Tall ship summer camp takes kids from Sarnia to Parry Sound in 10 days

If you're still on the lookout for a summer camp, a 10-day journey from Sarnia to Parry Sound aboard a tall ship named Playfair may be the winner for the strong swimmers out there.

Kids between the ages of 13 to 18 board the ship to learn all about sailing. And it doesn't matter if they come without experience.

"We take kids on board who have never seen a boat before in their life," said captain James Wannell, a 24-year-old who started out as a trainee in this summer program.

The program is offered through a non-profit organization called Toronto Brigatine.

Aside from Wannell and the first mate on board, the crew are all made of youth who have done the program in previous years, and have come back to do officer roles on the ship.

Playfair is 'super safe'

For a tall ship, Playfair is smaller than most, said Wannell, at 72-feet tall and 55-feet from the water.

"This boat specifically, Playfair, is super safe," he said. "It's designed to be sailed by kids."

What he means is the boat is overbuilt — with some components larger than they need to be — so "little mistakes don't become catastrophic."

There can be difficult weather conditions out on the Great Lakes but Wannell said it isn't dangerous.

Up to 18 trainees can participate in the program at a time and aside from learning how to sail, kids can also do things like go for a swim while they're out in the water.

Wannell is celebrating his 10-year anniversary with the program. He said a lot of people he sailed with when he was a kid are working in the marine industry.

"I just really like sailing and I got involved, kind of by mistake, it just ended up being the summer camp i was able to go to, and I just fell in love with it, and I haven't left."