Being on a tall ship was a challenge mentally and physically but it was an amazing experience that everyone should try, according to Julia Judd.

The 23-year-old is back on dry land after a voyage on board the Blue Clipper — a 43-metre, three masted gaff rigged schooner, on which she sailed from Greenwich in England to Sines in Portugal.

“I would 100 per cent recommend that all young people take part in a tall ship voyage,” she said. “The people that you meet and the experiences that you gain are things you would never get in your everyday life.

“After spending only two weeks on board the Blue Clipper, I met some incredible people, was challenged both mentally and physically and got the chance to explored two different countries. It was an amazing experience. Don’t think about participating, just do it!”

The trip was the first leg of the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta, a 7,000 nautical mile trans-Atlantic race to six countries to mark the 150th Anniversary of the Canadian Confederation through its founders and founding provinces.

Nineteen of the ships are due to visit Bermuda, arriving tomorrow in St George’s, until June 1 when they will move to Hamilton. They will head to Boston on June 5.

Ms Judd, who will be leaving the island to work for AIG in Boston as an underwriting analyst, added: “Being on the boat for multiple days really showed me how to appreciate the small things in life.

“Simple things like seeing the sunrise at 6am, watching a pod of dolphins swim by the boat or even having a crazy conversation about alpaca farming would be so incredible and would totally make my day.”

But it was not all plain sailing.

“During our watch system we would have to be awake and on watch from either 8pm to 12am, 12am to 4am or 4am to 8am every night.

“Being on deck during these times was absolutely freezing and like a stereotypical Bermudian, I did not have the appropriate warm weather clothing. At one point, I was wearing four pairs of pants, seven shirts and jackets and three pairs of socks. I could barely move.”

According to Craig Nikolai, project management at Tall Ships Bermuda 2017 and Sail Training Association of Bermuda, places for trainees are still available.

He said: “Julia’s description of life on board one of these majestic vessels sums it up, it is quite amazing. It would be a tragedy if someone has the opportunity and does not take it. You don’t want to be looking back and life saying ‘if only….’.”

Berths on the ships are open to anyone of any age, however, bursaries of up to 75 per cent of the total cost are available for those demonstrating financial need and who are between 16 and 25 through Tall Ships Bermuda 2017 and Sail Training Association of Bermuda.

Those interested in signing up for some or all of the remaining Regatta legs, should e-mail trainee@tallships.bm.

Dr Nikolai added: “We have a lot of events planned for when the 900 or so crew on board the tall ships are here. You can see the details on our website www.tallshipsbermuda.com.

“We sincerely hope that people come out in their droves to support this event and show the crew an amazing Bermuda welcome.”