Caribbean Sail Training to offer youngsters free sail training on board Dutch Tall Ship “Eendracht”

STV Eendracht in Marigot SXM © Caribbean Sail Training

The non-profit association Caribbean Sail Training announced today that they are again offering great sailing adventures to Caribbean youngsters in the next upcoming season.

In cooperation with the Dutch "Stichting Zeilschip Eendracht", and with the help of sponsoring from a young girl who sailed on a sail training vessel to the Caribbean, they have secured space for four Caribbean youngsters to embark as "trainees" on a sailing adventure completely free of costs.

The tall ship "EENDRACHT" was not in the Caribbean last season and the season before mainly due to Covid restrictions but embarked several times youngsters on board during previous seasons for trips around the Leewards Islands, the Virgins and other Islands as well as on longer voyages.

"We are very happy that the foundation "Stichting Zeilschip Eendracht" that operates the vessel EENDRACHT, offered our Caribbean Sail Training Association again the possibility to have young trainees on board this vessel" says Ellie Sneep, one of the CST Advisory Board members.

"We have been working with the Eendracht for so many years and everybody knows that Sail Training on board a Tall Ship provides young people with an unqualified opportunity to discover their real and true potential.

The shared experience of meeting the sometimes-harsh demands of the sea brings a world of change to youngsters that have surprised educators, parents, and psychologists all over the planet and wherever sail training exists.

Meeting the challenge of a Tall Ship's environment develops personal skills, teamwork, personal accountability, as well as leadership in all who experience it.

Students that return to the basics and the sea are offered a compelling learning environment.

This is even recognized by some of the largest corporations in the world who use Tall Ships as part of their training program for adults because it gives their management and staff a quality of excellence that makes them better than just good leaders.

We have always sponsored opportunities with Caribbean Sail Training for the youth to sail on board those Sail Training Vessels, Tall Ships and other vessels in the past years and with the cooperation from people like the EENDRACHT and several of the other (over seventy !) CST member vessels we will continue to do so".

This time CST received much appreciated co-sponsoring from a Dutch girl, Emma Boer, who herself sailed on board the stv. Wylde Swan (another long time CST member vessel).

Emma organized a sponsoring drive for herself to help offset the costs of sailing on Wylde Swan as a trainee student last year and in addition she collected money for a good cause which she wanted to donate to a Caribbean nonprofit organization.

While sailing on the Wylde Swan she spoke with the Wylde Swan's Captain Richard Slootweg, who explained to her what Caribbean Sail Training was doing already for many years and she decided to donate that money to CST so that other youngsters could also experience what she did on another vessel.

A wonderful example of a youngster helping other youngsters!

STV. Eendracht Voyage to the Virgin Islands
9 Nights | 01/02/23 - 10/02/23
Embarkation: St Martin Marigot, Wednesday 1 February 2023, 16:00u
(Boarding 15:45u / 16:00u)
Debarkation: St Martin, Marigot - Friday 10 February 2023, 12:00u

Who can apply?

All youngsters that are born on a Caribbean Island (girls or boys) or that live in the Caribbean for at least 10 years can apply to sail on the Eendracht trip. (or on other sail training voyages offered by CST)

What are the conditions for the trainees?

1. Age: in between 16 and 21 (no exceptions).
2. A trainee will need a doctor's certificate of good health.
3. A letter from the parents stating that they allow the trainee to go on a sail training trip if the trainee is younger than 18 years.
4. A letter from the school (if the trainee is still attending school) that allows the youngster to go on school leave to participate in a voyage when it is not during the regular school vacation time.
5. A valid ID or passport copy with proof of address on a Caribbean Island. (A participant will NEED a passport in order to travel to the Virgin Islands, only an ID will not be enough).
6. Each candidate needs to make and send by email a motivation/application letter to the Caribbean Sail Training Association or together with a CV.

Other free sail training voyages in the Caribbean, Atlantic Crossings and sail training in other parts of the World will be announced later this year as well as updates for the Eendracht voyage to the Virgin Islands.

CST websites: CaribbeanSailTraining.com and CaribbeanSailTraining.org