Shoes on Board and what they mean

Ship: Regina Maris
Date: 16th of April 2025
Position: English Channel
Geographical Position: 50°10.662‘N 002°26.693‘W
Etmal: 167 nm
Total: 12,404 nm

Even though it might sound strange at first, shoes on board carry a lot more meaning than you’d think. The type of shoes someone wears says a lot about the person and their intentions.

Whether it’s Crocs, which are basically essential for survival on board – rubber boots that keep your feet dry through the wildest waves, or hiking boots that got us safely through the jungle, each pair tells a story.

At Ocean College, every single shoe gets put to the ultimate test – and judged based on its real-life performance.

So, let’s get into it:

1) Crocs

Crocs are probably the most-worn shoes here at Ocean College. They are absolutely essential for survival on board.

They can handle anything – from a swim stop in the middle of the Atlantic to an epic football match on the Cape Verde Islands (obviously only in sport mode). Crocs really are something special here and hold serious value.

Nobody cries over a stolen wallet – but lose your good old Crocs and that’s a real tragedy. But Crocs aren’t just practical beach shoes anymore; they’ve taken on a whole new role in on-board fashion.

The battle for Croc charms has reached a new level. Especially early in the trip, it wasn’t uncommon to wake up and realize all your charms had mysteriously disappeared overnight. The usual suspect? Our first cook, who would sneak into the cabins at night.

But if you needed to restock, all you had to do was score big at the Lost & Found auction.

2) Rubber Boots

Rubber boots are another great invention. They can handle any kind of water.

With them, you can survive watch duty with dry feet. Well… most of the time. Sometimes, you just get unlucky and a wave hits you full-on and then it doesn’t help if your boots are waterproof from the inside, because the water’s already come in from the top.

Still, rubber boots are incredibly useful and even came in handy during a jungle river hike.

3) Sneakers

Even though sneakers are probably the most common shoes back home, you rarely see them on board. When you do, it usually means someone’s heading into town, going for a run, playing football – or occasionally climbing the mast.

All in all, though, we can all agree on one thing: The best all-around, practical shoes are Crocs in sport mode.