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Teens find sea legs on Leeuwin II sail trainer

Catherine MasseyBusselton Dunsborough Times
James Newton, 15, Xavier Bain, 16, Luke Reynolds, 15, Leeuwin II captain Angela Lewis, Tiernan Bass, 15, and Rotary Club of Busselton youth services member Shelley O'Brien.
Camera IconJames Newton, 15, Xavier Bain, 16, Luke Reynolds, 15, Leeuwin II captain Angela Lewis, Tiernan Bass, 15, and Rotary Club of Busselton youth services member Shelley O'Brien. Credit: Supplied/Supplied/Supplied/Supplied

Four Busselton teenagers this week set sail on a new experience aboard Sail Training Ship Leeuwin II for a seven-day voyage.

With two of the students travelling between Bunbury and Fremantle and the others travelling from Fremantle to Monkey Mia, the character-building experience will be one for the books.

Tiernan Bass, 15, said he was looking forward to the adventure and hoped to make new friends.

“Our tour on the Leeuwin was quite exciting and it’s got me very keen for the voyage itself,” he said.

The St Mary Mackillop College and Georgiana Molloy Anglican School students will be exposed to a variety of sail training activities such as setting and furling sails, climbing the masts, working aloft, and keeping watch at night.

At a length of 55m, the tall ship can house 40 participants for each voyage, with five permanent staff and 10 volunteers.

The Rotary Club of Busselton sponsored the students’ voyages and club president Chris White said members were excited to help the students “obtain what was sure to be an ... experience of a lifetime”.

She said the club received many applications and was “thrilled” to be able to fund the voyages during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Youth development is a key focus for Rotary, which provides support for numerous projects in areas such as education, vocational training, leadership and teamwork, personal development, and mental health,” Ms White said.

More information is online at sailleeuwin.com.

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