A high-level delegation from Sail Boston enjoyed a showcase trip on The Spirit of Bermuda sloop and met the Premier during a visit to the Island.

Boston and Bermuda are among seven ports participating in the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009. The ships will visit Bermuda from June 11-15 as part of the 400th anniversary celebrations.

The 16-strong Boston delegation held discussions over the weekend with tourism representatives and officials from Tall Ships Bermuda and the Chamber of Commerce on how best to promote the event.

They also held their annual board meeting, and were treated by the Sail Training Association Bermuda to a tour on The Spirit of Bermuda on Sunday afternoon. The trip showcased the benefits of the sail training and educational programmes it offers to young people.

To date, over 400 youngsters have trained on the sloop, some of whom manned the vessel during the tour.

On Monday morning, Premier and Minister of Tourism Ewart Brown stopped by the Fairmont Hamilton Princess hotel to welcome the group and lend the Government's support.

He told them: "Bermuda is a small place and this event is something that we want to get the whole community involved in."

The Boston delegation was due to be hosted by Governor Sir Richard Gozney at a Government House reception last night.

The Bermuda Sail Training Association intends to place 160 or more young people on ships during various legs of the 2009 race.

Application forms may be downloaded from www.tallshipsbermuda.com and further information is available from Paulina Brooks, Project Coordinator, TSAC2009, telephone: 296-2238 or via email at stabermuda@logic.bm.