Only during a Tall Ship Adventure
When the summer comes to an end and school has started back up again, most teenagers can’t wait to share their stories from the season. Here at Tall Ships Adventure, our trainees are no exception as their summer onboard never fails to amaze and inspire!
There are many special things about what happens on a Tall Ships Adventure. One of these being the phrase “you just had to be there” when re-telling your story to others after the summer. These moments are in no short supply on our voyages.
Below you’ll learn a few reasons why a summer aboard a tall ship is a great way to spend your summer vacation as well as creating a lifetime of “you just had to be there” moments as there is something special in every day onboard.
Making lifelong friends
Tall Ships Adventure offers incredible opportunities to not only learn to sail but to bond quickly with those around you. While being physically healthy, and growing intellectually is important, we argue that developing meaningful friendships are just as crucial.
Throughout a voyage, trainees often find themselves in close quarters with those around them. This provides the perfect environment for fast-growing friendships and bonding with one another while being a part of the ship’s crew!
Don’t just take our word for it, here it is straight from a trainee!
"The best part of being in a watch is that you live in such close quarters that you get to know these people better than you ever thought possible in such a small amount of time."
The Watch System
The watch system allows trainees to bond very closely with those around them. Often you will find the watched singing songs and exchanging stories and jokes. If it’s soaking wet and raining on deck, we’re all in this together!
You and your watch, including the officers, are working together side by side to run the ship. By the end of a voyage, you will have sailed a tall ship and experienced incredible challenges with others whom you may have just met.
You have become part of the group; you face challenges as a team, look out for the safety of your fellow crew members, and navigate the ship through easy and difficult times. We firmly believe that overcoming the challenges that come with sailing a tall ship creates lasting friendships and memories.
Learning Valuable Life Skills
As trainees are often in such close quarters with one another, they quickly learn how important teamwork and effective communication is. Here at Tall Ships Adventure, we take steps to ensure youth are always empowered throughout their voyages with us.
Trainees take the helm, learn to plot a course on a chart, haul lines, climb aloft to furl sails, complete activities around the galley, and perform ship maintenance. By accomplishing these tasks, our trainees increase self-confidence and resilience while having the time of their lives!
While the primary reason trainees join us for an adventure is to learn to sail a tall ship, we also provide interactive activities such as firing cannons, learning about navigation, engine room operations, cooking in the galley, and so much more!
There is a lot to do aboard our ships whether it's helming the ship, working in the engine room, cooking in the galley, or completing the ship's logs, trainees can do it all on board! Through completing these tasks, working with others, and effectively communicating with the crew, our program truly helps develop young people into leaders, and happy, healthy adults.
Want to learn more about what you’ll be doing during your adventure? Check out our day in the life page here!