Programs.

Florette isn’t a cruise ship. She’s a working vessel with an open spirit. Every season, she hosts a mix of programs that reflect the many ways people connect with the sea. Some come to learn, others to film, research, or collaborate. Each leaves carrying part of her story.

Youth Program

Our youth sailing voyages are shaped by long experience at sea and a belief in learning through doing. We offer reduced fares for young sailors, reflecting a long-standing commitment to making seamanship accessible. This approach is rooted in real life on board: Captain Ron and his wife Nicole raised their two children on Florette, combining family life with the day-to-day realities of running a working tall ship.

We collaborate with ocean colleges and maritime institutions and regularly host youth training voyages and expeditions. Young sailors take part in the daily running of the ship, including sail handling, steering, navigation, cooking, cleaning, and watchkeeping.

Training happens through shared responsibility and direct involvement, guided by an experienced professional crew. These voyages suit individuals, schools, and youth organisations looking for a serious maritime experience that builds responsibility, teamwork, and confidence through time at sea.

This approach is rooted in real life on board: Captain Ron and his wife Nicole raised their two children on Florette, combining family life with the day-to-day realities of running a working tall ship. Alongside this, we collaborate with ocean colleges and maritime institutions and regularly host youth training voyages and expeditions.

Young sailors take part in the daily running of the ship, including sail handling, steering, navigation, cooking, cleaning, and watchkeeping. Training happens through shared responsibility and direct involvement, guided by an experienced professional crew. Life on board is practical and collective, shaped by the demands of a working vessel. These voyages suit individuals, schools, and youth organisations looking for a serious maritime experience that builds responsibility, teamwork, and confidence through time at sea.

Sailing Training

Sail training aboard Florette is a practical way to learn life at sea, with real responsibilities built into each day. It combines seamanship with the wider skills that matter on board a ship: teamwork, leadership, resilience, communication, and adaptability. It also builds a direct connection to maritime heritage through lived experience, not just theory.

Sail training is widely recognised for its cultural value and its role in keeping seafaring traditions alive. On Florette, that means learning through the reality of ship life: working with wind and weather, following routine, and operating as a crew. The experience creates confidence through repeated practice, shared effort, and time on the water.

For those aiming for professional maritime careers, Florette also offers a traineeship programme focused on future work on yachts and traditional sailing vessels. As a trainee, you rotate through key onboard roles to build a broad foundation. It provides months at sea with practical training, guided by an experienced crew.

Sustanability

Florette sails with purpose. Through the EcoShip initiative, she operates as a working sailing vessel and a platform for low-impact travel, environmental education, and research. By relying primarily on wind power and planning routes around seasonal weather, voyages reduce fuel use and emissions compared to conventional motor-driven travel.

EcoShip is a practical initiative founded by the Haynes family, based on decades of operating Florette as a working tall ship. It supports sustainable tourism, traditional sail-based trade routes, and expeditions focused on marine conservation and climate awareness.

On board, sustainability is part of daily operations. The crew reduces waste, reuses and recycles where possible, uses biodegradable cleaning products, manages energy and water carefully, and anchors responsibly to protect marine habitats. Guests are encouraged to travel light and avoid single-use plastics.

Florette also supports sail-powered trade through partnerships such as Marago Coffee, carrying wind-shipped goods including the VELA VELA coffee collection. Along the way, the crew takes part in local initiatives such as beach clean-ups and community projects, working with coastal communities rather than passing through them.

Collaboratoins

Florette has been working the Mediterranean since 1921. Her decks have hosted filmmakers, photographers, artists, and brands looking for conditions that can't be replicated in a studio. We work with production companies, agencies, and sustainable brands on campaigns, commercials, documentaries, and editorials.

Every project is shaped by what's actually happening: weather, working crew, real sail. Past collaborations include feature films, travel documentaries, music videos, fashion editorials, and branded content. We also host research expeditions and cultural residencies, giving artists and scientists uninterrupted time at sea. We host weddings and private gatherings too. Ceremonies at anchor, celebrations aboard a working vessel. If your work belongs on the water, let's talk about what's possible.