselves on the risks, prevention measures, and signs and symptoms of tick-borne illnesses.
Since prevention is always better than treatment, we STRONGLY recommend pre-treating your footwear, long pants, long-sleeve shirts, jackets and hats with a chemical barrier containing permethrin, at least two days before traveling to your course. Applied correctly and allowed to dry before wearing, the treatment remains effective for up to a month. For even longer-lasting protection, you can either purchase clothing with permethrin embedded within it, or send your clothes to Insect Shield®, who will treat them and ship them back to you, ready for your course. Use the Coupon Code “HIOBS” to receive a 15% discount on both clothing and treatment services at this website (please note that you need to use the coupon separately for products/ service).
Permethrin spray is readily available at many retailers, including Dick's Sporting Goods, Campmor, and Walgreen's.
For more information, please download our Vector-Borne Disease General Fact Sheet.
Summer in Maine is often warm and sunny, but cold fronts are common and these bring wind and rain. Out on the water, the air stays cool and moist so warm, quick drying clothing is essential. The sun can be intense making sun protection (sun screen & clothing) very important. Temperatures at night can drop to the 40s and even lower in May and September. Daytime temperatures range from the 50s to the 80s.
These are NOT required items. Please only buy them if you plan to use them outside of your course.
Please note that Outward Bound provides all other equipment, including (but not limited to):
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