At the Rotary District Conference in Hobart, delegates were treated to an inspiring presentation from Sarah Perry AM, the driving force behind the sail training vessel STV Windward Bound.
Captain Perry has spent decades transforming the lives of young people through sail training voyages that challenge participants to step far outside their comfort zones and discover what they are truly capable of.
A Ship Built by Vision and Volunteers
The story of Windward Bound is extraordinary in itself.
With little more than a vision, a small group of volunteers and an empty shed in Hobart, Captain Perry and her team began building a tall ship from scratch in 1990. After five years of gathering materials, designing the vessel and constructing the hull, the ship was launched in 1996.
Today the 33-metre, 120-tonne tall ship sails with a volunteer crew and a powerful mission: to help young people develop resilience, teamwork and leadership through real-world challenges at sea.
The vessel is operated by the Windward Bound Trust, a registered charity established in 1993, supported by volunteers, advisors and a small operational team. Like Rotary, the organisation relies heavily on volunteers who believe deeply in its purpose.
Why Sail Training Matters
Captain Perry spoke passionately about the modern challenges facing young people.
In a world dominated by screens and digital connection, she believes practical experience and real responsibility are more important than ever.
On a Windward Bound voyage, young participants hand in their phones as they step aboard. For the duration of the journey, their world becomes the ship, the sea and the people around them.
The experience quickly becomes intense and transformative.
Participants are divided into watches and work together around the clock, learning navigation, sail handling and teamwork. Every person has a role. Every task matters.
As Captain Perry explained, life at sea demands cooperation, responsibility and trust.
There is no Google search that can help when the wind rises, the sails must be trimmed, or the anchor becomes tangled on the seabed. The crew must rely on their skills, their teammates and their own resilience.
Growth Through Challenge
One of the most memorable moments of every voyage occurs on day eight.
At that point, the young crew is given full responsibility for the vessel for 24 hours.
They must elect their own captain, navigator and watch leaders. The professional crew step back and allow the young sailors to run the ship themselves.
It is a powerful lesson in leadership, decision-making and confidence.
Many participants arrive unsure of themselves. By the end of the voyage, they are navigating, managing watches and leading their peers.
Captain Perry’s goal is not simply to teach sailing.
It is to help young people discover their own capability.
A Rotary Partnership Spanning 30 Years
The connection between Windward Bound and Rotary began in the early 1990s when a Rotarian named David Coleman walked into the shipbuilding shed and asked what was happening.
From that moment, Rotary became one of the organisation’s most important supporters.
Rotary clubs across Tasmania helped raise awareness, provide practical assistance and support voyages for young people. Over the years, this partnership has only strengthened.
When Windward Bound undertook a national voyage around Australia in 2002–2003 to commemorate the circumnavigation of Australia by Matthew Flinders, the ship visited more than 120 ports.
In nearly every location, local Rotary clubs were there to assist. They organised berths, helped with logistics and even provided technical support when equipment needed repair.
It was a powerful example of Rotary’s network in action.
Changing Young Lives
Perhaps the most powerful moment of the presentation came when a parent shared the story of his daughter.
Struggling at school and caught in the wrong crowd, she was encouraged to take part in a Windward Bound voyage supported by Rotary.
The experience changed her life.
After the voyage, she returned home more confident, motivated and determined. Today she works as an outdoor guide in New Zealand, leading adventures in alpine environments and continuing to pursue new challenges.
Her story is just one of many.
Over the past three decades, Windward Bound has helped thousands of young people develop confidence, leadership skills and a renewed belief in themselves.
A Global Impact
One of Captain Perry’s initiatives, the Youth Leadership Challenge voyage, was designed to bring together refugee youth and Australian participants to build understanding, confidence and community connections.
The program has been so successful that it has been adopted by sail training organisations in several countries, including Ireland, Sweden and Norway.
It is a remarkable example of an idea born in Tasmania making an impact around the world.
A Voyage That Changes Lives
As Captain Perry concluded, the purpose of Windward Bound is simple but powerful.
Every young person carries a desire for adventure and purpose. If that need is not filled with positive experiences, it may be filled with something less constructive.
Windward Bound offers young people something better.
An opportunity to test themselves.
To work as part of a team.
To discover strength they never knew they had.
And thanks to the ongoing support of Rotary, those opportunities continue to change lives.
