There is nothing better than real time at sea under sail to gain the rare, critical experience and the skills of a mariner. This is the best way forward for any would-be seafarer, whether pursuing a life at sea, associated marine trades or becoming a more competent pleasure boater. Yet often in these hard-working sailing ships – today there is little time to focus on gaining advanced seamanship skills such as wire work, sailmaking, caulking and even small boat handling. Rarely does the opportunity roll around to be part of rigging a ship from the keel up or to lay a sail out with a professional sailmaker. It can take years in different ships and shipyards to acquire certain skills, and even then without certainty of gaining such skills.

The purpose of The Bosun School is to provide an opportunity for developing mariners to advance their skill levels in a concentrated focused fashion, without the demands and complications of being underway at sea. By being part of Bosun School you will advance your skills markedly, improving your chances at the best berths in good ships of your choice.  Once signed aboard your next ship you will have that much more to offer and will be a greater contributor to helping the ship on her mission which is, after all, what being crew is all about. And you will probably enjoy your seafaring more.

Sling your seabag over the rail this summer and join us in learning rigging, advanced rope-work, wire seizings, wire splicing, basic sailmaking and repair, parceling and serving, and making wire rigging as if you had a whole ship to rig. We will tackle ship and boat caulking & pitching, how to paint a ship in one day, varnish work, tar and oil mixtures, proper bosun chair work and more! We will heavily emphasize small boat maintenance and operations, as well as small boat launching, sailing and recovery in Lunenburg’s fine harbour. Dip your arms in Stockholm Tar, learn tons, have fun, flesh out your resume, sail more than you have before, and meet marine artisans and craftspeople with generations of ship work behind them.  When you join your next vessel, or whatever comes next, you’ll take with you an enriched set of skills and abilities and most importantly, a can-do attitude.

Download the details here