When the legendary replica schooner, the sails into Dockyard on Monday two CedarBridge students will be coming home as crew members.

Rodrico Bean, 18 and Rajae Woods, 17, have only one thing in common ? they both love being out on the water, but for very different reasons.

Rodrico comes from a family of fishermen. His father Allan is a commercial fishermen and owner of the boat,

According to his mother, Claire Woods, Rodrico grew up on the water and accompanied his dad on fishing trips at every opportunity.

?He must have been about two-years-old when he first went out on the water with his dad,? she said.

A S4 student at CedarBridge, Rodrico graduates this year and plans to further his studies to become a ferry pilot or to work on marine engines.

Mrs. Bean said Rodrico?s favourite subjects at school were motor mechanics and math and his hobbies are, no surprise, fishing and boating with his dad.

She said Rodrico never planned to sail on , it just happened.

?He made a presentation at careers day a few weeks ago and I guess he impressed them. They invited him to join their crew for the two-week trip to Bermuda,? she said.

This is the first international cruise and she left the US east coast last week Thursday.

Mrs. Bean said she and most of Rodrico?s family would be waiting for him to sail into Dockyard on May 9.

Another CedarBridge student on board Amistad is 17-year-old teenage Laser skipper, Rajae Woods.

As a result of his skill, dedication, focus and the unwavering support of his family, Rajae has successfully competed in Optimist class to Laser racing from the tender age of nine.

His career in sailing started when he and his family moved to Boaz Island 1998 and he became interested in taking sailing lessons at the Sandys Boat Club.

But even at that age, Rajae ? who lives with his mother and two younger siblings ? understood the financial pressures that raising three children placed on his single mother.

While his mom, Laneice Hollis took a part-time job at night, in addition to her full-time job, to pay for his sailing lessons, he asked his aunt, Geneann Woods-Forde, if she would help out.

She agreed, and paid for two weeks worth of lessons, while assisting Rajae?s mother by both attending sailing meetings and looking after the three children while she worked her second job.

Almost immediately, Rajae showed his sailing potential and was spotted by Malcolm Kirkland, the father of Rajae?s sailing mate, Jesse.

He convinced Rajae and his family that he needed to be sailing for BODA (Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association) where he would benefit from the instruction of championship coach Pablo Weber ? one of the top three youth coaches in the world.

Rajae won a scholarship to enter the RBYC Summer Sailing Programme in 2001 and the rest, as they say, is history.

Rajae aspires to compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Just like Rodrico, Rajae?s family and school friends hope to be at Dockyard when the sails in to welcome the two local teenage heroes home.