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

Bennington 22 MSB

By Andy Adams

If you’ve already had firsthand experience with a pontoon, you will easily understand the appeal of the Bennington 22 MSB. But if you haven’t, let’s start by reviewing a few of the reasons why pontoon boats have become top sellers in markets across North America.

Pontoon boats began in the early 1950s as basically four steel drums lashed to a frame. They were not unlike the log rafts of ancient cultures and not much more sophisticated at first.

Read More

Destinations

The Best of Two Worlds

By Mathew Channer

Interior British Columbia might not be as famous for recreational boating as Canada’s Great Lakes, yet it is no less a world-class boat­ing destination. The mountains offer their own flavour of marine adventure with their series of long, deep ribbon lakes, and there is perhaps no area that embodies this more uniquely than the iconic Okanagan basin in southern B.C. One could be forgiven for assuming this valley was purpose-built for nautical fun, with a few delightful perks thrown in to make the area entirely irresistible (wine-tasting, anyone?).

Read More

Lifestyle