Experience Gap Year Opportunities of a

Lifetime

Sail across the Atlantic and into the Caribbean on TS Pelican and experience a voyage of personal discovery. TS Pelican of London is a unique square rigger that sails thousands of miles each year with a voyage crew of young people and the young at heart!

Join the Trans-Atlantic Voyage and sail the Atlantic Ocean and experience travel the way the original explorers of history books did 'before the mast' of a square rigged sailing ship. No Sailing Experience Necessary! - Just energy, enthusiasm and a sense of adventure. Ages 18-80*

Extended Voyages of Discovery

Voyages of discovery offer both challenge and adventure. The 80 day Transatlantic Expedition voyage is the ultimate gap year experience! Arrive in the manner of the original explorers by sea and be instantly part of the culture of the cities, towns and countries you visit.

On board you will meet friends that will last a life time. Undertake the challenge together of crossing the Atlantic Ocean and explore the Caribbean with opportunities for true adventure and discovery. You may find yourself climbing volcanoes, snorkeling on coral reefs, or exploring the villages and experiencing their colourful and exciting culture.

Fundraising for the voyage is an important part of the experience and fundraising information packs are available upon request. Grants may be available on application.

Gap Year Opportunities: Project Work

gap year opportunities in the caribbean Opportunities to work on several projects including meteorological and marine life are available during the voyage. When on land, learn more about the country and maybe work with a local community project or school.

Gap Year Opportunities: Qualifications

Instruction in navigation and seamanship will be given by the crew.

RYA instruction is available for:

Shore-based Yacht Master
Competent Crew

Enhance your career prospects with a Gap Experience which will not only enhance you CV but help you develop as a more capable, confident person and teach you transferable skills that will increase your employability

Completing the TS Pelican work book can lead to MCA qualifications suitable for a career in the Super Yacht industry or towards the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.

For a real sailing voyage on the Atlantic Ocean with many days of sailing and long nights watching the stars - Join Us!

Find out more about the Outbound Trans-Atlantic 2012 Find out more Inbound Trans-Atlantic 2013

Download our Ultimate Gap Year PDF

The whole project experience as part of a gap year option will also enhance any future CV and is likely to impress universities and future employers as well as provide you with a real sense of achievement. - Guardian Newspaper

Sail The Atlantic Ocean

A 80-day epic adventure on TS Pelican - a tall ship renowned for her ocean crossings .

If you are planning to travel the world why not consider doing at least one major hop between continents by boat?

How much greater would it be to to say you have done the transocean voyage under square rig with few modern concessions. The wind might be free, but you do have to constantly add (set sail) and take away (hand) sail so the ship can make good time at a decent pace without being too much of a handful.

GAP year / Career Break, Or Adventurous Retirement

The Transatlantic Expedition voyages feature a great mix of people of all ages and walks of life - many with amazing stories!

80 days on a sailing ship is not a voyage to take lightly. You need to be fairly confident you have no serious health problems likely to be agravated by being at sea. As with all Pelican's voyages no sailing experience is necessary. The permanent crew will be on hand to guide you.

It's a healthy life out in the open doing straightforward physical work and it is often very hard to leave the ship at the end of the voyage

Travel with a Low Carbon Footprint

Sailing between continents is not fast, but you will gain a humility and respect for the sea - our last wild frontier - and appreciate the true scale of the world that you have been exploring.

Pelican is a self-sufficient ship and prides herself on using engines as little as possible. Her state of the art STP system means she discharges no polluted waste into the sea - allowing the ship to enter areas of special senstitivity.

Sailing Before The Mast

Crossing an ocean on a tall ship is a challenge and once in a lifetime opportunity you should seize with both hands. It is possible to live life comfortably on board but if you choose to do so you may never realise your true strengths and discover what you can achieve working with others.

What you will experience is the truly humbling effect of being alone in a wide vast ocean. The sailors who followed the trade winds in square riggers were a special breed, and after a your voyage on TS Pelican you will earn yourself a place in a unique ‘club’, and make friendships which will bond you for a lifetime.

Do I Need Sailing Experience?

You do not need any sailing experience to go on a Pelican voyage as you will be trained and well looked after. However these are the most challenging voyages we offer and not to be taken lightly. We want you to enjoy it, so if you have never spent longer than a few hours on a boat or ferry then please speak to us for realistic advice.