Experience a different kind of adventure along the coast of Brittany, and discover authentic France along the way. Aboard our classic pilot cutters, every participant becomes an active member of the crew: learning to sail, work as a team, meet real challenges and grow in confidence. Choose from two- or three-week expeditions, each shaped by wind, tide and life at sea. Return home with practical skills, lasting friendships and a newfound sense of self.
NEW FOR 2027 — THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE
One week. One remarkable passage.
Short on time? Join us for a special one-week voyage from Brest back to Saint-Malo at the end of the season—a taste of life aboard a classic sailboat, combining hands-on sailing with the chance to navigate one of Europe’s most dramatic coastlines.
The skills learnt aboard are transferable to life ashore.
We take teenagers aged 14 to 18 at the start of the sailing expedition.
We visit as many interesting, picturesque ports and islands as possible along our sailing routes.
Everybody lives on the boats. We cook, eat, sleep and live aboard for the whole voyage.
We sail together in a flotilla to the same destinations and switch crew members from boat to boat, so everybody gets to know each other.
We spend a minimum of four nights each week in different marinas. On other nights, we will be safely anchored in sheltered bays and creeks, or off beautiful island beaches.
The marinas have all the services needed by visiting boats, including electricity, water, showers and washing machines.
The boats are equipped with sockets for charging phones, tablets, computers, etc.
The first day of each trip is spent learning knots, how to tie up the boat when entering port, how to hoist the sails, practising man-overboard drills and becoming familiar with all the safety systems aboard.
The students hoist the sails, navigate and set the course, carry out all the deck manoeuvres and take their turn at the helm. It is a hands-on experience, discovering the best ways of doing things through trial and error.
The crews are mixed, with six to seven students on each boat, together with a skipper.
The girls have cabins with solid wooden doors, and there is a young female adult on each trip to support the female crew members.
Our skippers are vastly experienced, easy-going mentors whose job is to let the students try their hand at all the skills needed to navigate a boat safely from A to B. Many crew members have never been on a boat before, but by the end of the trip they have certainly become reliable members of the team.
We provide the crew agreement, kit list and travel advice.
Specialist sailing equipment is good to have but is not necessary for novices.
We arrange for arrivals to be picked up at airports or stations and for crew members to be dropped off when they leave.
Most fly into Paris and take a train to the destination port.
Payments typically are made by bank transfer
A reservation can be made with a €2,000 deposit (€1,000 for the one-week Homeward Voyage cruise) but does not qualify for a discount. Remaining fees must be paid by the 1st April 2027.
Discounted fees apply only to early-commitment full payments made in 2026.
Applications are made on the website.
This is a condensed information/fact sheet. Additional information can be found on this website, including the FAQ page.
If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me.
Will Sutherland
Director QBE Sailing Adventures for Teens
+33 (0) 678 85 83 02