learn to sail classic gaff-rig boats. Revel in dozens of new experiences. Have the time of your life!

There’s nothing else quite like it. QBE’s adventure sailing expeditions offer unforgettable outdoor adventure and “worldschooling” for 15–18 year olds in a magical corner of Europe. And we do it on head-turning classic boats.

Each expedition features hours of personalized gaff-rig sailing instruction, mentoring in collaborative team-building, and visits to:

… as well as an opportunity to participate in regattas when opportunity arises and scheduling allows.

There are lots of options available for summer enrichment. And even more options available for teen travel. Many look to be pretty exciting opportunities. But nothing beats the adrenaline rushes, unexpected revelations, and life-elevating personal satisfaction of a QBE maritime expedition. It’s an impact adventure that never leaves young adults where it found them.

If you’d like to learn to sail a classic yacht that commands attention, explore fascinating new places, and pick up some current idiomatic English (or French) while you’re at it, find your deck shoes and join us next summer on the French Atlantic coast!

Expeditions in June, July, and August.

—In 2023, we welcomed three international crews, including young expeditioners from the UK, France, the United States, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Norway, Poland, Greece, Canada, Turkey, Switzerland, and New Zealand.

*PARENTS: QBE (Qualified By Experience) is an internationally known teen sailing initiative supported by a group of like-minded outdoor enthusiasts who taught at or attended the same Swiss boarding school. Outdoor and cultural expeditions were always mandatory for us, and through the years, skiing, mountaineering, cycling, and sailing were the outdoor activities of choice. So when one of our former expedition masters came across two rare pilot cutters on the market a number of years ago, he immediately started working the phone to raise funds to purchase them. His idea was to make a truly transformative experience available to young adults from a wide range of backgrounds.

When it comes to boosting self-esteem, challenging outdoor adventures (like small-yacht open-water sailing) can be the secret sauce, especially when participants are given the reins to make many of their own expedition decisions. We even give our crews the latitude to get lost—so we can teach them how to get their bearings.

Few things compare to cutting through the water with a strong breeze in your sails, unless perhaps it’s the pride you feel when pulling into port after a challenging day on the water. It’s simply a fact that self-esteem is a powerful catalyst for academic and career success.

As for peer language learning, there’s no more effective way to improve teenagers’ listening comprehension and idiomatic usage than sending them to spend time with new friends who speak the target language natively. Because peer learning makes language acquisition cool—not to mention extremely practical—youngsters find the motivation they need to work toward mastery. Last season over half of our participants hailed from Anglophone countries. Instruction is in English.

New skills • new perspectives •  NEW adrenaline rushes • new confidence

  No previous sailing experience necessary | Safety record: Impeccable