The tall ship arrived in Bermuda on Saturday and students from Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy will visit the ship today.

The ship, like its sister ship the , is owned by the Jubilee Sailing Trust. The UK-based charity aims to promote the integration of physically disabled and able-bodied people through the rigours of sailing a tall ship.

Sue Kenny has been working on the ship as the medical officer since it was launched in 2000. She said that the ship?s design is integral in the success of the organisation.

The ship has special lifts for crew in wheelchairs and markings on the deck and rails for visually impaired crew members. There is also a speaking compass to allow visually impaired people to helm the ship. Ms Kelly added that often they are the best because they have to concentrate more and pay attention to the ship?s movement.

Pulley systems allow people in wheelchairs to go aloft to assist unfurling sails. The sleeping areas and bathrooms are also designed to be easily accessible and usable.

?We don?t make vast allowances for people and we treat everyone exactly the same,? she said. ?That is what they enjoy, to be part of the mob. We want to enable them to do everything.

?When it started people must have thought it was a mad thing to throw 40 disparate people together on a tall ship, but within no time everyone is working as a team and sailing the ship.

?It?s important that we never say you can?t do that because people?s lives really change on this ship.

?We hear about crew members who leave and they have this sense of ?Crikey, if I can sail around the world I can do anything?. Some of them leave and get a new job others get their first job because they feel like they are able to.?

This is the third time the ship has visited Bermuda. Its last port of call was Antigua. It is the largest Class A wooden built tall ship in the world and has been on the ocean since 2000. Since its launch it has taken 4,750 people to sea. Of these 1,830 people were physically disabled and 654 were wheelchair users. People with Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Spina Bifida, Paraplegia have worked on the ship.

The average stay of ?voyager? is ten to 14 days. The crew is made up of eight professional crew who stay on board for months at a time and approximately 32 voyagers, half of whom are disabled.

The crew members range in age from 16 to 70 and are in charge of running the ship on a 24-hour basis. Both ships have been specially designed to ensure that people with disabilities are able to participate in every activity on board. will leave the Island on Friday or Saturday. For more information about the ship, the crew?s sail to Bermuda and Jubilee Sailing Trust visit www.jst.org.uk.