Bermuda Sun – April 19th 2002

Wave Power
By Alex O’Reilly

Initial funding secured for training vessel that will keep Bermuda’s youngsters out of trouble — and in touch with their maritime heritage

WORK will begin in September on the construction of a Bermuda sloop that will be used as a year-round marine classroom for local youngsters.

Tomorrow, the Bermuda Sloop Foundation (BSF) will formally announce $1.2 million in donations, provided by the Bermuda Government and the Bank of Bermuda.

Members of the foundation see it as a means of guiding youngsters in a positive direction while nurturing Bermuda’s best maritime traditions.

The boat will accommodate up to 1,500 young people a year in one-day, weekend and team events.

The idea started to take form five years ago, when a group of local sailors decided they could help Bermuda’s youth the best way they knew how — by introducing them to the ocean.

With a solid financial start to the fundraising, the group has now confirmed that construction of the boat will begin in the U.S. in September. The total cost is estimated at $3.6 million and it is hoped the boat will be ready by summer 2004.

The sloop will feature “innovative programmes that combine Bermuda’s maritime past with the skill requirements for the next century,” explained spokesman Malcolm Kirkland.

Mr. Kirkland and the directors — chairman Alan Burland, Brian Billings, Kenneth Bartram, Mark Norman, Anthoni Lightbourne, Dwayne Trott, Warren Brown Sr. and Jay Kempe — view Bermuda’s urban expansion with concern.

“We talk about globalization so much that the new breed of kid does not really know what it is about to be from Bermuda,” Mr. Kirkland said.

“We want to show young people what it is to be a Bermudian and fend off the downside of urbanization and globalization.”

Students will be targeted through the Outward Bound programme, which will incorporate an extra day through the BSF, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, the Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps and a BSF Direct Reach Initiative.

“At risk kids will be able to access the programme on a referral basis,” Mr. Kirkland said. “Outdoor leadership training has been proven to help mature teenagers.

“We are also applying to have this as a deferment from the Regiment. If a kid starts at 14 and by 18 they are leader, it is our hope that they can have a deferment as long as they stay a leader.”

If teens envisage an easy ride, they are seriously mistaken. Student applicants who are accepted will have to sign a Code of Conduct and be required to work together, in a variety of capacities, on the vessel.

As the project is now quickly moving ahead, the BSF is actively seeking more corporate and private sponsorship.

In the first year, the BSF is relying on sponsorship, but the business plan quickly transitions into developing revenue from chartering and retail sales. Also, the sale of a number of limited edition paintings will help toward the fundraising.

“There will be a very liberal scholarship programme for those accepted,” Mr. Kirkland said, adding that children whose parents can afford the programme, will be expected to pay. “All the financials, however, have been developed on the basis that all kids will be free.”

Safety has been a key factor in the plan. And the design was chosen specifically, Mr. Kirkland said, with this in mind.

Safe design
“We wanted with an absolutely safe design, the best marine architects and the best engineers in the world.

“It will be built to American Bureau Shipping standards for sail training vessels and will operate according to the U.K. Marine Coastal Agency,” he said.
In addition to the teenagers and team leaders, a permanent crew of three has been included in the budget.

A number of people have already volunteered as team leaders, but eventually the BSF would like to see young people go up through the ranks and take the leadership positions.

Although the BSF were advised by some to purchase tall ships that were already in use, Mr. Kirkland said, “Aside from the emotional, cultural aspect about having a vessel of historical significance, this boat is designed for Bermuda. The STV Bermuda is a 19th Century design schooner. It’s large deck space measuring 88 by 23 feet, but it only draws only 9.6 feet, so it can get into Castle roads and around the West End.

“The other thing is, the boat is designed around group access. On a normal boat the navigational area is like a bucket seat, we have designed it 11 feet across — the galley is not just for one cook.”

BSF will host a press conference on Saturday about initial funding for the project.