Deckhand Educator Alumnus Spotlight: Eric Walton

Name?

Eric Walton

Where are you from?

The DC area - went to school in Maine (Colby College) and did a semester abroad with SEA which introduced him to tall ships. Environmental policy background. Looking to do something outside - found WOS. Love being on the water and knew that he loved being on tall ships. Sounded like an adventurous first year out of school and get some unique work experience and hands-on teaching. Accidentally stumbled upon it.

When/where/how long did you sail with World Ocean School?

Got aboard in Nov 2017. First full crew of Americorps Deckhands. Stayed on for a full year.

What is one of your favorite memories with World Ocean School?

A lot of funky memories, a lot of great opportunities. The one I always come back to and share the most - during proctor we had left savannah, heading towards caribbean. THE coffee pot broke halfway through, which was terrible because it was our only one. We had to jerry-rig something. We had a lot of memories associated with this pot. One of the students came up with an idea to have a funeral at sea for the coffee pot. We had a memorial at evening muster. We wrapped it up in a cloth, Captain Flansburg and mates gave eulogy about how important the pot was to them. One student threw it into the water, very calm and quiet with the creaking of the boat, swaying of the sails, calm water, the pot slowly sinking into the water. One student started singing Saving Grace and everyone joined in. Sun set and there was a green flash. Very serene and emotional moment of connection and clarity in terms of how viable relationships built on the boat were. It was an example of sharing silliness in a fun way, which everyone was on board with. High school students are both very silly and conscious of what their peers think - nobody was concerned with how others were perceiving them in that moment, which is what you want on the ship.

What was your favorite part of the day routine while you were living on board?

Favorite was that if you’re efficient with chores during duty day and everyone else is on shore, you can find some quiet solitude, which isn’t common. Those moments are very valuable - set up a hammock and get some alone time.

Yard is different - Gloucester has the best sunsets. End of yard days - everyone’s eating lunch or dinner after work, everyone is chatting and spending time together. Quiet moments are generally the most favorite (although not while on watch - those start to drive you crazy).

What do you remember about your favorite part of student programs?

Anytime a student is able to take on tasks independently. You’re there to teach and provide support, but that’s the bare minimum. What I found the most meaningful was during day programs when students felt comfortable climbing the rig or tying knots on their own. On longer, overnight programs it’s great to see when they self-police each other when it comes to chores and take on watch responsibilities without being told. When they take on responsibilities without realizing it, without being told, with a willingness to dig into routines that they were at first unwilling to do… muscle memory without prompting is what I found the most impactful.

Who did you meet/get to know better on board?

Students were fantastic. Proctor is special because it was so long. During the program it was a really cool evolution of building relationships on board. Steve and Eden are still kicking around and I appreciate that Eden has written a recommendation for me very recently. Hard to put into words how impactful working at WOS as an educator was in terms of personal growth. Consequently it has an important place in my heart because of that. I appreciate Eden and Steve being a part of that still. There was also a bar in STX that’s now closed, but that was a very special place for us.

What was your impression of the crew?

High highs, low lows… generally a positive group. The most important thing when you have a group of people like that together is being realistic about situations. Toxic positivity is a bad thing - it’s okay to admit something sucks. When we’re all wet, tired, and haven’t slept in two days, it's best to be realistic about that with each other and know that we’ll get through it together. Be willing to accept difficult situations as difficult and then they’re more easy to deal with when everyone is realistic about it. I think squalls can be exciting, but they’re never fun. Everyone has to buckle down and get the job done and then talk about it afterwards. I appreciated the almost telepathic recognition of situations as they were. That translates to good things too - sunsets, catching fish, etc. Being intentional about being where we are now is helpful.

What might you say to students who are thinking about coming on board for a program? What might you tell their families who are worried about letting them come?

I always told people that I would never necessarily recommend that someone do it, but if you find it on your own, do it. Ship life is hard - you do everything. That’s hard to prepare someone for. You just have to be prepared to do things you didn’t expect to do. A job description for crew can only go so far. In my experience, the folks that are attracted to this are ones who deal with adversity in a certain way - it happens, you deal with it, you move on.

WOS does a good job of making sure that nobody gets hurt. Physically you’ll be okay, but mentally you might go through a tough time, but it won’t last that long. It’s important for personal growth, and not something you can necessarily be prepared for, but it will make you a better person. Pushing through is the most important thing. There's going to be moments that are tough to get through, but it’s worth pushing through. The high highs are much higher than the low lows. Be intentional while you’re doing it. Recognize you’ll be frustrated, but that’s okay and it’s worth trying and giving it a shot.

Did you learn anything from your experience? If so, what?

Intentionality and the value of hard work. Sounds like a boomer but it’s true. Intentionality being that when you decide to work, don’t worry about what other people are doing. When you take time off, be intentional about taking rest time. I worked hard at separating my work and play time and being intentional about it.

I enjoy my creature comforts now because I didn’t have them then. Now when I have to do all-nighters or something difficult, I know I can do it because I did a whole lot more with a whole lot less when I was on Roseway, so that’s shaped my work ethic. Sometimes make some sacrifices to make a difference - you’re there to make sure kids are having an important learning experience and keeping them safe and sometimes that requires you to lose a little sleep. Roseway gives you that understanding at the basic level and gives you a foundation to use that in the bigger picture in life.

A little physical labor is good for everyone - especially if you’re coming out of a bougie liberal arts college like I was.

What are your goals for the future? Do you see yourself being involved in any way with the maritime industry?

Afterwards I did environmental ed mostly in ME. Then work for food-systems based start up companies. Sustainable seafood is what I do now. Small start up supporting local fisherman and sustainability of environmentally conscious seafood. The Roseway experience came in a bit here - a big part of what I was doing in this new job was education. I was telling chefs why this was a worthwhile investment. Then I went to graduate school - SCRIPTs in CA (with another Roseway crew alumni!). When I graduate I’ll move to Boston to work with a few charitable trusts and get market support for certain fisheries policies.