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Relax, Rejuvenate and Learn! Join your fellow surveyors and bring along the family and friends in October 2026 on an amazing 7 night cruise from New York City to New Port, Rhode Island; Boston, Massachusetts; Saint John (Bay of Fundy), Canada; and Halifax (Nova Scotia), Canada on the beautiful Majestic Princess. Departs New York City Saturday, October 3, 2026 and returns to New York City Saturday, October 10, 2026. BOOK YOUR CABIN TODAY - DEPOSIT ONLY DUE REGISTER TODAY FOR THE LEARNING The Cruise
The Learning - FL Provider No.11
History of Swamp and Overflowed Lands and Island Surveys in Florida – Course# 11097 (6 CECs) The main purpose of this seminar is to familiarize surveyors of the Swamp and Overflowed Lands Act of 1850 and its impact on the surveying of Florida. Additionally, it will include a major segment on the development of surveying the islands around Florida and the unique adaptations surveyors made to survey these valuable lands more accurately. The problems with the Swamp Lands acts were many, including the poor direction given to the Surveyor’s General and the Deputy Surveyors in Florida. The lack of precise instructions as to the separation of these types of land from the navigable water bodies in Florida has plagued Florida surveying to this day. Unlike California, where “segregation surveys” were given very specific instructions, those surveying in Florida were given much discretion in deciding upon where the lines of survey fell. Three acts of Congress attempted to clarify the intent of the legislation but ultimately failed to give full understanding to the nature of swamp or overflowed lands. Recovering from The Great Halifax Explosion of 1917: The Roles of the Surveyors and Planners – Course# 11096 (6 CECs) This course will review the history of the Great Halifax Explosion of 1917. What we know, historically, is that the “blast " was the largest man-made, non-nuclear explosion the world had seen up to that time. Halifax, at that time was the largest city in Atlantic Canada with an active population of around 57,000 at the time of the explosion. 1,600 houses were totally destroyed by the blast in Halifax and Dartmouth (a smaller town across the harbor numbering around 7,000). Another 5,000 homes and businesses also had major damage from the blast. All this damage and carnage had to be replaced or repaired in a very short time. Halifax was the busiest port on the Atlantic coast, transporting troops, munitions, food, and other supplies to the allied forces in Europe. The process and organization of this monumental task fell to the Halifax Relief Committee under the leadership of Robert S. Low who began the reconstruction while the fires were still burning in parts of the city. By January 22, 1918, a little over a month after the blast, nearly $21,000,000 had been donated of budgeted for the Halifax Relief Commission. Low and others, using the broad powers granted in the emergency, brought in the best talent available, including Thomas Adams, one of the premier planners in the English-speaking world, to help plan the reconstruction. The course will include a general discussion of the town-planning movement of which Adams was one of the founders and movers. It will discuss the role of surveying in recreating people's lives and livelihoods in the devastated region, and beyond. The town plans included new street layouts, forms of construction and new materials that are still in use today. The rebuilding of the docks and warehouses along the waterfront also became highly important, especially when we consider that Halifax was again one of the busiest ports in the late 1930s leading up to the Second World War. It is little wonder that the leading history of this important port city is called "Halifax: Warden of the North." (Thomas H. Raddall, 1965). Also, discussed will be the tradition of the City of Boston receiving a Christmas Tree from the people of Halifax every year as a reminder of the great and generous help Boston sent to Halifax in its time of greatest need. The Instructor Dr. Joe Knetsch will be our live onboard instructor for the 2026 Seminars at Sea. Dr. Knetsch received his Ph. D. in history from Florida State University (1990), an MA in history from Florida Atlantic University (1974) and a B.S. from Western Michigan University with a major in History and Economics. He was the historian for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (formerly Department of Natural Resources), Division of State Lands from 1987 to August of 2014. He is the author of sixteen books (mostly on Florida History), over two hundred journal articles, forty book reviews and over two hundred and twenty papers and presentations on Florida history. Dr. Knetsch is a member of numerous historical societies and associations. He currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida with his wife of forty-nine years, Linda. He also currently works as a consultant for the Town of Redington Beach, the State of Alabama and other private interests. The Details
Please contact Gail Oliver at Tesoro Travel via email at [email protected] or phone 904-687-5655. Please include via this link your legal names and dates of birth, along with cabin preference of Suite, Mini-Suite, Balcony or Inside. Click Here to Check out the Cabins and their Availability: The Sponsorship $3000
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Announcements
UF Geomatics Extension Program to Coordinate Florida Trig-Star Math Competition
The UF Geomatics Extension Program is excited to announce that the Trig-Star Competition is returning to Florida for the 2025-2026 school year. Find out more by clicking here.
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