If you’re looking for an exceptional overnight sailing camp in a magical European setting, this is it!
The QBE* European Leadership School offers singular overnight sailing camps for 15–18-year-olds on extraordinary gaff-rig sailboats. Part high adventure, part “worldschool” course, our summer expeditions take crew members to off-the-beaten-path ports and anchorages along the scenic coastlines of western France and the Channel Islands.
Along the way our crews discover our sailing area’s local cultures as well as a surprisingly vibrant coastal ecosystem. Plus they learn some history and a lot about gaff-rig sailing. (If you’re going to learn how to sail, you might as well get the opportunity to tug on ropes.) QBE campers learn how to navigate, calculate the tides, set the sails, and they even help make many of their own expedition decisions.
Each 2- or 3-week camp includes personalized gaff-rig sailing instruction as well as visits to:
Historic sites
Museums
Cultural festivals & attractions
… and the opportunity to participate in regattas when opportunity arises and scheduling allows.
Nothing beats the adrenaline rushes, unexpected revelations, and life-elevating personal satisfaction of a QBE maritime expedition. It’s epic adventure and singular summer fun. Apply now for next season!
QBE’s small-group, overnight sailing camp in France, the choice of parents from around the world
“[My son] had the time of his life, loved the experience and everyone he shared it with. [He] hasn’t stopped regaling us all with tales of the adventure… As he has said he would like to go again, I said three weeks? He said he’d go back for three months if he could. So hopefully next year for three weeks.”
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“As a parent l can say that my daughter’s three weeks with QBE in August 2023 has been the single most remarkable experience of her life. She was lucky to have this opportunity as a teenager... It was the adventure of a lifetime.””
“Thank you! Thank you for everything! That was a life-changing trip and [my son] hopes to return next year!””
ABOUT US
QBE (Qualified By Experience) is a top-shelf experiential-learning initiative supported by a group of adventure sport enthusiasts who all attended the same Swiss international school. Outdoor and cultural expeditions were mandatory, and through the years, skiing, mountaineering, cycling, and sailing were the preferred outdoor options.
So when one of the school’s former expedition masters came across two rare pilot cutters on the market some years ago, he enlisted the help of several of his former students to acquire them and then help make a remarkably transformative outdoor experience available to youngsters whose schools don’t feature sailing, much less expeditionary sailing, as an extracurricular offering.
When it comes to boosting self-esteem, challenging outdoor adventures (like small-yacht blue-water sailing) can be fairy dust, especially when participants are given the reins to make many of their own expedition decisions. That’s why so many top schools have adopted, and now swear by, expeditionary learning activities—just usually not sailing.
As for QBE, there’s nothing quite like the exhilaration of cutting through the water on a traditional boat, unless it’s the pride you feel when pulling into port after a busy day on the water. And unlike, say, a wilderness trek, there are also the daily revelations that come from discovering our sailing area’s vibrant ports, cultural sites, and regional cuisine.
Participants go home feeling they’ve taken their lives to a new level… because they have.
It’s simply a fact that self-esteem is a powerful catalyst for academic and career success. You’ll be amazed at the difference a great adventure can make in a young adult’s life trajectory.
And what’s more, teens love it; many of our crew members ask to come back and do it again. Several of our students this past season have already announced they plan to join us again next summer.
Expeditions are in June (two weeks), July (three weeks), and August (three weeks).
You may never have even considered sending your teen on a sailing expedition, much less one along the French coast. But no matter where you live, you should. It’s not only a mind-expanding adventure, but a small-team sport where nobody sits on the bench; every crew member plays an important role.
Contact us. Or stop by to see us. Let’s talk. We’d love the opportunity to discuss our unique expeditions and explain what makes QBE’s European Leadership School (ELS) special. References on request.
new skills • new perspectives • New adrenaline rushes • new confidence
No sailing experience required | Staff-to-crew member ratio 1:3 | The language of instruction is English | Safety record: Impeccable