iving aboard a sailboat is a unique lifestyle, and the perfect platform from which to learn leadership, responsibility & teamwork – all the while learning about yourself.

The Sailing & Leadership Program is one of Academic Treks College's longest, most challenging program on offer – and it’s also the most rewarding. You’ll arrive in St. Martin and board the 50-foot sailboat that will become your home for the next five weeks. Learn what it takes to operate as a close-knit crew, while enjoying some of the world’s best cruising grounds – where the wind is always a healthy 15 knots and the water sparkles with diamonds.

Your captain and first mate will begin your sail training on day one, and before you know it you and your new friends will be confidently sailing and navigating your way south through the Leeward and Windward Islands of the Caribbean. We’ll practice coastal and celestial navigation, discuss passage-making plans, and learn every aspect of shipboard life. We’ll experience the magic of night sailing, making 80-mile, 15-hour jaunts during several portions of the expedition. You’ll learn what it takes to become a reliable crewmember while earning several IYT yachting certifications. But most importantly, you’ll learn what it takes to become more than just crew - you’ll learn leadership, and before long, you’ll start to think like the captain.

With a flexible itinerary – all part of the leadership and teamwork curriculum – we’ll visit the islands that we find the most interesting. We cover the entire chain of islands in the Caribbean – from French / Dutch St. Martin / Sint Maarten, to the English settlements at Montserrat, through to some newly independent nations like Dominica and Grenada. A large portion of the program lays in the hands of the students themselves – each student will be responsible for leading a segment, including planning passages, maintaining a budget, scheduling activities and leading lectures. Because of its independent and open-ended nature, no two programs are alike, each group of students creating their own unique experiences and memories.

The Summer Sail Training & Leadership course is the ultimate in experiential leadership training.