Class Afloat Announces the Recipients of the $15,000 Young Sailor Scholarship

Class Afloat Scholarship Recipients

Class Afloat established the Class Afloat ‘Young Sailor Scholarship’ to assist two students, endorsed by their sailing school, sail training program or yacht club, to participate in an extraordinary educational experience—attending high school while sailing worldwide aboard a majestic square-rigged tall ship.

We are pleased to announce this year’s recipients, Ellyn Byrns and Xaver Löhr.

Ellyn Byrns of Saskatoon, SK has been a member of her provincial sailing team since 2005 and was hired as a sailing instructor for the Provincial Sailing Program in 2012.

Xaver Löhr of Munich, Germany is an active member of the Chiemsee Yacht Club and is a dedicated student, athlete and member of his school community.

Ellyn and Xaver will both be studying grade 11 and will spend their 9 month school year aboard the tall ship SS Sørlandet with 50 other crew members as they sail to 20 ports of call on 4 continents. 

Class Afloat offers young people a unique journey of education and personal discovery. For 9 months students live, study and sail aboard the Sørlandet, a fully restored 210 foot 1927 Class ‘A’ square-rigged tall ship.  The scholarship recognises the personal development values shared by Class Afloat, sailing schools and yacht clubs across Canada and around the world by helping a young sailor experience one of the world’s ultimate education and sailing experiences.

The voyage will take students to 17 countries, 20 ports call, and four continents. Students will participate in volunteer service projects in Senegal and the Dominican Republic. During the course of the voyage, the young sailors become part of a close knit international community of like-minded peers, sharing experiences, developing leadership skills and making friendships that will last a lifetime.

Over 1500 students have taken part in Class Afloat’s “blue water high school” since it was founded over 25 years ago. The school is based in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada and is fully accredited by the province’s Ministry of Education to grant high school credits and matriculate high school graduates. Class Afloat university students are enrolled with Acadia University.

Related Articles

Video Gallery

Nimbus 365 Coupe – A real long-stay cruising boat for exploring

By Andy Adams

There is no shortage of fun and exciting new boat designs hitting the market, but for the last few years these have been mainly outboard-powered day boats. Some are day cruisers; some are centre console fishing boats or designed for tow sports. A new live-aboard cabin boat has become a rare item these days.

So when I heard that Pride Marine in Orillia, Ontario, had a Nimbus 365 Coupe in the water, I jumped at the chance to get out on it.

Read More

Destinations

Tahiti—Updates from Paradise

By Zuzana Prochaska

I’ve been to Tahiti seven times—six on charter and once as crew for a couple of yachties. Over the 25 years that I’ve been visiting, it’s changed dramatically. Yet, inexplicably, it has also stayed the same.

Lounging on the flybridge of our Sunsail 454, I had time to think about this dichotomy as I toasted the nighttime skies of Bora Bora and specifically the Southern Cross, a constellation that never fails to hypnotize. As the Crosby, Stills & Nash (1982) tune reminds us:

…you understand now why you came this way.

Read More

Lifestyle