Winter Program
Winter Program
The Winter program at TBI allows training of our youth officers and maintenance of the boats. Most participants of the winter program have sailed on at least one of our summer courses, but this is not a requirement. The winter program begins in October following the completion of the summer sailing season and continues through to the next summer sailing season. Training and maintenance parties generally run on Saturdays and holidays.
Click here for the winter program schedule. You can obtain the winter program application for from the following link:
2009 – 2010 Winter Program Application and Information
Participation in the winter program is required for promotion to one of the youth officer positions aboard our brigantines. Each participant in the winter program maintains a log book, and trainees that contribute the requisite number of hours in the winter program and have completed the required basic training may be promoted to petty officer. As a petty officer, you will sail on several summer courses responsible for one of the three watches of trainees. Participants that have sailed for a summer as a petty officer may 
be promoted to the wardroom where they are assigned to either Pathfinder or Playfair. Officers include the cook, bosun, three watch officers, and an executive officer or mate. In this capacity you will sail the entire summer contributing to the sail training courses offered by TBI.
In honour of the wardroom member that best exemplifies the qualities of leadership and commitment to the program, and the winter trainee who shows the most enthusiasm and the greatest potential to succeed as an officer, TBI presents several awards at the end of the winter program. See Awards for details.
Maintenance
A large part of the winter program involves maintenance of the ships. This includes de-rigging in the fall, winterizing of the boats before freeze-up, and reactivation and re-rigging of the boats in the spring. There is also a great deal of painting, varnishing, and sail and rigging work to be done to make the boats sea ready for the next season.
Gaining an intimate knowledge of Pathfinder and Playfair are an important part of preparing for the summer season and the winter program plays a big role in achieving this.
Training
The training provided in the winter program depends on the level of the individual. Trainees learn basic seamanship, principles of sailing, anchoring, and vessel rig and construction. Trainees also learn maritime rules, principles of heavy weather sailing, and first aid. 
In addition to the course material covered by trainees, the youth officers learn navigation and the principles of the shipboard systems.
Experience
In addition to maintenance and training courses, the winter program offers participants the opportunity to gain sail training experience beyond that of the brigantines. The overall consequence is that our youth officers learn self discipline and self reliance, leadership and organizational skills, how to work together and take the initiative, and far more about themselves than can be put on these pages.
For more information about the winter program, please use the following e-mail address:
