Royal Gazette – March 17th 2004 Contract signed for training ship By Sarah Titterton After more than seven years of preparation, the Bermuda Sloop Foundation is ready to lay the keel for the 88-foot Bermudian sail training schooner. The BSF signed a contract on Monday with Rockport Marine, in Rockport, Maine for the building of the sloop, which will be used within the public school system to allow students a new platform for learning. "We have raised a total of $3,650,000, and, as a result, are able to proceed with the building of the ship," said project manager Malcolm Kirkland. "We are extremely grateful to the companies, the Bermuda Government and the many individuals who contributed funds towards this project. "Our goal was to have the fundraising contributions led by Bermudians, and that has happened. Over 80 percent of the dollars are from local individuals and Bermudian companies." BSF chairman Alan Burland said: "We have been working on this project for seven and a half years to ensure we got it right, so you can imagine the satisfaction we feel at being able to finally lay the keel. "We spent three and a half years alone arriving at a safe design for youth work that was also representative of Bermuda's maritime history." Tightly integrated with the public school system and the National Training Board, the sloop will offer students a chance both in school and as an extra-curricular activity to learn about life on board a Bermudian sailing vessel. The programme, which the BSF also hopes will help break down racial and social barriers, will help children from different backgrounds to learn to work together and depend on each other. There will be an academic side as well as team/character building work. The opportunity for aspiring engineers to work in the engine room or hopeful chefs to work in the galley is another part of the expeditionary learning approach utilised on board the vessel. Singling out the Bank of Bermuda Centennial Trust, the Bank of Bermuda Foundation and the Bermuda Government for their belief and support, Mr. Kirkland also thanked major contributors the ACE Foundation, Fidelity International, the XL Foundation, General Atlantic Group of Companies, Montpelier Re, AWAC and RenaissanceRe.