Sail Training International

After a successful 2008 program, The Maritime School of the West Indies will again provide the chance for ten young candidates to sail on board a sail training "Tall Ship" in 2009. The children will be chosen from Saba, Statia, St.Martin and Sint Maarten. Prior to embarkation, the group will be provided with safety and survival training classes (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping, or STCW95) at no cost to the participants. The school will also send a supervisor/mentor along on the voyage.

The bark "Europa" will set sail on a TransAtlantic voyage from Halifax, Canada to Belfast, Ireland and on to Holland in the last leg of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge organized by Sail Training International. Sail training Tall Ships from around the world are invited to participate in The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009, a spectacular odyssey around the North Atlantic Ocean of more than 7000 nautical miles following the traditional route taken by sailing ships of a by-gone age. Ships and crew can participate in the whole series, or just a part of it. Sailing in the Challenge will be exciting and competitive ... and host ports in mainland Spain, the Canary Islands, Bermuda, the US, Canada and Northern Ireland are already preparing a fabulous welcome for the fleet and trainee crews.

The fleet will gather in Vigo on the northwest corner of Spain (30 April - 3 May) for the start of the first race in the series, 900 nautical miles south-south-west to Tenerife in the Canary Islands (14 - 17 May).

From there, the fleet will race the 2,600 nautical miles westward to Bermuda (12 - 15 June) where the ships and crews will be the centrepiece of the island's celebrations of its 400th anniversary.

The fleet will then race to Charleston on the US east coast (25 - 29 June) before proceeding to Boston, Mass (8 - 13 July).

Then they will cruise a further 370 miles north-north-east to Halifax (16 - 20 July), where celebrations include the 250th anniversary of the Naval Port.

The final race will start on Monday 20 July, 2009 in Halifax Canada, and it is there that the youngsters sent by the Maritime School will come on board.

The crossing is about 2,350 nautical miles eastbound across the North Atlantic to Belfast, Northern Ireland (13 - 16 August) which will host the series grand finale celebrations.

From there the bark Europa will sail to Delfzeil in Holland where the trainees will disembark. Delfzeil is an endorsed port and will host a lot of festivities for the ships after the official races have ended in Ireland.

Sail training on board ships has proven trough the years to be one of the most efficient educational ways to prepare youngsters for the real world.

The organization Sail Training International has its roots in the middle of the last century when the Sail Training International Race Committee was created to organise the first race of sail training Tall Ships in 1956. Today's Sail Training International was formed in early 2002 and granted charitable status in early 2003. All those involved in the creation of Sail Training International had been directors or members of the International Committee of the International Sail Training Association (a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK Sail Training Association), which developed from the original Sail Training International Race committee to continue organising The Tall Ships' Races in Europe.

About The bark Europa
The Europa was built in 1911 in Hamburg and first named 'Senator Brockes'. For years it served as a lightship on the Elbe. Harry Smidt bought the ship in 1986 and moved it to Holland to have it rebuilt into a bark (a square - rigged three-mast); the Europa. Since 1994 the completely renovated Europa sails the oceans as trainee ship. The bark Europa is a First class world racer. The ship has sailed every ocean. This three-master is equipped with a total of 30 sails and has participated in many Tall Ships' Races since 1994 and with great success: In 2000 the Europa became first in one of the legs and second in the overall Transatlantic match series. The past summer the Europa was in Cape Town South Africa for a refit after having sailed non-stop for 15 years. This winter the vessel can be found in Antarctica.

Accommodation
The classic mahogany deckhouse, teak deck and floors and the authentic details take you back to the 20th century.
The comfortable cabins, eleven in total, are well equipped with a private lavatory and shower.
De berths are divided into two two-person cabins, five four-person cabins and four six-person cabins.
Furthermore you will find a sick-bay, a deck lounge with bar, a dining saloon and a relaxing reading corner.

Ship type: Bark
Homeport: Scheveningen, NL
Date built: 1911
Restored: 1994
Crew: 14
Capacity: 48 pers.
Daytrips: 100 pers.
Length: 56 m
Beam: 48.6 m
Draught: 3.9 m
Sail: 1250 m2
Displacement: 303 t
Height of mast: 33 m
Engine capacity: 2 x Caterpillar D343

Information about Sail Training International:
www.sailtraininginternational.org

Photos Courtesy of Sail Training International

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