A Message from our CEO

Let me start with the biggest news in this issue: the U.S. Department of Transportation has designated Chapman a Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education. After 55 years of hands-on training on our waterfront, federal recognition of that work is a milestone for every student, instructor, and supporter who helped earn it. You can read more inside.

A Message from the Director of Development

Secure Your Legacy and Shape the Future of Chapman for Future Generations of Mariners

Make-A-Will month is a timely reminder that creating or updating your will is one of the most meaningful steps you can take to protect the people and causes you love. A will allows you to provide for family members, name guardians for children and caregivers for pets, direct how your assets should be distributed, and ensure your wishes are honored.

Federal Recognition:
Chapman School Named a Maritime Center of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Transportation



The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) has designated Chapman a Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education—a designation that recognizes Chapman's success in preparing skilled mariners and marine technicians for careers critical to America's maritime industry.

This recognition reflects what happens on this campus every day: classroom instruction combined with intensive hands-on training aboard vessels and in technical environments, built on Chapman's Learn at the Helm teaching method and U.S. Coast Guard-approved career pathways. Across its core training programs, Chapman maintains a 97.8 percent graduation rate and a 90.4 percent immediate job placement rate.

This designation also recognizes the breadth of that work, from the 360-hour Professional Mariner Training and Yamaha Marine Maintenance programs to a formal agreement with U.S. Coast Guard Recruiting Command that allows qualifying graduates to enlist directly as active-duty Petty Officers at the E-4 pay grade.

Attaining Center of Excellence status is a milestone worth celebrating with everyone who helped earn it: our students, our instructors, our partners, and the maritime community we serve.

How You Can Help:

Beyond Cash: What Chapman Needs Right Now

Not every gift arrives in an envelope. Some of Chapman's biggest needs arrive on a trailer, and right now the school is looking for a diesel truck to safely pick up and transport donated boats that support our programs.

We are also continually looking for:

• Training boats for our on-the-water programs
• Yamaha engines for technician training
• Unused life rafts for safety instruction
• Training props for the classroom
• Landscaping help and materials for our campus renewal
• A boat forklift for our waterfront operations

To donate a vessel, start with our boat donation form or learn about our Donate-to-Lease program. For equipment and in-kind gifts, contact Renee Booth at r.booth@chapman.org or 772-233-0362.

And of course, cash donations keep every program running. An effective way to support Chapman is through a monthly gift: visit our online donation page and choose a monthly recurring gift that works for you, or contact Renee Booth directly to set up your monthly donation. You can also explore Leave Your Legacy planned giving options.

New Classes:

Three New Classes Come Aboard

August welcomed three new classes to campus: a new Professional Mariner Training cohort, Yamaha Technician class 08-27, and Yacht & Small Craft Surveying class 08-26, which arrived August 24 with 14 students.

For the PMT students, the weeks ahead hold charts, lines, engine rooms, and long days on the water, the kind of training that turns ambition into a maritime career. For the Yamaha Technician class, the timing could not be better: the marine industry is short roughly 30,000 technicians nationwide, and these students are training to help close that gap. And our 14 new surveying students begin the exacting work of learning what makes a vessel sound.

To every new student: welcome aboard. Put in the effort, and the water will give it back.

View Career Programs

On Campus:

Chapman and SDI Introduce Veterans and First Responders to Diving

Chapman and Scuba Diving International (SDI) hosted a pilot event on campus this month, introducing veterans and first responders to diving.

The day brought a remarkable group to the waterfront: actor AJ Buckley of SEAL Team and CSI: New York, Mary O'Neil Phillips of Country Outdoor, Breaking Benjamin lead guitarist Jasen Rauch, Ranger Up owner Eric Tansy, and Austin von Letkemann of Mandatory Fun Day.

Introducing those who have served their country and their communities to the water is exactly the kind of work Chapman was built for. Thank you to SDI and to every guest who helped launch this pilot.

Tech Tips from the Chapman Yamaha Technician Program

Summer Heat Is Hard on Marine Batteries

Everyone worries about batteries in winter. In Florida, it is the summer heat that quietly does the damage, speeding up corrosion and drying out cells until one day the key turns, and nothing happens.

Quick Maintenance Checklist:

• Check the Terminals: Clean, tight, and free of corrosion. White or green crust means it is time for a wire brush and protectant.
• Inspect the Case: Swelling or cracking means replace it, not charge it.
• Test the Voltage: A healthy resting battery reads about 12.6 volts or better.
• Keep It Charged: If the boat sits between trips, use a marine battery maintainer.
• Check the Hold-Down: A battery that bounces in a seaway is a battery that fails early.

If your engine cranks slowly, your electronics flicker, or your battery is more than a few seasons old, have a qualified marine technician test it before your next trip.

Your engine cannot start what your battery cannot deliver.

Safe Boating Tip:

Ask the Birds Before You Ask the Dock

Approaching the dock and not sure what the wind is doing? Look up. The gulls already know.

Birds roost facing into the wind. It keeps their feathers smooth, their footing steady, and their takeoff easy. So that row of gulls lined up on the pilings is not loitering. It is a free, feathered wind indicator, updated in real time.

Why it matters at the dock: a boat handles best when you approach slowly into the wind or current, whichever is stronger. Knowing the wind direction before you commit to your approach is half the battle, and the birds hand you that answer from a hundred feet out.

So before your next docking, take one look at the local welcoming committee. Point your bow the way they point their beaks, come in slow, and you will look like you have done this a thousand times.

Explore Boating Safety Courses

Did You Know?

The Green Flash Is Real

Whether you are at sea or standing on the beach, keep your eyes on the horizon at sunset. In that final second, just as the last sliver of sun slips below a clear ocean horizon, the light can flash a brilliant green.

It is not a myth, and it is not your eyes playing tricks. The atmosphere bends the sun's light like a prism, and at the right moment the green wavelengths are the last ones left standing. You need a clean horizon, clear air, and a little patience. Never stare at the sun until that last instant.

Sailors have their own version of the science: legend says whoever sees the green flash will never again be deceived in matters of the heart. Jules Verne wrote an entire novel chasing it.

So next sunset, watch for it. Some searches take a lifetime. This one only takes a second.

Exclusive New Benefit for Chapman Students & Graduates

Chapman School of Seamanship is proud to announce a new partnership with West Marine, designed specifically to benefit our student and alumni community.

Through this exclusive Chapman Program, eligible students and graduates can now access special discounts on a wide range of West Marine products, including boating safety equipment, marine electronics, maintenance supplies, apparel, dock lines, and other on-the-water essentials.

These savings go beyond standard retail promotions and are even greater than the discounts offered through West Marine’s Pro customer program, giving Chapman graduates a valuable advantage as they continue their boating careers and adventures.

Whether you're outfitting your vessel, replacing worn gear, purchasing tools for the job, or simply stocking up on boating necessities, this is a benefit worth taking full advantage of.

Enrollment is free, quick, and available now through the end of the year.

Don’t leave money on the table. Sign up now and start saving on the gear you need most.

Stay Connected With Chapman!



Chapman School of Seamanship continues to grow because of the students, alumni, families, donors, employers, and community partners who believe in practical maritime education.

Thank you for helping us prepare safer boaters, stronger technicians, more confident youth, and the next generation of marine professionals.