Sailing Programs aboard Schooner Brilliant

The Brilliant educational sailing program introduces teens and adults to life aboard a classic schooner while sailing the New England coast. On programs ranging from two-day trips to 10-day voyages, teenagers and adults become full participants in the sailing of Brilliant: steering the vessel, raising the sails, standing watch and learning navigation. Participants are not passengers but are instead crew aboard our 61-foot wooden schooner.

As the oldest sail education program in the country, Brilliant has taught teamwork, leadership, stewardship, and traditional seamanship for over 55 years to more than 9,000 teenagers and adults. Participants learn under the guidance of a professional crew and Coast Guard licensed Captain.

Brilliant is owned and operated by Mystic Seaport and inspected by the United States Coast Guard. Though traditional in operation and construction, Brilliant carries modern navigation and safety equipment. She has been described by WoodenBoat magazine as one of the 100 most beautiful classic boats in existence and as “one of the best maintained and sailed classic yachts in the country — if not the world.”