The Flagship Niagara League is instituting a new scholarship opportunity for people wishing to sail aboard the Flagship Niagara as a trainee or apprentice. The sail-training experience aboard Flagship Niagara is the best opportunity in the United States for people of all ages to have fun while absorbing the time-tested character-building values that naturally stem from the adventure of going to sea in a large square-rigged sailing ship. This scholarship fund is intended to help promote live-aboard programs on Niagara, and to ease the financial burden on applicants.
Each year, for the next 3 years, ten scholarships valued at $1,000 each, and ten partial scholarships valued at $500 each are available for applicants ages 16 and older who wish to participate in the Niagara Sailing Program. Normal tuition for this
3-week live-aboard program is $1,500 and involves participating as a member of the ship’s crew during Flagship Niagara’s 2013 Battle of Lake Erie Bicentennial Tour of the Great Lakes.
Scholarship applicants are required to submit:
· A 100-1000 word essay describing why they feel they should receive the scholarship
· An application and $75 processing fee to become a Niagara trainee (available on our website).
· A criminal background check (information available on our website)
Scholarships will be awarded to applicants based on the content and quality of the essay. Scholarships will be awarded on a rolling basis as applications are received. Scholarships may be tied to specific portions of the sailing season, in order to more evenly distribute trainees across the ship’s schedule. Preference will be given to those applicants who can make at least a three week commitment to the trainee program. Selection of awardees and amount awarded is at the discretion of the Flagship Niagara League and the Captain of Niagara. Submit inquiries, applications, and essays to: Marine Operations Coordinator, Flagship Niagara League, Inc., 150 East Front Street, Suite 100, Erie, PA 16507 or by email to sail@flagshipniagara.org, in the subject line, type the word: “Scholarship.” For more information, go to www.flagshipniagara.org
About Capt. Arthur M. Kimberly:
Captain Arthur M. Kimberly, affectionately known by crews who sailed for him as “Skipper,” passed away on September 17, 2011. Kimberly bequeathed a generous gift of $150,000 to further opportunities for people to learn the craft of seamanship aboard the Flagship Niagara. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1922, he first went to sea in the coasting schoonerGEORGE GRESS while still in high school. His long career included buying and running the brigantine ROMANCE from 1966 through 1989. As one of the most remembered sailing ship captains of the 20th Century, the Flagship Niagara League is proud to be the recipient of this gift and intends to make funds available for scholarship opportunities.