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Two young Bermudians who will train on the tall ships following their departure from the Island shared their thoughts with The Royal Gazette last week.

Laura Farge left the Island yesterday (DESK ---- MONDAY) and Nicholas Maynard will meet his ship in Boston tomorrow (DESK ---- WEDNESDAY).

Miss Farge, 19. from Southampton, said she heard about the Tall Ships 2000 event three years ago from her father, who is a friend of the chairman of the Tall Ships 2000 Bermuda committee, Brian Billings.

"Three years ago I called up Mr. Billings and told him that I really wanted to go on one of the ships,'' she said.

"It sounded so exciting and then the year 2000 seemed so far away,'' she continued.

Mr. Billings informed Miss Farge that she was applying extremely early, but she said she reckoned her enthusiasm has now paid off.

And she said she was interested in going on the tall ships because she would meet new people from all over the world.

She said: "I've had sailing experience in the past and I've always enjoyed it, but I especially liked the idea of meeting so many different people.

"Sailing puts me at one with myself. It's so relaxing,'' she added.

Miss Farge will join Bermudians Trevor Leitch, Antoni Lightborne and Nicola White on board the Class A Polish ship Dar Mlodziezy for her high seas adventure.

While the ship is air-conditioned, Miss Farge said she was looking forward to living off the basics.

The ship is expected to arrive in Halifax five or six days after leaving the Island and Miss Farge said she was not disturbed by the challenge the adventure presented.

"Working as a trainee will be a challenge but there is a great reward'' she said.

Miss Farge raised the money for her airfare and board by having a car wash, a car boot sale and selling tall ships guides.

"Any young Bermudian should take the opportunity to go on a tall ship. It's great,'' she said. "It will broaden your horizons.'' And broadening his horizons is precisely what 17-year-old Mr. Maynard plans to do.

He did not leave the Island yesterday (DESK ---- MONDAY) as he still has to graduate from the Berkeley Institute.

He will join the other Bermudian trainees Brooke-ann Dawson, John-Paul Doughty, Anne Marwick, Katie Shaw, Jermaine Simons, Giles Spurling and Toyra Woolridge on the CI Class Norwegian ship Concordia tomorrow (DESK ---- WEDNESDAY) in Boston.

He will travel from Boston to Halifax and said he would have liked to have done the Halifax to Amsterdam leg but school duties called.

Mr. Maynard said his mother did not want him to be late for the start of the fall semester at the Bermuda College.

After hearing about the tall ships at his school, Mr. Maynard said he thought he would like to go on one as he loves boats.

With aspirations to be a marine pilot, Mr. Maynard said he thought the experience would give him more knowledge about boats and allow him to meet people from all over the world.

Since he decided he would like to go on the ships, Mr. Maynard has volunteered for the tall ships fun day and was featured on Youth Talk.

He said he was looking forward to "roughing it'' but was grateful all cabins on the ship have air conditioning.

Both Miss Farge and Mr. Maynard encouraged all young Bermudians to jump at such an opportunity the next time it arose.

Laura farge Nicholas Maynard