Crew onboard the Spirit of Bermuda are celebrating winning two prestigious international awards this month.

The tall ship — launched a year ago by Bermuda Sloop Foundation to teach young Bermudians about teamwork — was named Sail Training Programme of the Year by the American Sail Training Foundation earlier this month.

And last week, Captain Chris Blake, the 62-year-old skipper of the 100ft vessel, was declared Sail Trainer of the Year by Sail Training International (STI). First Officer Sarah Robinson was also nominated for the award.

To see the pair and the youngsters they train in action on the boat, check out a video report at .

Malcolm Kirkland, the Sloop Foundation's executive director, said the accolades had meant a "dizzyingly gratifying three weeks" for those involved with the foundation.

He said: "Chris will be the first to tell you all these awards are probably misnamed — this is much, much more than sail training. Chris is simply the leader of an incredibly powerful 100 operating community where young people learn to discover themselves, the synergy of teamwork and learn to learn."

The Sloop Foundation was represented as part of an 11-strong delegation from Bermuda at the STI's annual conference in Liverpool in England last week.

Sandys Middle School teacher Jenny Brookes gave a presentation on sail training and the education system.

"It was an experience that opened my eyes to the bigger world of sailing training outside Bermuda," she said.

"I discovered how far our programme has come thanks to our permanent crew and dedicated volunteers and where we could be heading in the future."

The Bermuda delegation was at the STI conference to he;p prepare for the Island taking part in the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge in June 2009, part of Bermuda's 400th anniversary celebrations.

John Wadson, chairman of the Sail Training Association Bermuda (STA-BDA), which initiated the Island's $2 million participation in the challenge, said a number of ships with spaces for young people would take part.

He said that the awards for the Sloop Foundation showed Bermuda has developed and is now delivering a world-class youth development programme.

"These awards come at a time when recent independent studies are demonstrating that sail training is a very effective mechanism for the development of essential life skills in young people and it is clear that sail training builds confidence, resilience and self-reliance as well as leadership and teamwork skills. It is most definitely not just about sailing."

The awards come in the same month that the Sloop Foundation celebrates its first anniversary. A ceremony attended by more than 200 people at the ACE Building saw Captain Peter Simons named Volunteer of the Year, Raymond Brangman named Student Crew of the Year and Mario Swainson given the Spirit Award.

The Sloop Foundation offers two training programmes — one for middle school students and one for those aged 15 and older. It is estimated to have covered some 10,000 sail training sea miles in its first year.