IN bygone days, Bermuda’s sailors went to sea for two reasons: out of necessity to trade with foreign lands for goods they needed (or wanted very badly) and, secondly, because they were curious about what lay beyond the familiar horizon. Call it the spirit of adventure.

The crew of the Spirit of Bermuda are no different .

Reid Perinchief, 17, is a watch leader on board the training sloop that sailed into Charleston harbour last week to participate in the annual Maritime Festival and Tall Ship Challenge.

The youngster, who has sailed with the permanent crew since last summer, spoke of the experience: “It teaches you how to organise things and execute them.

“I trust people more now. You need to be able to trust people with your life when you are on a ship.”

Already the crew has tasted the thrill of competition passing England’s Prince William en route to Charleston and firing a cannon as it passed, the British brig responding with a cannon reply. “We passed fast,” Reid said with a laugh. “It felt nice.”

The Tall Ship Challenge is held on average every three years, with courses rotating around the Great Lakes and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Tall ships came from as far as Colombia, Canada, France, India and England and all, with the exception of the Spirit of South Carolina, will meet in Norfolk, Virginia on June 1 for the 400th anniversary of the landing at Jamestown, the US’ first successful English settlement.

This will be followed by a race along the East Coast. It culminates in Nova Scotia for the final event.

Because each ship naturally sails at different speeds, the race has a ranking system, so the first ship to cross the finish line might not win the gold, or rather the bragging rights.

But each new challenge gives the Spirit of Bermuda crew a chance to put their skills to the test and work together with a single goal in sight as racing takes a backseat to team work.

Even though the Spirit has been in the water less than eight months, it is already impacting the lives of the island’s youth.

So far some 260 youngsters have experienced voyages of five or more days.

As for Reid, the expectations for watch leaders are extremely high as they are crucial to the success of any voyage.

Aboard the ship, they bridge the gap in the order of command, communicating between the ship’s permanent crew (the captain, first mate, for example) and the crew onboard for each journey.

The young watch leader will attest to the fact that being in this position demands you learn the working of the ships, how to manage a team and how to fully dedicate yourself to a cause you believe in.

For a 17 year old this role can be even more demanding as it calls for patience, humility, being open-minded and having a good sense of humour, but Reid feels he meets the challenge head-on.

As watch leader, he is also a role model for the young crew, most of whom are still in middle school and is also largely responsible for setting the tone aboard the Spirit.

Bermuda Sloop Foundation executive director Malcolm Kirkland believes Bermudians such as Reid have excelled in this challenging leadership role.

“There is a steep learning curve for first-time watch leaders, but inevitably, through watching and learning, trial and error, each watch leader quickly develops their own personally effective style of leadership,” he said.

“It has been wonderful to watch as young Bermudians have stepped into this challeng leadership role and excelled.” Permanent crew include Captain Chris Blake, Chief Officer Sarah Robinson, Chief Engineer Colin Kinsella, Navigator Peter Simons, Catering Officer Curtis Azhar, bosuns Mate Melvin Martin, while the crew include Travis Robinson, Weston Hatfield, Trundae Darrell, Patrick Reid, Reid Perinchief, Michael Cacy, Derek Spalding, Marcus Fox, Tyneisha O’Connor Tristan DeSilva, Jasmine Hendrickson, Raymond Brangman and Gordon Loader. The Spirit of Bermuda left Charleston late on Sunday night and was racing across the Atlantic this week to make it back home in time for yesterday’s Bermuda Day celebrations.

Meanwhile, the Bermuda Sloop Foundation is currently appealing for crew to participate in the June 1-10 trip to Norfolk and can be contacted at 737-5667.

Watch leader Reid enjoys the challenge