Set Sail for Adventure With the Sea Challenge

Looking for the adventure of a lifetime on the high seas?

The Sea Challenge is the perfect opportunity for high school students from the Seacoast region to take part in an education program that will not only teach seamanship skills but build character, foster relationships, and provide a safe and fun environment on the open water for one week in the summer.

It's the type of challenge that will leave students with a rewarding experience and the ability to say that they learned how to sail a tall ship!

"It's like Outward Bound on a tall ship," says Phil Von Hemert, vice chairman of the Piscataqua Maritime Commission, which is the nonprofit volunteer organization that puts on the Sea Challenge.

Part of the course syllabus addresses nautical and seamanship skills such as navigation, taking the helm, ship safety, standing watch, knot tying and more.

And being able to take in the night sky or maybe see a whale or two is just another bonus of the week.

Plus, did we mention it's the perfect way to put down that smart phone (they aren't allowed on the ship)? And embrace and enjoy the outdoors, work as a team and take in the beauty of being on the water?

A Seacoast youth service counselor remarked at being able to see how the program has affected those who have taken part:

I saw firsthand how the youth were positively impacted by this experience, whether it was not giving up when things got tough, finding a new love for sailing, feeling like they belonged for the first time, or feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride.

And check out what some teens had to say about their experiences of taking on the Sea Challenge in this video:

The Sea Challenge has been educating teens for the past 10 years, and they are looking to do so once again this year.

So take the plunge, and set sail on an adventure you'll never forget.

For more information, visit Piscataqua Maritime Commission's website. Proceeds raised during Sail Portsmouth, the tall ships festival in August, go to the Sea Challenge. You can also donate to the program.