The brochure reads: “Welcome to Class Afloat and the opportunity to participate in a most incredible journey.

Have the courage to step outside of the ordinary and give yourself the chance to become extraordinary”. At the International College and University Fair, the West Island College International/ Acadia University booth jumps out at you with images of two magnificent Tall Ships, The SV Concordia and SY Fryderyk Chopin.

Both ships, specifically designed for the Class Afloat programme, represent more than 25 years of the organisation’s experience in leading sea education programmes.

The professional crews who operate these two vessels and supervise students at sea, are highly qualified and selected on the basis of their experience with sailing vessels and similar programme - the Bermuda Sloop being an example of this type of programme.

The Royal Gazette visited the booth to find out more about this fascinating programme, in which Bermudian students have participated for several years and discovered something very interesting: It’s not just for serious university students.

Whether you are entering S3 or S4, or considering a year of pre-university travel, enrichment and personal growth, Class Afloat has tailored an absolutely unparalleled programme specifically for you.

According to their brochures and online website, www.classafloat.com, you get to serve as a member of crew on one of these two beautiful tall ships and travel to some of the world’s most interesting and most exotic destinations.

In fact, the journey, offering a myriad of hands-on learning experiences in over 25 ports of call world-wide, take students through the Baltic, Western Europe, the Mediterranean and West Africa, before engaging them in a two-week humanitarian project in Senegal.

Students can continue their adventure in a trans-Atlantic crossing to Natal, Brazil where second semester and full year students continue their journey up the Amazon.

Returning to sea, the crew, led by Acadia University faculty and a professional crew of eight, will set a course for the Caribbean and North America, including Bermuda, before concluding the adventure with a second trans-Atlantic crossing to the port of departure, Copenhagen.

But be warned, it’s not all fun and games! You will be challenged by the rigour of academic courses ideally suited to college entrance, your career and your professional aspirations.

And if you haven’t yet graduated, you will qualify to earn a highly recognised Canadian high school diploma.

According to the website: “You will develop personally in a way that will have others describe you as extraordinary; independence, responsibility, initiative, compassion and leadership will be the hallmarks of your personality. What is even more remarkable is that you will learn more about yourself than you thought imaginable.”

Class Afloat is described as a “passport to education” that engages students in their very own learning experience and appeals to their very own learning style.

History, Political Science, Oceanography, Marine Biology, Anthropology, Modern Languages and other subjects truly come alive as students engage the people and places that make up this incredible global classroom.

Stepping aboard the SV Concordia for high school, or the SY Fryderyk Chopin for the GAP year, students step out of the ordinary and into a future of compelling promise.

Quoting the website: “Participating in Class Afloat will distinguish you, not just as a candidate for university or college entrance, but as an individual whose skills and confidence will contribute to making a difference in our world.

No one today can deny the value of global experiences and the critical importance of global perspectives.”

Class Afloat will take you to the zenith of opportunity for change and believes that the world needs the leadership of the youth to improve the health, the education and the aspirations of those who live and survive in conditions less fortunate than our own.

So if you have the courage to step outside the ordinary and give yourself the chance to become extraordinary, visit the West Island College’s Class Afloat programme online at www.classafloat.com.