Awards by Governor Thorold Masefield tomorrow.

The 25 recipients are from schools including the Berkeley Institute, Saltus Grammar School, Bermuda High School for Girls and Warwick Academy.

Over the past year they have been taking part in a scheme encouraging responsibility, self-reliance, community awareness and perseverance.

A Bermuda Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme press release said: "Through the award, young people gain a sense of accomplishment by achieving goals in a broad range of activities.'' Participants from this group have together donated hundreds of hours to many community service organisations by doing everything from hospital volunteer work to assisting disabled riders at the WindReach facility in Warwick.

They also took part in expeditions in Bermuda and Guyana.

Started in 1956 by Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh scheme operates in 92 countries around the world.

The awards presentation takes place at Government House, beginning at 4 p.m.

AMERICAN YACHT LOSES RUDDER RAO SLG American Yacht loses rudder An American yacht has turned back toward Bermuda after losing its rudder early yesterday morning.

The Connecticut-registered Alibi , which left St. George's on Sunday, was more than 200 miles due south and headed for Tortola, British Virgin Islands when the master decided to return for permanent repairs.

Harbour Radio will set up a Communications Schedule of broadcasts every four or six hours to monitor the 44-foot sailboat's progress. It is expected in port by Thursday.

TRAVEL SLIDE SHOW TONIGHT CLB FNR Travel slide show tonight Bermudian traveller Stuart Smith's eight-month expedition around the South American continent took him to the southern-most town in the world, the Amazon and the equatorial Galapagos Islands, made famous by Charles Darwin.

He is giving a slide show for the Bermuda Audubon Society tonight, which will chronicle his journey through Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and the Galapagos.

"The continent has stunning scenery,'' he said, adding that the culture of some countries, like Bolivia, provided a fascinating element for the journey.

The highlights of the trip included the lake district and fjords of Chile, as well as Ushuaia, the world's most southern-most town.

In Argentina, Mr. Smith visited a glacier and the Fitzroy Range, and spent ten days in the National Park in Patagonia.

In Bolivia, he travelled to Potosi, a mining town which sits four thousand metres high, on the slopes of Cerro Gordo, and he travelled to Salar de Uyumi, a 1,200 square kilometre lake entirely of salt.

"The Atacama Desert is phenomenal and I also went to La Paz in Bolivia, which at 5,400 metres is the highest ski slope in the world,'' said Mr. Smith.

"I walked the Inca Trail to Cuzco. I went to the Amazon, as well as Lake Titicaca, the highest large lake in the world.

"I finished in the Galapagos Islands.

"The message is that you don't have to do it five-star -- you can live with the people. They look at you differently when you travel this way -- you pay `travellers' prices as opposed to `tourist' prices, and you get to know them -- the people of the country.'' Mr. Smith's slide show, An Andean Adventure , will be held at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute tonight at 7.30 p.m. Tickets are $7.50 for members and $10 for non members.