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On 12th February 2022, I will be taking part in a race around the Isle of Wight as Volunteer Watch Leader on one of the Tall Ships Youth Trust’s 72-foot Challenger yachts. Since my first voyage with the Trust in 2019, on that occasion raising funds for the YMCA, I have been privileged to have been invited to sail on their youth voyages as a volunteer Watch Leader.
This is a fantastic charity, dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged youth aged between 12 and 25. It is the UK’s oldest and largest sail-training charity and the emphasis is on helping young people to redefine their horizons through adventure learning at sea. The young people come from all over the UK and from all backgrounds. The majority of them are either disadvantaged or disabled and most of them will never have set foot on a yacht before.
I have seen at first-hand how effectively this works with groups of youngsters and how, by taking them out of their comfort zone for a few days, doing something many people never get the chance to do, has developed their self-confidence, social skills and leadership. It’s really quite humbling.
To support this mission, the Trust also run a program of adventurous voyages for adults that directly subsidise the Youth Development program. This next voyage that I have volunteered for is just one of those. I have sailed around the Isle of Wight a couple of times before, in my own boat, but this next trip, in one of the iconic 72 foot Challenger Round the World yachts, will be quite different.
It is a fund-raising trip and even though I am sailing as Volunteer Crew, I feel that I should join in the fund raising. I have set a target of £500, but would of course like to raise more if possible. Many of you will have been generous in the past and I would be so grateful if you could donate once again to this very worthy cause. Many people give up their time to make these voyages a success, but running a fleet of ocean-going yachts is not cheap, so fund raising, as with all charitable work, is essential.
If you would like to find out more about the Tall Ships Youth Trust, then you can click on the Link on this page