Sea Training for Young People

The sea is a challenging environment, one which encourages young people to get the best out of themselves. Learning to handle a traditional sailing vessel at sea and in all conditions tests the innate abilities of each individual to the limit. Few youngsters have ever had the opportunity of finding out just what they are capable of in such a way.

Meeting these challenges and overcoming them brings a sense of achievement that is rare in the world in which most young people grow up. Whether it is the satisfaction that comes from having completed an offshore passage and having brought the boat safely to its destination, having mastered some of the arts of seamanship and having stood watch in the small hours, or the attainment of Royal Yachting Association qualifications, every youngster leaves with a definite sense of having reached some personal goal.

The sea quickly impresses on young people the need to be able to accomplish tasks by using and developing their individual skills and abilities. The circumstances in which they find themselves encourage them to find the best in themselves and contribute it towards achievement of common goals. Resourcefulness and decision-making come to the fore almost without conscious effort.

Important though the individual is, nobody can tackle the job of sailing a traditional sailing vessel except as part of a team. Each activity requires people to work together. The teamwork which is such a natural and integral part of the experience when the ship is underway is reinforced during off-duty hours, with everybody helping to prepare and cook meals, keep the boat shipshape and sharing evenings in the saloon.

For many youngsters, this is likely to be the first opportunity they have had to discover whether they have within themselves the ability to take charge of situations, and take responsibility for others. Traditional sailing gives every member of the group the chance to take the lead in various situations, and benefit from the satisfaction of having done so.

This is an experience during which each individual discovers things about him or herself. Young people are taken out of their normal environment and placed in circumstances that encourage the development of new skills, personal attributes and positive attitudes about themselves and others. Whatever their background, the groups of young people who sail with Trinity leave at the end of their stay with a new outlook on life, aware of capabilities within themselves that they had not previously recognised, and with a new level of self-esteem.