But sail training holds, I would argue, a particular power for girls. First, girls, more than boys, are trained to be passive and need the lessons in active engagement that sailing teaches so well. Second, because girls tend to learn best in a vital community of people whose relationships are based on interdependence, they learn well in a ship at sea. For girls in particular, these two aspects of sail training are inextricably linked. Let's examine each of these two points.
Many girls even learn the trick of becoming invisible.
This willingness to watch rather than act marks the beginning of adolescent girls' self-esteem loss, for it is, in essence, an act of surrender. Educators need to help girls unlearn this passivity and inspire them to action, and sail training has proven itself an effective response to this learned passivity. The young women who participated in the Tall Ship Semester for Girls learned lessons in active participation every day of their two-month voyage. Junior Mate was the first time I actually took a leader role seriously. Usually in school .