Royal Gazette – September 25th 2006

Spirits high on Bermuda sloop
By Elizabeth Roberts

Poor weather conditions did nothing to dampen the sense of excitement on board the training vessel Spirit of Bermuda as she set sail from Maine yesterday on her maiden voyage
The 112-foot, three-masted schooner has 32 members of crew ranging in age from 61-year-old captain Chris Blake to 15-year-old forewatch crewman, Marcus Fox.

The brainchild of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation, the Spirit of Bermuda offers world class extracurricular and school programmes targeting 14- to 20-year-olds, using ocean sail training to develop character, and promote team building and learning.

She set off on her 735 nautical mile trip from Penobscot Bay, Maine, at lunchtime yesterday and is set to be welcomed to Bermuda by a flotilla on Saturday.

Alan Burland, chairman of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation, said the atmosphere on board was “superb, sensational”, as she set sail in foggy and wet conditions. He said a cold front east of Rockport had prompted the ship to hug the coast of Maine with her sail reefed yesterday in anticipation of strong winds.

John Wadson, director of the foundation and chairman of the Sail Training Association of Bermuda was on board for two days before the Spirit set sail. “It was a bitter-sweet occasion. It was a very happy occasion to take the ship home, but to leave the home where she was built and all those fine people in Rockport was also quite sad,” he said. “There was a mixture of excitement and apprehension on board. Some of them have been to sea before but most have not.” Don’t miss The Royal Gazette for daily updates on the Spirit of Bermuda’s progress.