Eight days after her ship left Vancouver bound for Japan, it came close to capsizing in the northern Pacific Ocean.

On Jan. 26, nearly 700 miles south of the Aleutian Islands, icy waves increasingly battered the 591-foot ship, known as the Explorer.

"Things were flying everywhere," Libby said in a telephone interview. "The ship was creaking and rocking, so we had a hard time getting to sleep. But we didn't know we were in danger." The Explorer had approximately 650 students on board, plus faculty members and their families.

"The crew woke us up early the next morning," she said, "and made us put on life jackets and walk up to the lifeboat deck." In a large dining room, women and children were then separated from the men.

Soon after the students were separated, a 55 foot wave slammed the ship breaking the windows on the bridge. Power and navigational systems also shorted out after the bridge flooded. "We rolled so far over we were almost parallel to the sea," said Libby. "It was impossible to stand up and everyone kept sliding into each other."

In the meantime, the ship's crew put out an emergency signal, and the Coast Guard launched rescue operations. According to Libby, the nearest merchant ship was several hours away.

Fortunately, rescue was not necessary.

By mid-morning the captain had regained manual control of the ship, which had not suffered engine damage. Given the structural damage, however, the Explorer looked for a port to make repairs. Initially, the ship headed for Midway Island, then turned toward the closer Honolulu, some 1,600 miles away.

"A lot of things were broken," Libby said of the storm's aftermath. "The classrooms were destroyed and all the equipment including televisions and computers were broken." She said, "The students were amazing about helping with the cleanup."

Several days later the dented ship limped into Honolulu's harbor.

"The captain and crew were absolutely great," Libby said. After a week in Honolulu, she and her fellow students were flown to China to resume their world tour. A few students also decided to return home, she said.

Despite the scare, Libby—a UCLA junior—said she looked forward to the rest of the trip. The Semester at Sea program offers classes for college students on board ship while also making related stops in several countries. Although the storm forced the Explorer to cancel visits to Japan and Korea, this semester's destinations still include sailing to China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, India, Kenya and South Africa. Libby, who has an interest in developing countries, particularly looks forward to visiting Africa. "I love traveling," she said.