Davidson went aboard and had a look around.

He obviously liked what he saw. This year, the 19-year-old is one of 26 trainees sailing from the Caribbean to England aboard Astrid , and the only one from Bermuda.

Astrid arrived in Bermuda from the West Indies on Saturday and will be berthed in Hamilton until she sails for England on Wednesday.

Mr. Davidson, who joined the ship on February 24 in Grenada, spent Sunday night with his parents Mr. Ian Davidson and Mrs. Felicity Davidson in Sandys Parish. But he returned to his bunk on the 108-foot brig last night.

Before sailing north to Bermuda, Astrid made stops at islands that included Curacao, St. Vincent, Dominica, Antigua, and Tortola. Along the way, he saw whales and dolphins.

"My favourite island so far was St. Vincent,'' where he said guides showed him a still-active volcano and led him on a hike to 3,000 feet above sea level.

Astrid went through one heavy storm on her way to Bermuda. There were large swells and the wind shifted 180 degrees. The ship, which has a top sailing speed of 11 knots, only made 20 miles that day.

Built in Holland in 1918, Astrid was originally a topsail cargo schooner called Wuta . Given her present name in 1929, she traded in the Baltic until 1974. Damaged by a mysterious fire in 1977, Astrid was completely restored between 1983 and 1988 and converted to a brigantine, which has five square sails on each mast.

The Astrid Trust, founded in 1986, encourages youth development through three-month voyages on the Atlantic Ocean. Through the Bermuda Astrid Trust, local youths between 17 and 25 have been able to take part.

The days were long, and the work was hard, but Mr. Davidson said he enjoyed the sailing life. Already, he has made many friends among his English shipmates.

Capt. Geoffrey Ulrich of Dartmouth, England, who heads Astrid 's permanent crew of eight, said the trainees were "a super bunch of people who look after each other in work and in play''.

"They've joined and they've jelled,'' he said.

Capt. Ulrich has been teaching youths aboard training ships for 25 years.

Once she sails on Wednesday, Astrid heads for Ireland. After that, she is expected to stop in the Channel Islands before reaching her final port at Weymouth, England around May 12.

After leaving Saltus Grammar School, Mr. Davidson attended boarding schools in Connecticut and New Hampshire. After taking this year off, he plans to attend Johnston State in Vermont next year, where he may study marine biology.

By Tony Cordeiro ABOARD ASTRID -- Mr. Andrew Davidson, 19, is the lone Bermudian among 26 trainees bound for England on the brigantine Astrid . Local students are able to join the British ship through the Bermuda Astrid Trust.