On the Water

The Jubilee Sailing Trust was set up by school teacher Christopher Rudd in 1977 so people with disabilities could experience off shore sailing.

It owns and operates two tall ships, both of which have been specially designed to enable people with disabilities the opportunity to sail the seas.

The first tall ship to be built was the Lord Nelson in the 1980s, and a second, Tenacious, was built in 1996 with its maiden voyage taking place on September 1, 2000.

Tenacious was the first wood hull ship to have been built in Southampton for nearly 100 years.

The adapted compass of Tenacious

The design of Tenacious improved on the Lord Nelson with features such as more lifts for wheelchair users, talking compasses and widened decks with rivets to help blind crew members.

The helm is power-assisted to allow people with all physical conditions to steer the ship.

Reaches out

Alistair Meharg from the trust believes the organisation is special because of the way it reaches out to people with disabilities.

He says: "People that are less able-bodied or have disabilities don't want to be confined to their house or even to the land. They want to be treated as normal human beings.

"Therefore the Jubilee Sailing Trust is unique as it allows people to come on board and live their dreams for what can be a quite awe inspiring experience.

"We are the only organisation in the world that is able to integrate disabled and able-bodied people to work on the same tall ship vessel."

No experience necessary

It is not a requirement of the trust for those sailing to have had experience before joining the crew for a voyage.

Tenacious first sailed in 2000

Tenacious takes on a total crew of 50 of which there are ten permanent crew members who are able to teach and assist the others. 

The rest are split with 20 members being disabled and 20 able bodied.

Explains Alistair: "Everyone who comes aboard has paid their money to be part of a crew, and that is all part of the fun, the permanent crew are here to look after you but everyone has to work their shifts whether that be on watch or at the helm."

Volunteers

A large number of volunteers help the trust and somewhere that is particularly important is the kitchen where galley manager Graham Samways has been nominated for a UKTV Food Local Hero award.

"One of the guys who came down and sailed with us nominated him for the award. It's actually the second time we have been nominated."

Chef Graham Samways

Graham is assisted by four members of the crew on the voyages, all of whom take it in turns with other crew members to help in the kitchen.

In order to encourage more sailing among less able-bodied people the trust are beginning to build links with three of the south coast's universities; Bournemouth, Portsmouth and Southampton University, which is renowned for its sailing, as well as sailing among the ships at Cowes Week.

The aim of the Jubilee Sailing Trust is to "promote the integration of able-bodied and physically disabled people through tall ship sailing adventure holidays" and, as the trust prepares to mark its 30th anniversary in October, the work they do has been instrumental in ensuring that this wider aim is realised.