Elijah Simmons, Tre Jones and Negasi Tucker are living proof that Bermuda Sloop Foundation’s youth development programme is alive and kicking.

The Bermudian trio has served diligently in various capacities aboard the foundation’s sail-training sloop Spirit of Bermuda, earning the respect and admiration of their employers, peers and clients alike.

Through the support of the National Training Board, the ambitious threesome has been afforded the opportunity to broaden their maritime horizons overseas.

Later this month they will travel to Canada to enrol in a five-month course at the Holland College Maritime Cadet Programme.

Mr Simmons and Mr Tucker are both studying navigation and boat handling while Mr Jones is studying marine engineering.

“I think this is a good stepping stone to pursue further education in the maritime field,” said Spirit of Bermuda’s captain, Karen McDonald.

“It’s such a short programme but a good introductory into what’s going to be expected of them on a more commercial level which is where they aspire to go.”

All three men were heavily influenced to pursue a career in the maritime industry as a direct result of their involvement with Bermuda Sloop Foundation, whose mandate is to instil core values such as accountability, responsibility and teamwork in Bermuda’s young people, using Spirit as a floating residential community and classroom.

“They are going to take their experience from Spirit of Bermuda and directly apply that to what they are going to be studying in school,” Ms McDonald added.

“One of the main goals of the foundation is to renew Bermuda’s maritime tradition, so what these guys are doing having come up through Spirit and continuing on in the maritime profession definitely aligns with that.

“I am really proud of them but we are really going to miss them.

“I have had these guys with me for the last year and a half, so it’s a little sad for us. “

Mr Simmons, 23, is grateful to those who have made the opportunity for him to study in Canada possible.

“I think it’s a great opportunity the National Training Board gives to us young Bermudians to further our maritime careers,” he said.

“Tre, Gus and myself are going into this programme probably way ahead of most of the candidates that are going as well just because we have worked in the field on Spirit of Bermuda.”

Mr Tucker, 19, can hardly wait to start studies abroad.

“I am very excited and really can’t wait to get there,” he said.

“I am happy to be going to school and at the same time this is like my first real job.”

Mr Jones, 20, is also excited but admits he will miss his former colleagues aboard Spirit of Bermuda.

“I’m basically leaving my family,” he said.

“But it’s a good thing too, because I have an opportunity to better myself in life.

“Spirit has given me an experience, but it’s now time to take things to the next level.”

Mr Jones encourages the Island’s youth to take advantage of Bermuda Sloop Foundation’s character development programme.

“This programme is great for the youth,” he said.

“It instils a lot of core values in life like character building and accountability but definitely team work because you cannot raise a 500-lb sail by yourself.

“You need people to work together to get the sail up, and it goes hand in hand at the end of the day.”

Mr Tucker added: “This programme helped me choose what I want to do in life, gave me a job and showed me a whole lot of things.”