The Bermuda Seven are changing things at the Class Afloat programme more than they know.

Class Afloat announced this week that the has decided to alter her cruise track, bringing this year's crew to Bermuda ? an unexpected surprise for the seven Bermudian students on board.

The seven Bermudians and their 41 classmates are scheduled to arrive in Bermuda on their tall ship home on May 14, 2005. They will stay for four days, exploring the Island through programmes and home stays designed to introduce staff and students unfamiliar with Bermuda to Bermudian culture and a history built on sea-faring traditions.

The change in the cruise track is planned as a surprise for the students, who will not be told until when they arrive in the Seychelles (December 4-8).

Class Afloat, a unique Canadian programme founded in 1984, provides students with the opportunity of a lifetime ? to sail to more than 25 countries around the world in a tall ship while taking school courses catered to the needs of serious college and university preparatory students aged 16-19.

The secondary studies on board the 188-foot ship are sanctioned by West Island College, a Canadian independent school with more than 750 students in Montreal and Calgary. Post-secondary studies are sanctioned by College Marie-Victorin, a Quebec-based junior college.

The school's curriculum has been approved by the Ministries of Education for the provinces of Alberta and Quebec.

The seven Bermudians on board this year are: Katie Titterton, Florence Pedro, Jennifer (Jenny) Pereira, Kyla Smith, Melvin Martin, Joshua (Josh) Emmerson and Stephen Bath. They have been writing letters to the Young Observer section of detailing their adventures since they set sail from Vancouver in September.

Class Afloat representative Kate Knight is on the Island this week and can be contacted at the Island College Fair from December 1-3 at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess.

The Class Afloat office can also be contacted on the worldwide web at www.classafloat.com.