Spirit stars in new tall ships book

A new coffee table book documenting the story of the world’s most majestic tall ships is to go on sale on July 3. 

Bermuda’s own sloop, the Spirit of Bermuda, has earned herself a double page spread in the book which will reach book stores around the world.

Tall Ships Today: Their Remarkable Story is the brainchild of Nigel Rowe, OBE — the founder and former chairman of Sail Training International and current patron. His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh gives the book a generous endorsement in the preface he has written especially for it.

Money raised through the sale of the book, published by Bloomsbury Publishing, will go towards the future of sail training and youth programmes around the world. 

Mr Rowe said: “The central feature of the book is a celebration and promotion of the world’s most interesting and glamorous sail training tall ships that are currently active. 

“But the book is far more than a ‘fleet review’. Wrapped around this central core is an exploration of the origins and evolution of sail, the experience and unique value of a sail training voyage, and an insight into the tall ships events organized by Sail Training International (STI).”

The book has close to 400 photographs and other illustrations and a text of some 30,000 words. 

According to Rowe, the only one other ship featured in the book was given the same space as the Spirit.

John Wadson, chairman of Tall Ships Bermuda Limited told the Bermuda Sun: “The Spirit of Bermuda has earned her space in the book. She is a very new tall ship and one that has really captured the attention of the world of sail training due to the effectiveness of her programming in Bermuda. She has managed to travel far — she did a trip to the Azores and races in 2009 which were in celebration of Bermuda’s 400th anniversary but she has also gone to Canary Islands — her one and only European visit. She has also been seen up and down the east coast of the United States and Canada frequently. 

“People take note of her because she is not only a dramatic looking ship — she has a compelling story both in history books, also in how effective she has been in Bermuda in terms of reaching out to our school children.”

Bermuda Sloop Foundation Chief Executive Officer Denise Riviera and education officer Lakai Dill were both involved with the book’s researchers.  

The other contributing editors are Ron Dadswell, Colin Mudie and Michael Rauworth. Sail Training International’s role as the international voice of sail training is reflected in the book’s content and its logo is on the cover. The purposes of the book is to promote the interests of tall ships and sail training and to raise money for a bursary fund. 

The book will be on sale in Bermuda at bookstores and the Bermuda Sloop Foundation. Preview copies can already be viewed on www.amazon.co.uk.