img9886Hamilton, Bermuda: On Monday, March 15th, 2004, at 5:30pm, Bermuda Sloop Foundation signed the $3.3m contract with Rockport Marine, Rockport, Maine, for the building of a 88' (112' sparred length) Bermuda-Sloop rigged sail training vessel.

Langan Design Associates (Newport, RI) designed the schooner to ABS standards and, as a Bermuda flag vessel, to comply with U.K. MCA Regs for Sail School vessels. The concept design is by Bermudian Bill Nash et al and stems from fast civilian "Bermudian" schooners built 1820-1850 that evolved from the Royal Navy "Shamrock" class and in turn the 18th century civilian Bermuda Sloop. Because the vessel is designed to meet the various missions, it is not an exact replica or reproduction but its design does capture the essence of the low-slung hull shape with three heavily raked masts of the era. The hull will be cold-molded for longevity while the masts will be carbon-fibre for stability and maintenance without compromising design features."

"We have been working on this project for 7 1/2 years to ensure we got it right so you can imagine the satisfaction we feel at being able to finally lay the keel", said Alan Burland, Chairman of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation. "This vessel will serve the 5,000 young people of Bermuda and is dedicated to all the shipbuilders and seafarers who sustained this small Atlantic seamount for 250 years. We spent 3 1/2 years alone arriving at a safe design for youth work that was also representative of Bermuda's maritime history. The original Bermuda Sloop was just too hairy to sail for trainees."

BSF programmes will provide not only character and team development normally associated with ocean sail training, but also structured academic and technical learning, tightly integrated with the Public School System and the National Training Board.

The vessel will spend the summers overseas participating in Tall Ship race/rallies (and at 88' on deck perhaps as a bonus the Newport-Bermuda Race, Marion-Bermuda Race and Charleston-Bermuda Race). With international regulations creating vessels of this size, a long term hope is that a sail training vessel class will evolve.

www.bermudasloop.org