Anybody who knows Claudette Baisden?s sense of adventure will not be surprised at all to hear of the Bermudian?s recent adventure in which she spent six weeks sailing in the Pacific.

It was an extension of another bold decision by the 41 year old who surprised many with her decision to return to school to complete her college degree after an absence of 18 years. In neither instance does she hold any regrets.

?I had a semester left to graduate,? revealed Ms Baisden who dropped out of college to join the Police Service in 1986. She stayed there until 1994 and has been at the Department of Parks for the last ten years.

Two years ago she decided to complete her education ... and if she was looking for an even bigger challenge she certainly found it on board the 134-foot yacht which came about when she decided to complete her senior year in the SEA (Sea Education Association) Semester semester.

?You actually learn Oceanography, Maritime studies and Nautical Science and every class relates to the other,? said Ms Baisden who majored in Environmental Studies at Southern Vermont College.

It was the same school she attended in the 1980s and much had changed in almost 20 years.

Of the 21 students on board the vessel, Ms Baisden was the only student from her school and also the oldest. The first six weeks were spent in the ?shore component? in Woods Hole, Cape Cod, where the curriculum including lectures, seminar discussions, field trips and labs in a traditional classroom setting. As working members of the ship?s company during the ?sea component?, students share responsibility for the navigation and operation of the ship as they quickly learn the ropes.

There were two choices, the Atlantic or Pacific, and life aboard a sailing ship at sea is very different from life ashore. In the beginning students have little energy left after their work for anything but sleeping and eating. Berths (semi-enclosed bunks) are the only place to find real privacy.

?I have been into sailing all my life and have been on transatlantic on two occasions and I have always wanted to go to sea and learn about the environment and this was the opportunity,? said Ms Baisden who learned about the SEA Semester through the college?s brochure.

The cost would have proven a stumbling block for some, but Ms Baisden would not be deterred.

?I saw $20,000 but I turned a blind eye to that page and kept going,? said Ms Baisden who came up with a portion. The National Training Board, Park Service, the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, Human Resources and Bermuda Sailing Association helped with the rest and made the venture possible.

?The main person at the helm for me was Mr. Stanley Oliver, former head of Civil Service. Others who supported me were Michael Stowe, Director of the National Training Board, Ralph Richardson, Director of ACE Foundation, Brian Billings of the Sailing Association, Allan Burland and Kenneth Dill, the Assistant Cabinet Secretary.

?Most importantly is my grandmother Myrtle Baisden. As long as she has been in my life she has never allowed me to accept failure.?

Ms Baisden saw the SEA Semester as the ultimate adventure ?because the bond you have at sea with others is something unique?.

?It taught me that everything you do in life requires teamwork, that success in life is not a one-man show,? she said, adding that she felt an obligation to share her knowledge with other Bermudians young and old and would welcome speaking to school children about her adventure.

?I just want to thank the Bermuda Government for providing such a programme that allowed me to continue my studies and remain employed. It is good that Government is able to look at mature students because when I first applied to go away to school I was turned down. I have been in Government almost 20 years and all I ever wanted to do was finish my degree.?

She explained that the students had a choice of sailing the Atlantic or Pacific, but most students choose not to go to the Pacific because they have to pay $1,500 for a plane ticket.

?But I figured if you paid $20,000 what is $1,500 more. For me, I had already sailed across the Atlantic Ocean,? she stated.

?School started on December 28 so we were in school on New Year?s Eve and New Year?s Day. The professors there are a different breed, there is school on New Year?s Day. There are sleepovers when you have projects and they are very, very dedicated and will stay there until 12 or one o?clock in the morning.

?The demand is so high. You have to learn three months of work in six weeks, so you always have homework. It?s very common to see students at school at one or two o?clock in the morning. I was always closing the door at 3.30 a.m. and starting again at 5.30 in the morning!?

In total there were 50 students in the SEA Semester, 21 who sailed the Pacific and the rest the Atlantic. All of them were younger than Ms Baisden who was nicknamed ?Momma Bermuda? by the others who came from other colleges in the US and also countries like Hungary, Germany, Ireland and New Zealand.

?That?s what got them attached to me. Obviously I was their parents? age and for them to see me with so much energy and come back to school and have the desire to learn so much, they just couldn?t believe it,? the Bermudian stated.

She looked at school through different eyes than she did at 20 years of age ... but it helped her to relate to her fellow students.

?But if I had to do it all over again I would do it the same way,? said Ms Baisden who has rejoined the Parks Department as a Park Ranger.

?If it was peaches and cream it wouldn?t have been half as memorable. I look at my friends who have married with families and they tell me I have the best life. My friends are actually very supportive, along with my family.

?They actually lived this experience along with me. It wasn?t easy, a lot of nights I cried. It was frustrating because when I went back to school two years ago I didn?t even know how to turn on a computer.

?I felt cheated, I was with Bermuda Government for 18 years and just wanted a change in life. I knew there was something else out there for me to do and I didn?t feel I was at my potential in the Police Service.?

She added: ?At Southern Vermont College my professors had never seen anybody like me have such a desire to learn. I started off in some classes with Fs which I turned into As by the end of the semester. Going back to school was, for me, like learning to walk as a baby because everything was so new.

?To decide to go back to school after not being there for 18 years is not the easiest thing in the world. I had two jobs and a good life but I just decided that I needed more challenges in my life. Learning should be an ongoing situation, education is life.?

After completing one more class, Ms Baisden will graduate next month. No doubt the highlight of her education the second time around was the six weeks she spent aboard the vessel where she learned to play the violin.

?At sea we were not in contact with the rest of the world,? said Ms Baisden whose Bermuda shorts prompted many discussions about her homeland.

?The students weren?t allowed Internet, telephones, television, CDs, cassettes ... you had to make your own music. It showed you can survive without a lot of things. I craved a coke soda and that was the biggest thing I missed. It teaches you to get in tune with yourself. Even when you are sailing and are at the helm they blindfold you for an hour. You have to listen and get in touch with your inner self. You hear the sails luffing which means that wind is going into it and you are off course.?

She added: ?You are out there with the whales and the stars. I?ve been chasing dolphins and whales for the last 41 years and this was the first time I saw them. It was beautiful.

?To go on this boat was a lot of money but you never get a chance to live like that. And if you do it you never forget it.?

Of the 21 students aboard the , 17 were female. ?They taught you a lot about maritime and the slaves and I used to be in my bunk at night and try to imagine what my ancestors went through (on the slave ships). We went across the equator and it was real rough with the currents which slammed the boat all over the place.?

On the Polynesian island of Nuka Hiva, where the first ?Survivor? was filmed, Ms Baisden taught the young children there how to play soccer as well as about Bermuda.

?The people are beautiful people,? she revealed.

?There are behind times, there are no newspapers. They don?t need a lot of money, as long as they have their peace of mind. They have a lot of fresh fruits and herbs.

?The island is just starting to build up. In the 1980s they didn?t even have cars and trucks, they still travelled around on horses.?

By comparison the vessel that sailed through the Pacific islands was modern and sophisticated. ?We had a piece of equipment on that boat that cost $60,000,? revealed Ms Baisden who was the only student from her school, Southern Vermont College. ?It was state of the art, the best sailing vessel in the world ... top of the line. You?ll never get the chance to go on a boat that small with that much equipment on it.?

The piece of equipment that Ms Baisden will always remember was a bell that was used constantly on the boat.

?If I heard a bell now it would take me back,? she admitted.

?The bell woke us up for dinner, before your shift everyone gets woken up a half hour early. You can?t start your shift until everyone is there. Safety is number one. Everyone had a number and everyday before we started class you had to count off your number. You had to know where everybody was on the boat.

?For young people this would be an excellent programme for them. They have to conform out there, that?s the only way to survive. You learn unity and when you learn about other cultures you respect people?s opinion, but not necessarily agree with it.?