Sail Training International
Although we absolutely admire and support Sail Training International and many related organizations, the Caribbean Sail Training Association is a complete independent foundation and not related to STI

 

 

About Us
The Caribbean Sail Training Association ( CSTA ) has been established some years ago as a registered nonprofit foundation with the aim to help in providing education and sail training towards young people of all nationalities, cultures, religions and social backgrounds and specially towards people living in the Caribbean.
The Caribbean Sail Training Association basically receives funds from businesses, private persons and other organizations that are used to provide youngsters with sponsorship to board ships and yachts as trainees so that they don't need to find the necessary money themselves.
Many of the Caribbean youth or their parents and family are not wealthy enough to come up with necessary funds to provide their youngsters a sail training term on board a vessel, so that's where the CSTA comes to help.
As organization we select cooperating Tall ships, square riggers, large yachts and even race boats, that take youngsters on a sail training trip.
We arrange the funds ( as each sail training vessel need some money from trainees in order to keep working and exist ), we do all the paperwork, we arrange and pay for transport to and from the ship ( and air line tickets if necessary ) we pay for food and drinks and most of the expenses.
Our ultimate goal is to build, restore or acquire one day a Tall Ship to run sail training and educational programs at sea all year round for Caribbean and other youth...Years ago, we've started the project to build our own sail training vessel and we've commissioned No Limits Yachts to manage the design and building in case we could find funding.
At that time, we wanted to name the vessel:
The NETHERLANDS ANTILLES.
Well know naval architect Olivier Van Meer made the designs and we had all the calculations done.

285 ft 3 mast schooner
The latest drawings for the project of the Tall ship had been finished.
Meetings with the director of No Limits Yachts who started the Tall Ship project together with project leader Harry Klein from Klein Management Consultancy, and naval architect Olivier F. Van Meer and Klaas Huizinga in Enkhuizen Holland, resulted in many changes over a three year period and a great final result.Several of the people from No Limits Yachts and from Klein Management Consultancy who are working on the tall ship project have been involved years ago in the building of the 4-mast barquentines Star Flyer and Star Clipper.
Naval architect Olivier Van Meer has build a great reputation in designing several large sail ships and other yachts and was also involved in the Star Flyer and Star Clipper building process. ( see www.vanmeerdesign.nl )

The latest changes included a reduced draft ( from 5.60 to 4.00 meter ), a retractable keel, a huge "garage" and water toys storage room with swim platform in the stern, glass bottom viewers in the restaurant, hydraulic stabilizers, underwater spotlights with remote control video cameras and other features.
 Several double and luxurious staterooms on board will be available for guests as well as a giant "owners" cabin.
The ship will be ABS and MCA classified, fully air-conditioned, have a heating system for the cold parts of the sailing ( even an open fire place ) and will feature all the latest safety systems, sprinkler installations and more.
Among the "water toys" will be two wave runners and two fast RIB's.

The ship will cruise at about 16 knots under almost 2000 square meter of sail area and maintain a 14 knots speed under power with a 5000 nautical miles range.
The Tall Ship will be build in complete certified steel or aluminum.When all the plans were more or less ready we heard that the Netherlands Antilles would stop existing, so we could not use the name anymore and even worse, we never received any money to start the project.

Hopefully one day, The Caribbean Sail Training Association will receive enough donations and generate enough money to build this ship for the Caribbean youth.

Sail Training for the Caribbean Youth
The Caribbean Sail Training Association has placed many youngsters on Tall Ships and yachts over the past years mainly in co-operation with the Maritime School of the West Indies in St.Maarten and the ship and yacht agents Yacht Assistance.
As stated on the beginning of this page, our organization pays the fees for youngsters to do the training on board, we pay for all food and drinks and for airline or other transport to bring the trainees back to the Island from where they left.

The CSTA accepts requests from maritime related schools and institutions that are interested to place a student on one of the vessels as a trainee.
Private persons, youngsters and parents, are also encouraged to contact the association to participate in a sailing adventure on board one of the ships.

Applicants need to have the minimum age of 15 and be not older than 25 years on most of the Tall Ships but sometimes older trainees are accepted on board sail training vessels.

For information please contact us.

Services for Sail Training Vessels
Our organization has arranged with several ports in the Caribbean that official Sail Training Ships do NOT have to pay docking fees when moored or on a pier in several Islands.
This agreement is only valid for the real training ships, so Tall Ships like Star Flyer, Star Clipper, Stad Amsterdam and others that are beautiful ships but operate commercially and have no trainees can not benefit from those arrangements.
Tall ships, Sail Training Vessels and sail yachts that have trainees on board need to contact the Caribbean Sail Training Association in advance of their arrival to the Caribbean in order to receive those free docking benefits.
In addition, Ships agent Yacht Assistance offers FREE agency services for all qualified sail training vessels in St.Maarten and St.Martin and ship agents in other Islands will soon do the same.

The Caribbean Sail Training Association sponsors also harbor, docking and other fees for CSTA member Sail Training Vessels and Tall Ships where local port authorities have not reached an agreement with us as yet to provide reduced or free docking and other services.
If you are a Sail Training Ship owner, operator, captain or management company, please contact us in advance of coming to the Caribbean so that we can work with you to arrange those benefits.