Bermuda Sun – November 3 2006

"We're just trying to give them a different viewpoint"
B. Candace Ray
Welsh chief officer on board Spirit, Sarah Robinson spent nine years on sail training ships and stepped in for two months as 2nd Mate on a general cargo ship. She formerly served under Capt. Chris Blake, who recruited her.

"I'll be the captain of a ship eventually," she said. "Whether it's a container ship or a sailing ship, I don't know.

"She's come to Bermuda to experience a different culture and different ways of doing things. As the chief officer on Spirit, her role is to make sure the routines are in place, that everything works safely and that the students are kept occupied.

"We're not expecting everyone to come here and be a changed person, but we're just trying to give them a different viewpoint," she said.She considers herself lucky, however, to be in a position to see change when it does happen.

Noting Spirit's seaworthiness, speed and high safety standards, she said having the students on board is "what it's all about."

"Most of these guys, when they arrived didn't know how to make their bed, didn't know which end of a broom to hold…They've learned they have to have a lot of tolerance and respect for each other because they're all sleeping in that area.

"She said the boys were still working on the 'not' talking. The first night everyone was too excited to sleep; by the end of the second day, they were too tired to stay awake.

"It's leadership, teamwork, respecting each other. Yes, it's the domestic stuff as well,

" she said.She said the classroom guidebook, The 7 Habits helped them ask questions of themselves that no one had ever asked before.