SailFuture

Today, ten students from Liguori Academy traded the streets of Kensington for the open water of the Caribbean.

At 3am they boarded a flight out of Philadelphia. By sunset they were stepping aboard the S/Y Whatever It Takes, our 100-foot sailing vessel anchored off Barbados. This is home for the next eight days.

This trip marks the start of a new partnership between SailFuture and Liguori Academy, a non-profit high school in Kensington, Philadelphia. Like us, they believe young people grow most by doing hard things in the real world.

Once aboard, our new crew stowed their gear, claimed their bunks, and started learning their way around the boat. With our cell phones turned off and handed in, our students now have the chance to actually be present with themselves, the experience, and each other.

Before dinner we circled up and talked about why we're here: to break old habits, get honest about who we are, and figure out who we want to become.

The ocean tested that fast. After dinner the anchorage off Bridgetown started to roll, and by nightfall eight of our ten sailors were fighting through seasickness. Welcome to the first challenge.

We'll be sharing their stories all week, and you can follow the journey live here: https://expeditions.sailfuture.org.

Thank you Port Tampa Bay!