With the arrival of the Spirit of Bermuda sail training ship rapidly approaching, spoke with the entire crew to find out who they are and what they are looking forward to the most on this voyage.

The ship will depart Rockport, Maine on August 13 and arrive in Bermuda on September 30. The crew is comprised of eleven men who have made sailing their passion. The youngest of them is 18 and the oldest... well, he?s older than 18.

Melvin Martin has sailed since he was a child. Sent to sailing camp at White?s Island by his parents, he discovered his love for sailing and eventually got into dinghy racing.

Last year Martin completed a circumnavigation and visited 13 countries and ?logged a lot of sea?.

Melvin said he is looking forward to the voyage and plans to make sailing his profession. ?Instead of working to pay to travel, I?d rather work and get paid to travel.?

Odwin (Mickey) Berkeley is one of the senior members of the crew. He was a crew member on the that sailed the Bermuda last year.

On this voyage he will be a watch leader in charge of different watches and navigation. ?I have sailed across the ocean many times?, he said.

Mickey is an employee for Marine and Ports and will take the place of Joe Bailey as captain of the MV when he retires.

Kyle Evans is the youngest crew member aboard the ship. He is a recent graduate of CARE.

Kyle said he has been sailing since he was nine years old. His responsibilities on the ship will be switching sails, doing watches and more.

He is excited about this trip because it will be the first time he crosses the ocean.

John Chittock is the chief officer of the ship and second in command under Captain Chris Blake. He is from England and has been in the Island for six weeks.

?I?ve been sailing since I could walk?, he said. ?I found out about the voyage and thought it was a good idea. I just wanted to be a part of it?.

He said that the ship is an exciting vessel. John also said the voyage could take up to two weeks if there isn?t much wind.

Peter Simons, a veteran sailor worked for Marine and Ports for 40 years. His role on the ship is navigator.

Mr. Simons was the commander of the Sea Cadets for over 20 years and admits to sailing for over 30 years.

He said he is exciting to go on the voyage to ?see how the sea reacts?.

?I will be there to give my assistance?, he said.

Steve Hollis is the sail maker for Spirit of Bermuda. He owns Ocean Sails Doyle in Bermuda.

Mr. Hollis said he has sailed since he was 13.

On the ship, he will be involved in building of the sails, working on sail combination and sail handling.

He said he will try to make everything ?safe and simple?.

?This is a very exciting boat with very modern equipment and modern materials ? an exciting project?, he said.

Zander Kirkland is one of the younger guys on the boat. He is currently a student at Tufts University but he will be taking the fall off to sail.

Zander?s role on the ship will be a watch leader.

?I?m looking forward to giving young Bermudians leadership and guidance from someone close to their age?, he said.

When asked about his feelings about the ship, Zander said, ?The boat ? she looks great. I?m very excited?.

Paul Doughty is an advisor and crew member. He runs a prep programme that teaches sailing skills to kids called WaterWise.

He said that he had just finished teaching about 150 kids how to sail. The sessions run for five days. The kids learn everything about sailing including navigation and sail changing.

?Hopefully they can earn positions where they can become leaders?.

Mr. Hollis expressed his excitement about the ship.

?Having the boat here is really exciting.This model/design hasn?t been sailed in 150 years?.

Travis Robinson is another one of the younger members of the crew. He is 18 years old and a member of the Sea Cadets. Malcolm Kirkland of Bermuda Sloop recruited him to the project.

Travis said he does everything aboard the ship but he enjoys mechanics the most. He began sailing when he was seven.

He said he is looking forward to experience because it will be his first sailing trip out of Bermuda.

Mark Soares is the captain on charter side of the operation.

He said: ?The main object is youth development and finding character. We try and do something different for the youth. Its more than just a sailboat. We do team building with groups working together on various activities.?

Mark said it was important to bring new experiences to Bermuda and to educate students on the historical side.?We?re very excited?.

The man in charge of the whole operation is Captain Chris Blake. He is responsible for overseeing all running of the vessel.

?The most important thing is bringing a new concept into Bermuda. There is a lost of small dinghy sailing in Bermuda but nothing like this?.

He said that the young people will crew the boat in about groups of eight.

?They?ll get seasick and at the end of the day we?ll go back and assess them. The second time, they will decide if they want to work with the engineer or the cook. The third time they?ll go on a voyage to America or Europe?, he said.

Captain Blake said anyone who is interested in the voyage should speak with Malcolm Kirkland, director of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation.

He also hinted that they still needed a cook and anyone with experience who likes to work with young people should apply.