Young Cape Cod students learn what it takes to be sea captains aboard Hy-Line Cruise ferry

The engines revved and the boat surged forward as seven students crowded at the windows squealing with delight and watching the scenery go by.

On the first Friday of every month, the students at the Cape Cod Christian Academy get together for an out of school “Fun Day” activity.

Last Friday, the activity was a tour of the Vineyard Lady, one of the boats operated by Hy-Line Cruises in Hyannis, so students could learn what it takes to become a sea captain.

And as a special treat, Captain Mike Lambias took the students out for a short cruise.

The “Fun Day” outings are designed to be a time to connect with members of the school community, something to do together, said Dr. Tracy L. Waters, founder and head of the school.

It is a way to provide the students with some hands-on experiential learning while also establishing and building partnerships with and among parents, Waters said.

Sometimes the “Fun Day” outing might be as simple as packing up picnic lunches and going to the park for a few hours.

At other times, the school has gone to museums, such as the Air and Space Museum, where students were able to see an actual flight simulator.

Students have also gone to Taylor Bray Farm, the Museum of Natural History in Brewster, the Cape Cod Museum of Art and Plimouth Patuxet Museums.

Often the outings are designed to address specific student interests.

For example, one student dreamed of becoming an airline pilot, so Waters' husband Buster Waters — also co-founder of the school — took several students to the Chatham airport to show them what it is like to fly a plane. Buster Waters contacted his friend, Murray Scudder, business manager at Hy-Line Cruises, to arrange this most recent trip.

During the tour, Lambias explained that the Vineyard Lady is a catamaran with two keels and two separate diesel-powered engines.

One of the students noted that the anchors are used to stabilize the boat, whereupon Lambias told of a time that he went out in sunny, calm weather that turned into a violent storm and that he needed the anchors just for that purpose.

In the pilot house, he explained that it took him about five years to become a boat captain and that he started out as a captain’s mate and then captained sight-seeing boats before piloting the Vineyard Lady to and from Martha’s Vineyard five times a day.

He also showed the students the instruments he uses to navigate the boat and pointed out the GPS system.

“It works just like in a car,” he said. “I set it to my destination and then just follow the route. It’s just like a car, but on water.”

He showed the students the radar system and two of the boys immediately started asking questions and were quickly able to identify other boats and places along the shore.

“You can see other boats. And if I see these trails I can tell if the boat is moving,” Lambias explained.

He showed them the emergency radio system and explained why that was important when going out to sea.

Finally, the part all the students were wondering about came when Lambias announced he was taking the Vineyard Lady out.

Two best friends Dominic Delosantos and Alex Thonus crammed together at one window and were fascinated by watching people walking along the beaches on shore.

Dominic said he liked it when the boat went fast, but he also liked it when it slowed down so he could see the sights.

Alex said he really liked being in the pilot house.

At one point another boat passed going the opposite direction.

All of the students, and their parents too, ran from one side of the boat to the other to get a look.

At another point everyone went to the stern of the boat and watched the wake of the waves that the two propellers made.

Quinn Cavicchi, like most of the students, said his favorite part of the trip was going fast.

Marcela Ramos agreed, but added that she liked learning about the GPS.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: What does it take to be a Cape Cod sea captain? Ask these kids.