A tall ship with its own schooling programme on board will welcome a new Bermudian pupil in September.

Ayeuri Smith-Ming, 15, has agreed to board the tall ship Sorlandet in the next school year to spend a year studying and working at sea.

The young sailor, who has been sailing for almost six years, said: “The water’s always felt like my home, so being somewhere that feels like home would actually make me want to do stuff and study more.”

Ayeuri was speaking yesterday while the Sorlandet was docked in Hamilton Harbour.

The tall ship hosts A-plus World Academy, a study programme that lets youngsters complete their high school diploma and receive college credits while on board.

Ayeuri said that she wanted to join the programme because of her love for sailing and dream to study abroad.

She added that she looked forward to travelling and learning about new cultures, as well as learning more about herself.

The Chatmore British International School Pupil has worked on ships for as long as she can remember.

She recently participated in a SailGP Inspire race, where she placed in the top five without any experience sail racing.

Ayeuri will pad out her sailing skills through the Endeavour Programme in January, where she hopes to qualify for her sailing coach certificate.

Her mother, Tyasha, said that she believed the cultural exchange would be good for her daughter, adding that it would give her daughter “life skills that are immeasurable and completely invaluable”.

She added: “I think she would like the expose to hands-on learning in an environment where she’s comfortable, and that’s the outdoors.”

Meanwhile, Ayeuri’s father, Cal, said that he expected the experience to bring out only the best in his daughter.

He said: “She will find out exactly who she is as a person and she will discover that the mind is the greatest weapon and that you can create your reality and accomplish anything that you want to when you put your mind to it.”

A-plus World Academy hosts students from all over the globe on board the Sorlandet for its programme.

The tall ship, which is carrying pupils from countries including Germany and Mexico, left Norway last September and travelled around Europe before sailing the Gulf of Mexico.

The ship sets sail for the Azores tomorrow.

Paulina Mendez, the dean of A-plus World Academy, said that pupils balance four hours of classes every day with two hours of “ship watch”, which continues throughout the night.

She added that the programme has been great for building character, adding that it develops the children’s social skills and resilience.

Ms Mendez said: “It is not easy to be 17 years old on a boat with all of your friends with you all of the time and with no personal space.

“They become their own adults — they know that, at the end of the day, it’s on them to have the experience they want to have.”