In 2025 the Tall Ship St. Lawrence II will sail from one end of the great lakes to the other, from Kingston, ON to Duluth, MN on an exciting voyage that combines outdoor adventure programming, with an immersive cultural, heritage, community, and environmental focused project visiting ports throughout the great lakes region!
If this sounds like the sort of adventure that you’d like to be part of, we encourage you to apply!
TSEC is dedicated to enabling access for youth to our programs, and our low cost participant fees are a reflection of that dedication to access. If you are registering and are able to make an additional donation we would greatly appreciate the support! The actual cost to operate the program is roughly $350/pp/pd - the cost being offset by community donations and volunteer support.
Youth COURSES
Ages 13-18
2025 Schedule:
Sail # 1: Thunder Bay - Duluth - Apostle Islands - Duluth
july 4th - 10th 2025 - Ages 13 - 18
Heading to our first Tall Ship Challenge port of the 2025 season in Duluth, MN, you’ll get to experience some of the best sailing anywhere on earth. Lake Superior is a true inland sea and offers a spectacular sailing experience, breathtaking scenery, and a myriad of wildlife.
Sailing to Duluth to clear customs into the US, turn back eastward and head to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin. The park boats amazing geological features, sandy beaches, and pristine wild areas for exploration. There is no better way to explore this region than aboard a Tall Ship - we carry two vessel equipped with outboard engines for shore expeditions, which allows us to explore many areas inaccessible by land.
This Course ends at the Tall Ship Festival in Duluth, MN at the western boundary of the Great Lakes!
Course Cost:
$1050, no tax
Sail # 2: Duluth - Isle royale - Thunder Bay
July 13th - 18th - Ages 13-18
Departing amongst the fun and excitement of Tall Ships Duluth, we’ll turn eastward to start the voyage back down the Great Lakes toward Isle Royale and Thunder Bay
Enjoy world class sailing on this inland sea, while taking in the amazing seascapes and shorelines of the remote Minnesota lakeside on our way to Isle Royale National Park.
The Isle Royale National Park is a world renown national park and wildlife preserve in the middle of Lake Superior, and one of the most pristine wilderness areas anywhere in North America. This is a special place that very few people will ever have the opportunity to visit and explore. The ship is outfitted with two boats to enable shore expeditions, allowing us to explore the most remote parts of this unblemished wilderness park.
We will finish this course in the Canadian city of Thunder Bay, where we will leave the ship after exploring The Sleeping Giant Mesas, and Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.
Course Cost:
$1050, no tax
sail #3: Thunder Bay - Lake Superior - Slate Islands - Sault Ste marie
July 20th - 31st - Ages 13-18
Departing Thunder Bay, we will head eastward along the remote Canadian shoreline of Lake Superior. This shoreline is particularly unblemished by development, and is home to moose, black bears, and many other species of wildlife that call the northern lakes region home.
The next planned stop will be the Slate Islands Provincial Park, one of the few places that wild Caribou are still found, having migrated over an ice bridge as recently as 1907. This archipelago has early Oneota and Iroquoian campsites, as well as mining and logging relics.
Departing the Slate Islands, we’ll begin the long run south toward The Sault under a press of sail, passing Michipicoten Island, with a potential stop on the island at Quebec Harbour. Sailing onward into Whitefish Bay we’ll arrive in the bustling town of Sault Ste. Marie, ON - home to lovely bakeries, cafes, and museums - where we’ll spend our final evening reminiscing about the adventure and relaxing.
Course Cost:
$1500, no tax
Sail #4: Sault Ste. Marie - MANITOULIN Island & The North Channel - Killarney - Fathom Five - Tobermory
August 2nd - 9th - Ages 13-18
Join us in Sault Ste. Marie for a very special voyage, visiting some breathtaking natural spaces and scenery, with long histories and ties to indigenous culture. Sailing down The Sault we’ll learn about how to sail the Tall Ship, so that we’re ready to hoist the sails as we enter the north channel of Manitoulin Island.
Manitoulin Island, know in Ojibe as Spirit Island, is the largest freshwater island on earth, is home to a large Anishinaabe community, and unblemished natural spaces, shorelines, and beaches. We will enjoy exploring this area, visiting Lake Topaz, Bridal Veil Falls, and the areas many anchorages for campfires.
After a stop in the former outport of Killarney - a village on a natural granite cut - we’ll head out onto northern Georgian Bay for some open water sailing on our way to Fathom Five marine Park and Tobermory. Taking our boats out we’ll visit snorkelling sites before entering Tobermory for our last evening alongside this gem of a village at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula.
Course Cost:
$1500, no tax
Sail #5: Tobermory - Fathom Five - Bruce Peninsula - Midland
August 11th - 15th - Ages 13 - 18
Welcoming you aboard in Tobermory, we’ll spend the first day learning the ropes, before heading out to explore Fathom Five Marine Park, and snorkelling on some wrecks!
Leaving Fathom Five in our wake, we’ll head toward Wingfield Basin and the wreck of an old iron tugboat, before tuning south to begin our sail down Georgian Bay along the eastern shore of the Bruce Peninsula. This is a lovely area, with lots of villages, anchorages, bays, and rolling hills.
We will also visit the eastern side of the bay and the Thirty Thousand Islands, a UNESCO biosphere reserve; a region that was a crucial inspiration for Group of Seven painters.
We end this course in the lee of Giant Tomb Island, as we make preparation to finish at Tall Ships Midland, a festival that is part of the 2025 Tall Ships Challenge series!
Course Cost:
$1600, no tax
Sail #6: Midland - ERIE,PA
August 17th - 22nd - Ages 14 - 18
Come aboard in beautiful Midland,On for this epic sail from Tall Ships Midland to Tall Ships Erie!
Midland rests at the southern end of history Georgian Bay, famous for it’s natural splendor, nestled adjacent the Thirty Thousand Islands UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Sailing up Georgian Bay, we’ll pass by Fathom Five & Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula, entering Lake Huron proper.
Sailing south through the crisp blue waters of Lake Huron, we’ll sight the sandy beaches of the villages of the eastern shore of Huron, as we make our way south. Enjoy the freedom and excitement of open lake sailing as you make your way toward the St. Clair River - the gateway to the lower lakes. Landing at the cool riverfront town Port Huron, MI we will enter the USA.
Transiting down the rivers, through Lake St. Clair, past Detroit, and on into the western Basin of Lake Erie, we’ll make our way along the US shoreline, exploring the many islands and ports of the western basin. Sailing down Lake Erie toward the city of Erie, PA you’re sailing in the wake of schooner and ships of war toward the natural bay at Erie.
This course is offered at a discounted price as there will be much more time underway than usual.
Course Cost:
$600, no tax
Sail #7: ERIE,PA - Toronto - Cobourg - Kingston
August 24th - 31st - Ages 13 - 18
Come aboard for the last day of Tall Ships Erie - winner of the “Best Port” during the last Great Lakes Tall Ships Tour.
Sailing out of Erie with a fleet of tall ships from Canada & the US we’ll sail across Lake Erie to the Welland Canal, entering Canada at Port Colborne before making our way down the canal. This is a very cool experience, seeing first hand how huge cargo ships are lifted from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.
Departing the canal we’ll sail across Lake Ontario to Toronto, the largest city in Canada, docking right in the middle of the city core. Take some time to explore the sights before we head back out onto open Lake Ontario, making our way past the Scarborough Bluffs, and the beaches east of the GTA to the beach town of Cobourg, ON.
Taking a day to enjoy the beach and the relaxed vibe of the town, we’ll again sail east, around PEC, and onward toward Kingston. This course will end in Kingston, our home port. Participants & their families are welcome to join us for a post-sail celebration & BBQ at our office, right beside our dock!
