More than 500 cadets and staff boarded the Empire State VII, a state-of-the-art training ship used for the SUNY Summer Sea Term on Tuesday. The cadets on board are currently training to obtain their U.S. Coast Guard license.

The Summer Sea Term is an 8-week voyage, where student cadets learn valuable hands-on experience while on board. The college calls the experience "unforgettable" and "transformational."

Family and friends waved goodbye to the students as they set sail.

"We are watching our brothers and our siblings leave for 75 days on the maritime show, because it's sad watching them go, and then it's going to be hard, because I've grown up with him all my life," said Alex Costa, the brother of a SUNY cadet.

The cadets will arrive at the Port of Charleston in South Carolina on Friday, May 22.

According to the college, the cadets will continue their voyage to Malaga, Spain and Belfast, Ireland, before returning to New York on July 16.