As Ty-Rique Berkeley woke on Monday morning after a rough and stormy night on the tall ship Picton Castle, a beautiful sight met his eyes: home.

After just over six months at sea on the training vessel, travelling as far afield as the Azores, Morocco, Senegal and Cape Verde, the 19-year-old mariner was about to set foot on Bermudian soil again.

“It was just awesome to see home,” said Mr Berkeley. “I had not realised how much I had missed it.

“But to see my mom, my stepdad and my best friend after such a long time away was very special.”

Mr Berkeley, who lives in St George’s, had joined the crew of the three-masted tall ship in September last year in Nova Scotia. The trip was part of a collaboration between the Department of Workforce Development and the vessel’s operators to help Mr Berkeley gain more time at sea to attain further qualifications for a maritime career that he hopes will see him join up with a bulk carrier in the Philippines next month.

“It was an incredible experience,” he said. “Before I left Bermuda last year I was not sure what to expect and I was pretty nervous too.

“It was nothing like I imagined it would be, but the whole experience has taught me so much about the traditional skills you need and I feel like I have been turned into a professional crew member.

“The work was hard and we did all sorts of things from carrying out maintenance checks, making shelters, cleaning the decks, tying knots and navigating using the stars.

“But we saw some amazing places too. I especially liked Madeira; it was an interesting mix of a European city and an island community.

“It has been an experience I will never forget and one that I am sure will help me as I move forward to start a career at sea.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Workforce Development said Mr Berkeley had been chosen for the trans-Atlantic voyage on the Picton Castle because of his “genuine desire to foster a career in the maritime vocation and his excellent classroom work”.

“The Department endeavours to train young men, with the assistance of Marine and Ports, to become qualified seamen,” the spokeswoman added.

“Under the guidance of Allen Richardson, training and assessment officer, Ty-Rique has successfully completed the necessary training that will enable him to seek employment on any sea vessel throughout the world.” Meanwhile, another young budding Bermudian sailor, Erin Greig, returned to the island at the beginning of this year after a two-year stretch on board the Picton Castle.

Ms Greig, of Warwick, was on board the vessel with her compatriot, Mr Berkeley, for three months before she left the tall ship when it arrived in the Cayman Islands in January.

The 26-year-old is hoping to enrol at Warsash Maritime College in the south of England at the beginning of next year to gain an Officer of the Watch qualification.

“Being on board the Picton Castle for two years was a life-changing experience for me,” she said. “During those two years I travelled across the South Pacific, the Atlantic and visited some incredible places.

“It was a completely eye-opening experience that I will never forget.

“I joined the ship in French Polynesia in February 2014 after completing a six-month stint on the Norwegian training vessel, Sorlandet. What was especially great about the Picton Castle is it’s all about preserving maritime history and traditional sailing skills and techniques.”