Courses for Tall Ships Rigging and Sail making in Canada announced by Caribbean Sail Training
by Caribbean Sail Training 20 Sep 2021 14:46 UTC
The STV. Picton Castle is one of the over 75 member vessels of Caribbean Sail Training and has been hosted several times by the Port de Galisbay, Marigot Saint Martin over the past years © CST
The non profit organization Caribbean Sail Training in Saint Martin - St.Maarten announced today that the Bosun School of the STV Picton Castle in Lunenburg Nova Scotia Canada is organizing two courses for students interested in learning ship rigging skills and sail making on Tall Ships and traditional vessels.
The Bosun School is open to anyone who already has some sailing or boating experience and who wants to advance their skills.
This is a hands-on, physical program that requires students to be in good health and capable of participating fully.
Students will be expected to be fully vaccinated against Covid. Applications are welcome from people of all nationalities and age. Enrollment is limited. The regular price for the rigging Bosun School is $5,000 Canadian Dollar plus Tax (total $5,750 CAD).
The regular price for the sailmaking Bosun School is $4,000 Canadian Dollar plus Tax (total $4,600 CAD).
Using today's exchange rate, the equivalent in US dollars, for the full amount including the tax, is about $4,500 USD for the rigging 2021 Bosun School and $3,600 USD for the sail making 2022 Bosun School.
The fee includes accommodations (during approx six weeks for the Rigging courses and approx 8 weeks for the sail making courses), food, instruction and all course materials.
A 15 % discount on the price of both sessions is offered to members of Caribbean Sail Training and students of the Maritime School of the West Indies.
From October 5 to December 3, 2021 students can take a deep dive into rigging skills.
In the Bosun School session focused on rigging, students will learn how to conduct a rig inspection, identify which parts need to be repaired or replaced, and how to fix or make new parts. They will also learn to repair and replace ratlines, send up topmasts and cross yards without the use of a crane, work aloft safely, worm, parcel and serve, make fibre seizings, make wire seizings, make fibre splices, make wire splices, handle lines under strain, work with different types of wire, fabricate new wire and rope rigging, and more. They will also earn a certification in industrial rigging.
From February 14 to April 1, 2022, students can narrow in on sailmaking skills.
In the Bosun School session focused on sailmaking, we'll look at both new sail construction and sail repair. Students will learn a variety of stitching techniques, both by hand and by machine, using a variety of materials, both natural and synthetic. They will learn sail repair, from quick and dirty to loft-quality, and when which is the right approach. They will learn how to read diagrams and actually lay out new sails, and get hands-on practice with making grommets, roping, sewing tabling and corner patches, and the various knots, splices and seizings used in sailmaking.
Both of these sessions of the Bosun School will be instructed by living legend Captain Daniel Moreland, (the STV. Picton Castle is scheduled to set sail with Captain Daniel on his eighth (!) world circumnavigation voyage in the spring 2022).
Along Captain Daniel Moreland will be several guest instructors who are subject matter experts.
To apply, candidates should send their resume/CV including their sailing experience and a cover letter that tells us more about them and why they want to join this particular session of Bosun School by email to