PROFESSIONAL seaman and master of Bermuda's tall ship, the STV Spirit of Bermuda, Captain Chris Blake has spent most of his life on the ocean and has the reputation amongst this crew of being friendly, but tough, running his ship like a benevolent father eager to steer his children in the right direction.

The 62-year-old former Merchant Navy Officer has been involved in the Bermuda Sloop from the initial planning and construction phase two years ago to implementing ideas and changes which launched the sloop as a world-renowned sail training ship.

The Mid-Ocean News caught up with Capt. Blake at his home in Dockyard this week where he was enjoying some much needed R&R following the sloop's first major Tall Ship campaign abroad.

Q: Tell me about yourself and how you ended up in Bermuda.

A: I was Born in Nigeria, brought up in Uganda and Kenya, educated in England, went to sea at 15, married an American, divorced an American, became a resident of Australia and now, at 62, I call Bermuda home. (laugh) Actually I worked on several different (sail training) ships in different countries around the world and the last ship, the Endeavour, took me back to Australia where the Bermuda Sloop Foundation approached me. I was out of work at the time and they asked me to help with the construction of the vessel with the idea of taking over command once the ship was completed. That was about two-and-a-half years ago.

Q: What has your experience on the Spirit of Bermuda been like?

A: It's been great! The construction phase in itself was interesting. Trying to make it a sail-training vessel, as opposed to a yacht because there is a subtle difference. And then of course working out a sail-training programme with Malcolm Kirkland and others, and implementing what we hope is the best programme for the young people of Bermuda has also been an experience.

Q: Any highlights over the last two years?

A: (laugh) Getting up every day is a highlight. Every voyage has its moments. I recall the girls on one voyage telling me they couldn't do the washing-up because the plates were dirty. Ok! (laugh) And then they (the girls) said they didn't want to work on deck because that was man's work. Like I said, every voyage has its moments and there have been so many, I've forgotten most of them.

Q: What do you think is the importance of the programme in Bermuda?

A: I believe young people need direction and we're able to give them an experience that opens their minds up to something else, while also channelling them a little. Even the hooligans we get. All they are is energy misdirected, so it's a question of directing this energy in the right direction, or at least what we think is the right direction. They might not always agree. We show them a way to be constructive instead of destructive. Bermuda is a very isolated place and it's becoming insular in itself, almost by parishes. There is gang warfare between parishes and that's quite scary. There is also a big divide between the people who have money and those who don't. Most of those who don't have money are black and those who do are white, so there's a big divide developing there too. Our programme allows people from across the board to mix, both black and white, rich and poor, in an environment where they can see the other person's point of view.

Q: It must be rewarding seeing some of these so-called troubled youths develop through the programme?

A: Oh, it's not just the hooligans who benefit. We have had some children from public schools in England on board and seeing them cope with diversity... Kids are kids no matter where in the world they're from. However the people we really should be looking out for are Mr. Average. If daddy has lots of money you get on the trip, not a problem. If you are a bad boy from reform school or social services you get on the trip, not a problem. Government pays for that. But Mr. Average is the problem. They should be the ones who are sponsored. They can't quite afford and yet they stand to benefit from it as much as anyone else. Without sponsorship they will never get the opportunity because they simply lack the funding. I'd like to see this change.

Q: This past month's campaign was the Sloop's first international Tall Ship challenge. Any lessons learnt from the trip?

A: Yeah, it's a fast machine! (laugh) But then that's why they built them in the old days and we're basically using the same vehicle.

Q: What kind of reception did you receive in the States and Canada?

A: Very good. Obviously we're the new boy in town so we have the novelity of that to start off with. And people looked at us and must have thought 'Geez that's a yacht' but when they actually got on board they realised it wasn't. (The sloop was one of the only vessels, which allowed visitors on board) Of course the best ambassadors for the sloop were the youngsters on board.

Q: Any major plans for the future?

A: We've been operating a year now and we need to go forward from there. It's farely obvious we've had some successes. So I feel we can expand our programme a little more, but once again it comes down to funding and whether we have sufficient funds to run another five voyages. We're waiting for more funds to come through from Government and Middle Schools. I think Middle School is an important group because we are getting them at 12, 13 and 14. That's the age when they tend to go through a cycle (of change) and it's an important time to catch them, especially boys because they tend to be a bit slower than girls in mental development. That's when we need to give them some sort of direction. We get them at that age and again on an older voyage before their international voyage at 16. It should be a progression of three voyages over a period of three or four years. At the end there were a number (of the children) who decided they wanted to join the Merchant Navy. There is going to be a new Marine and Ports Initiative set up shortly here with North East Maritime, so they will also have the opportunity to progress to that.

Q: I've heard many of your participants say they want to be captain of the sloop one day. Any comment?

A: I hope they are. Bermudians have a natural affinity for the sea and they can certainly steer better than any other group I've ever seen. So if someone comes up to me and says you're too old, too fat and too ugly - move over. I've done my job!