A successful sailor whose maritime career was spurred by an educational voyage with the Spirit of Bermuda almost 20 years ago has joined the board of the ship’s charitable arm.

The Bermuda Sloop Foundation will benefit from the expertise of Kristen Greene, who first embarked on the sail training programme in 2006, at the age of 13.

Now, the 32-year-old is the second in command on the 80-metre superyacht Eminence and is ready in his capacity as a director on the foundation’s board to help ready the Spirit for operation following a period of financial turmoil and reduced programming.

Mr Greene said he would not have considered a career in the maritime industry had he not embarked on Spirit’s five-day voyage that is offered free to Bermuda’s public middle-school students.

“Spirit was definitely the major stepping stone for me to get into the industry,” he said.

“Having that in our own back yard for young Bermudians is a great avenue.

“We were informed not too long ago that Bermuda is the only Overseas Territory island that has a sail training programme and has a tall ship. It’s incredible that we have that tool here, other people want this product but we have it in our own back yard.

“We have all the sailing clubs here and they can push you so far but Spirit is the next step and it can take you in any direction you want to go in.

“Living in a world where everything is cell phone and internet based, that five days of disconnecting and learning something hands-on is such an important tool that we have.

“I was worried when I heard about the financial troubles last year. I didn’t know it was that bad and it’s sad to see as I’ve always remembered Spirit as the flagship of the island. When you see Spirit sailing down the North Shore it is such a beautiful sight.”

Mr Greene will work remotely in an advisory capacity for the foundation as he sails around the globe as chief officer directly under the captain of Eminence.

He will also help with the job specifications for the hiring of new staff including an executive director for the sloop as well as a captain, a chief officer and chief engineer for the Spirit.

“I will bring back up all the procedures, get the maintenance back on schedule and get the boat operational,” Mr Greene explained.

“I’ll be overseeing and advising the safe running of the boat and once we get a captain, a chief officer and chief engineer, I will be there providing that back and forth with them.”

Following his initial voyage with the Spirit, the former Bermuda Institute student continued to work on board the ship in various capacities through his teenage years.

He received the Adam Goodwin Scholarship award and later earned a three-year bursary towards his educational endeavours from Concordia Maritime Bermuda.

By the age of 22, Mr Greene had worked on container ships, car carriers and natural gas vessels across the globe as well as completing a three-and-a-half-year course to gain his Officer of the Watch certificate at Warsash Maritime Academy in England.

He also received sponsorship from the then Workforce Development Office.

He attributes a great deal of his success to Mario Thompson, the pilot warden at the Department of Marine and Ports Services, and Jens Alers at Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement Bermuda. They acted as his mentors while helping him to make contacts with shipping heads.

After Bermuda hosted the America’s Cup in 2017, when Mr Greene worked with Mark Soares at Bermuda Yacht Services, he quit commercial shipping for yachts and worked aboard a 50-metre superyacht before joining Eminence five years ago.

He would like to go on to become a captain of a superyacht and would consider going into yacht management in later years.

He said one of the greatest benefits of a maritime career was the options it afforded you.

He added: “You can do maritime business, maritime law… I did my maritime degree at Warsash knowing that I could work on big boats but still have a future if I wanted to get off the sea and do something else.

“What a lot of people don’t see is that it’s not just going into deep sea with big waves, there are so many avenues. There is something for everyone, there is navigation and engineering but also catering, there are butlers, stewards…

“The world is changing with AI — we have two IT guys on our boat [Eminence] alone. It’s keeping all the new electronic system running, we buy new TVs every two years because things are changing so quickly.

“It is a lot of hard work but at the end of the day, we get to travel, we get time off and there is a lot of camaraderie within the crew. You make lifelong friends. Some of my best friends I met while working at sea. It’s a bit of a lifestyle.“