Marine Environmental Education: Training Young People Aboard the Leon Pancaldo

A marine environmental education project that, through the experience of sailing, helps young people discover the sea and learn how to take care of it.

Learning by Doing, at Sea

The sea is an environment shaped by delicate balances and constant change. Those who experience it are required to observe carefully and adapt to evolving conditions.

Sailing makes this even clearer. Paying attention and listening is essential while on board, and every decision demands full awareness. It is precisely here that marine environmental education takes shape through direct experience.

When the Sea Becomes an Educational Experience

Sailing away from shore means taking responsibility but also learning how to work together. Decisions may be individual, but their consequences are always shared by the whole crew.

For younger participants, experiencing the sea means learning how to face the unexpected within a guided environment. They learn to orient themselves, to read what is happening around them and to find their role within a team. Learning comes from time spent on board, more than from theoretical explanations.

This is how the sea becomes a space for personal growth, even before being a sporting activity.

A closer look at younger sailors: what does sailing teach children?

An Enduring Connection

SLAM was born from the sea and on the sea. Over time, this connection has evolved, but it has never been broken. The sea is part of our identity and, at the same time, a concrete responsibility.

This is why we support projects that engage new generations through direct experiences at sea, encouraging a relationship based on knowledge, respect and marine ecosystem protection.

Over the past two years, we have been supporting young under-23 sailors in the RS21 class on their path toward professional sailing.

Discover SLAM Sailing Academy

Aboard the Leon Pancaldo

A Vessel Returning to the Sea

Leon Pancaldo is a historic training vessel that, until a few years ago, used to lay abandoned. SLAM decided to restore this boat, giving it the opportunity to sail again and take on a new role.

Today, Leon Pancaldo is at the heart of an educational project developed together with the Ferraris–Pancaldo Institute of Savona and the Menkab association. On board, students take part in structured offshore activities and experience an educational journey based on collaboration and shared responsibility.

On Board, as a Real Crew

During the activities, students become part of daily life on board. They work together, share tasks, and learn how to operate within a crew where every role matters and every decision affects the whole.

The boat becomes a place for relationships and learning. The sea accompanies this journey and challenges young participants, teaching them how to adapt and face difficulties together.

Understanding the Sea in Order to Protect It

The project also includes activities focused on marine conservation education. During sailing trips, students take part in cetacean monitoring and use technical instruments to observe the marine ecosystem, learning to recognize its dynamics and fragile balances.

Protecting the environment starts with direct knowledge. Experiencing the sea firsthand, understanding its complexity and vulnerability, helps develop awareness that can only be built through real experience.

A Space for Inclusion and Well-Being

Over time, the Leon Pancaldo has also become the setting for other educational and social projects.

Through initiatives such as ‘A Gonfie Vele’, developed in collaboration with the association ‘Il Barattolo’, sailing turns into an experience of inclusion and rehabilitation for people supported by local mental health services. It offers a way to regain balance and well-being, allowing participants to rediscover one of the sea’s most profound roles: supporting people through shared experiences.

Looking Ahead, Always Starting from the Sea

All these experiences share a common element: the sea as an educational space, where skills and awareness are built for life both on and off the water. A place where marine environmental education and protection of marine ecosystems are not just theoretical concepts but are put into practice and lived every day.

On board the Leon Pancaldo, sailing is not only a sporting discipline, but a way to build relationships with others and with the environment through shared experience.

This is where the project finds its deepest meaning: learning to know the sea up close and to engage with it, even in challenging conditions. An experience that leaves lasting traces, both in and out of the water.

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