Part sail training vessel, part classroom, and part lab, the Tabor Boy is a unique educational asset of the School by the Sea. The Tabor Boy is a ninety-two foot, gaff-rigged, two-masted schooner and has been a part of the school since 1954.

SSV stands for “Sailing School Vessel” and is the U.S. Coast Guard’s designation for the schooner. She is one of two Coast Guard inspected vessels in her class that operate in the Northeast United States.

Each fall and spring the schooner is used as a sail training vessel . The crew is  comprised of 24 students under the leadership of Captain James Geil. Team-building and character-building are hallmarks of the program in addition to sail training and seamanship.

Each summer the schooner takes groups of 12-15 incoming Tabor students on one of seven week-long cruises off the coast of Maine, combining science and sail-training curricula. Close to 100 students participate in this orientation program each summer. In addition, every third year, the Tabor Boy heads south to the Caribbean where students participate in the Caribbean Studies Program.

Find out more about the history of the SSV Tabor Boy.

Find out more about Captain Geil.