Leadership Education

Our True Course Curriculum

Over the years, Sail Caribbean has developed our True Course Curriculum to guide students through learning experiences in a positive way.  The curriculum fosters individual and group leadership skills, and helps to instill the know-how, motivation and confidence to face any challenge.  Our staff members are experienced mentors trained to facilitate group discussions and create opportunities for you to apply your new-found skills.  With each new experience that comes your way, you're given the room to test your limits in a safe and encouraging learning environment.  Whether researching marine species in the flats, racing yachts up the channel, or simply living in close quarters on a boat, you'll step out of your comfort zone… and love every minute of it!

Skills & Activities

True Course promotes important life skills such as listening, goal-setting, giving feedback and problem solving.  The staff presents tasks and activities each day that test and develop these individual and group abilities. Daily group meetings are a chance to analyze, reflect, and plan for the next day's tasks.

Group Development

Students arrive as individuals and leave as a team of confident young adults – but not without some challenges along the way!  Sail Caribbean purposely brings teens together in close quarters to intensify this growth experience, and our True Course Curriculum provides specific activities to facilitate each step of the group development process.  Beginning the moment you arrive, activities and discussions help you get to know each other and your new home.  As you become comfortable with each other and your environment, we challenge you to take ownership of the boat with less and less input from the staff.  By the end of the program, you'll not only know how to sail or conduct marine research, you'll have new skills and self awareness to work on a team in any environment!

Leadership Roles

Each day, you'll rotate through various positions of responsibility that are critical to your team's success. On all Sail Caribbean voyages, crew members rotate through the roles of skipper, mate, navigator and divemaster.  You'll plan and manage all aspects of the day's activities.  A duty roster involves everyone's contribution to tasks, both large and small.  Our staff will be at your side, acting as a guide when needed, but you'll be leading the way, whether cooking a group meal, anchoring the boat, or leading snorkeling expedition.

Challenge Series

Over the course of the program, you're presented with a series of unexpected challenges where creative problem-solving by each member of the team is the only way to achieve a common goal.  We won't ruin the surprise with specifics, but be ready! You'll apply your leadership, communication and other team skills, and come away with a huge boost in confidence and a real sense of accomplishment.