Classrooms will be moved to the bow of a boat for Bermuda's students as an education and conservation outreach boat arrives on the Island next month.

The $450,000, 45-foot-long Endurance, named for lead donor, Bermuda-based Endurance Specialty Insurance and a Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) concept, is to sail to the Island in March after trials off the Eastern Seaboard.

More then 9,000 children attend programmes held by the BZS each year and now they will have a chance to experience rather then sit and listen.

That's why Education Officer Joseph Furbert is excited about the new water-based classroom.

Mr. Furbert said: "Now having the boat we have more options. We can get children out to North Rock, maybe night trips, just get them out so they have experiences they have never had before.

"We are able to offer the other side of what we are already talking about. Hopefully the public will not get used to seeing it docked because it will be out all the time."

Shirley Nosakere-Fountain, Vice President, Operations Manager, Endurance Specialty Insurance Ltd. said the company was pleased to be part of the project.

She said: "Since its inception, Endurance has always been committed to supporting Bermuda's cultural institutions and serve as a good corporate citizen to the island of Bermuda.

"In 2005, the Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) presented the opportunity for sponsoring their proposed education and outreach vessel to Endurance.

"We felt this was a rare opportunity to significantly support the community and to provide a valued addition to the educational efforts of the BZS.

"We are extremely pleased that the day is almost upon use, where "the Endurance" will be put into use.

The Endurance will help enhance education programmes put into place by the BZS, as well as help develop new programmes for students and the Bermuda community in the future."

The project started four years ago when Former BZS Executive members Ralph Richardson and Bob Steinhoff brainstormed and decided that the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) needed a boat.

There were multiple consideration, but the two most important were the height of the boat and safety.

The 45-foot boat had to fit under Flatts Bridge, but had to be sturdy enough to protect the school children onboard if the weather changed while miles away at North Rock.

Although Mr. Richardson and Mr. Steinhoff had originally imagined a catamaran hull, safety issues meant it had to be changed to a monohull design.

It was these tweaks and changes that prolonged the embarking of the ship, but now with everything in place, it is set to arrive in Bermuda mid-march.

Principal Curator of BAMZ, Brian Lightbourn said the new addition will be a welcome relief to a somewhat haphazard fleet previously.

He said: "Previously our fleet consisted of a 14-foot dory and a 20-foot centre-console boat. Due to the small size of these vessels, our regular marine programmes were restricted to relatively small group participation, times when weather conditions were optimal, and generally the more sheltered near shore locations.

"The purpose built Endurance promises to expand the potential of all our marine programmes, with particular significance to educational outreach.

"It has long been our desire to take Bermuda's students, and the broader community, to places like North Rock and Nonsuch Island to explore first hand the beauty, diversity and fragility of our natural environment and to expand opportunities to nurture future conservation stewards for Bermuda."

The Endurance is the first project funded by the recent BZS $8 million capital campaign and it will be moored directly outside of BAMZ in Flatts for easy access by the collection staff and the school groups.

More than just an education experiment, the Endurance will be most welcomed by the Bermuda Turtle Project, one of the world's longest-running tagging and research programmes, and the Bermuda Biodiversity Project.

It will also allow the BZS Collections Department to venture further and find a larger variety of species to study and add to the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.

The construction of this multi-purpose water craft has taken the better part of the last year, so both the BZS and BAMZ are excited and anticipating its arrival.

Speaking in Critter Talk for March, Bill Scott, chairman of the BZS Executive, said: "The Endurance will be a critically important tool with which BZS can enhance environmental education in Bermuda.

"The vessel will be in effect, a floating classroom allowing students to experience Bermuda from the water as well as field-research lab.

"Endurance will be a true asset to conservation education and research in Bermuda. Most importantly it will allow BZS to create a new dynamic and more varied opportunities to nurture future stewards of the Island's environment."