THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH
June 2007

Foreword

This independent study into the value and effectiveness of sail training was commissioned by Sail Training International and its member national organisations around the world. It was conducted by the University of Edinburgh.

Commissioning the study was in some respects an act of faith. It was based on a conviction that the wealth of anecdotal evidence available to us from sail training operators around the world, and the few formal studies conducted, would be validated by much more comprehensive global research.

The principal findings

In a sentence, the study shows that sail training does what it claims to do. Perhaps the four most important findings are:

• Young trainees who participate in off-shore sail training programmes show measurable improvements in social confidence and their ability to work with others ... and the benefits are sustained over time after the voyage experience.
  
• The most common reasons for young people wanting to participate in a sail training voyage are the anticipation of adventure, making new friends, seeing new places and conquering their fear of heights ... with seasickness, a fear of heights, and a concern about being among strangers in a confined space the main anxieties.
  
• The positive value of the sail training experience transcends national and cultural boundaries and is not much influenced by the size or rig of the vessel.
  
• The most effective sail training experience in developing social confidence and teamwork skills is delivered by vessel operators who offer well structured educational programmes ... the more emphasis there is on defined and purposeful activity relating to these goals, the more successful the programme is in those terms.

http://www.sailtraininginternational.org/page.asp?partid=408