tall ships 2010

old_salt said:
Thanks James.
Always fancied a trip on a square rigger, now I will bet that would be a real nice experience.:)
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It's easy enough to do. During term times, the Tall Ships Youth Trust run voyages for paying adults to keep their ship in commission. It's not particularly cheap, as part of the aim is to raise cash for their primary purpose, but anyone can sign up. The ship is rarely full on adult voyages.

I'd recommend one of the more "offshore" trips. Shorter coast-hopping ones you can spend a lot of time in port, and the juxtaposition between the two isn't great as it's not really a shoreside holiday and not really a proper voyage either. Whereas something like the Azores->Southampton trip I did earlier this year is a real voyage and you feel like you've earned your run ashore at the end of it.

A voyage is definitely a working trip - everything from stowing topsails in a gale to blacking standing rigging to swabbing out the heads - but I've not met anyone who regretted going.

Pete
 
Nice photos! Is the red ketch the John Laing?

Re the TSYT (www.tallships.org ) I have been sailing with them a few times out here in the Windies, and like pvb I can heartily recommend them.

And I would agree that you would do a lot more sailing on the offshore / bluewater voyages, rather than the 'coastal' (around the Windies is classed as coastal), however they generally have an age limit of 65 for the offshore voyages, and 75 for the coastal.
So hurry up Oldsalt, and sign up!

On my first trip on the Stavros 8 years ago out of St Lucia, after about a week I had managed to get up to the t'gallant yard (I had started off with an acute fear of heights, and even the main course seemed high) and was feeling pretty chuffed with myself when we were stowing the sail in about a F 6, and the ship motions were rather amplified up there..... and then my shipmate next to me on the yard commented that this was his last voyage as they wouldn't allow him back the following year as he would be too old (ie 76) then........ so he was determined to make the most of it! :)
 
Bajansailor said:
they generally have an age limit of 65 for the offshore voyages, and 75 for the coastal.
So hurry up Oldsalt, and sign up!
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I don't know how old OldSalt is, but I'd note that it does seem to be possible to persuade TSYT to bend their age limits. A couple of years ago I did a trip from Gibraltar to Madeira (counted as offshore) with two 72-year-olds on board. Apparently they had been asked to provide doctors' letters.

One of them, Jim, was probably the most effective person in my watch. If I needed something doing immediately, correctly, and at the top of the fore-royal, he was the one to turn to. I wanted to recommend him as a deckhand although age did bar him there.

(The other, in one of the other watches, was a charming fellow but completely useless...)

Pete
 
I sail on a fund raising cruise every year on T.S. Royalist. Last year the person we always thought of as the oldest (78) had his claim to fame outdone, by an 80 year old. So this year we had an 81 year old on the cruise, at least three over 70. So you are never too old!
We did have difficulties this year, only half a crew and no-one under 40 on board, we had a certain lack of rigging monkeys!
Good cruise though, for the first time the South coast threw good weather at us instead of the normal pounding.
 
prv said:
It's easy enough to do. During term times, the Tall Ships Youth Trust run voyages for paying adults to keep their ship in commission. It's not particularly cheap, as part of the aim is to raise cash for their primary purpose, but anyone can sign up. The ship is rarely full on adult voyages.

I'd recommend one of the more "offshore" trips. Shorter coast-hopping ones you can spend a lot of time in port, and the juxtaposition between the two isn't great as it's not really a shoreside holiday and not really a proper voyage either. Whereas something like the Azores->Southampton trip I did earlier this year is a real voyage and you feel like you've earned your run ashore at the end of it.

A voyage is definitely a working trip - everything from stowing topsails in a gale to blacking standing rigging to swabbing out the heads - but I've not met anyone who regretted going.

Pete
Click to expand...

I was thinking of taking a more leisurely tune of duties.
As I have been up the aft mast in mid Atlantic at 0300 hrs changing nav light bulbs in a 9 going on 10 this was before they thought of clip on lines and harnesses and unblocking the flap valves in the bog storage machines on a 10,00toner of jammed in ST's is no fun you poke around with a stick and hope for the best.:D:D
 
It is amazing really. In the tall ships races, only wind is accepted no oil allowed! Although in light winds that can leave a lot of boats wallowing(including us!) It is John Laing, and i'm the very proud driver at the minute. You are right about all the square riggers taking crew of all ages, and its worth mentioning the jubilee sailing trust as well, as they have boats rigged to allow all abilities to go sailing too.

Just one to watch with the Norwegian ships, not sure about the others but Christian Radich only allows paid helms to steer during the races.

Did you guys get down to Hartlepool to see them?

James
 
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