[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 158 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 158

    To commend the American Sail Training Association for advancing 
       international goodwill and character building under sail.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 21, 2009

    Mr. Kerry (for himself and Mr. Kennedy) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    To commend the American Sail Training Association for advancing 
       international goodwill and character building under sail.

Whereas the American Sail Training Association (ASTA) is an educational 
        nonprofit corporation whose declared mission is ``to encourage character 
        building through sail training, promote sail training to the North 
        American public and support education under sail'';
Whereas, since its founding in 1973, ASTA has supported character-building 
        experiences aboard traditionally rigged sail training vessels and has 
        established a program of scholarship funds to support such experiences;
Whereas ASTA has a long history of tall ship races, rallies, and maritime 
        festivals, dating back as far as 1976;
Whereas, each year since 2001, ASTA has held the ``Tall Ships Challenge'', a 
        series of races and maritime festivals that involve sail training 
        vessels, trainees, and crews from all the coasts of the United States 
        and around the world;
Whereas the Tall Ships Challenge series has reached an audience of approximately 
        8,000,000 spectators and brought more than $400,000,000 to more than 30 
        host communities;
Whereas ASTA supports a membership of more than 200 sail training vessels, 
        including barks, barques, barkentines, brigantines, brigs, schooners, 
        sloops, and full-rigged ships, which carry the flags of the United 
        States, Canada, and many other nations and have brought life-changing 
        adventures to thousands of young trainees;
Whereas ASTA has held a series of more than 30 annual sail training conferences 
        in cities throughout the United States and Canada, including the Safety 
        Under Sail Forum and the Education Under Sail Forum;
Whereas ASTA has collaborated extensively with the Coast Guard and with the 
        premier sail training vessel of the United States, the square-rigged 
        barque USCGC Eagle;
Whereas ASTA publishes ``Sail Tall Ships'', a periodic directory of sail 
        training opportunities;
Whereas, in 1982, ASTA supported the enactment of the Sailing School Vessel Act 
        of 1982, title II of Public Law 97-322 (96 Stat. 1588);
Whereas ASTA has ably represented the United States as a founding member of the 
        national sail training organization in Sail Training International, the 
        recognized international body for the promotion of sail training, which 
        has hosted a series of international races of square-rigged and other 
        traditionally rigged vessels since the 1950s; and
Whereas ASTA and Sail Training International are collaborating with port 
        partners around the Atlantic Ocean to produce the ``Tall Ships Atlantic 
        Challenge 2009'', in which an international fleet of sail training 
        vessels will sail from Europe to North America and return to Europe: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commends the American Sail Training Association for 
        advancing character building experiences for youth at sea in 
        traditionally rigged sailing vessels and the finest traditions 
        of the sea;
            (2) commends the American Sail Training Association for 
        acting as the national sail training association of the United 
        States and representing the sail training community of the 
        United States in the international forum; and
            (3) encourages all people of the United States and the 
        world to join in the celebration of the ``Tall Ships Atlantic 
        Challenge 2009'' and in the character-building and educational 
        experience that it represents for the youth of all nations.
                                 <all>