“To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what to expect,” the Mount Tahoma High School freshman said. “It looks like a lot of hard work. But I think it’ll be exciting.”

On Saturday morning, he experienced a little taste of what lies ahead.

Franklin and the 47 other participants in the program sailed around Puget Sound aboard the Odyssey, an 881/2-foot yawl owned by the Tacoma Sea Scouts. The crew, mostly Scouts, led the Youth on Board participants through the tasks required to raise the sails and later gave below-deck tours.

The biggest surprise for many? The tiny sleeping quarters.

“I checked out the beds,” said Bryan Cargill, a student at Curtis Junior High in University Place. “And they look pretty cramped.”

Franklin nodded.

“Yeah, but I’d sleep in them,” he replied. “When you’re tired, you’re tired.”

Youth on Board is a project of Metro Parks Tacoma, Tall Ships Tacoma, Boys & Girls Club of South Puget Sound, and the Sea Scouts. The 48 participants, all 14 to 17 years old, will leave Tacoma on June 29 for Vancouver Island.

They’ll serve aboard three ships – the Zodiac, the Adventuress and the Mycia – and learn the basics of sailing. They arrive July 3, the day Tall Ships Tacoma begins, and will volunteer during the festival.

The participants sailed aboard the Odyssey on Saturday to get a glimpse of what life on a ship felt like and to meet their future shipmates. They spent most of the three-hour trip chatting, admiring views of the coastlines and soaking up some rays. After the boat motored away from the dock, they helped raise the sails – which required a crash course from the Sea Scouts before everyone pulled the line in unison.

The students enrolled in the program for myriad reasons. Franklin said it seemed exciting and would look good on a college résumé. Devon Kaapana, a 15-year-old who attends Life Christian School in Tacoma, said boating is a family activity. Monica Jadwin, a 16-year-old student at Lincoln High School, volunteered with dock handling at the 2005 Tall Ships festival but wants to get a feel for ship operations.

And many just want an exciting summer experience.

“I just thought it would be a fun opportunity,” Cargill said.

For the Sea Scouts who serve aboard the Odyssey, Saturday’s trip was a chance to help teach other youth who are interested in seafaring.

“I’m kind of teaching and still learning at the same time,” said 14-year-old Elisa Fu, a freshman at Sumner High School. “And then I get to be on the Adventuress (on its trip to Tacoma). How cool is that?”

Scott Fontaine: 253-320-4758

blogs.thenewstribune.com/tallships

Get tickets to tall ships

Tickets for this summer’s Tall Ships Tacoma festival go on sale Monday.

The festival, planned for July 3-7 along the Thea Foss Waterway, requires tickets to tour the ships or sail on all vessels except the Coast Guard Eagle.

The ticket office at Freighthouse Square, 2501 E. D St. in Tacoma, is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Or buy them at tallshipstacoma.com.

Ticket options:

 • $10 a day for a general boarding pass that allows touring of all Class B and C vessels and access to viewing areas for Class A ships.

 • $20 a day a for premium boarding pass that allows touring of all vessels.

 • $60 for the “treasure pass,” a four-day premium boarding pass.

The boarding passes are date-specific and will be exchanged for a wristband when boarding a ship. Children 10 and younger are free when accompanied by a paying adult.

Area State Farm Insurance agents have coupons good for discounted prices.

Scott Fontaine, The News Tribune