coast ACTIVE

TRY IT NOW TALL SHIP SAILING on the Solent Madeleine Barber tests her sailing skills – and sea legs – onboard tall ship Stavros S Niarchos

nce as necessary for taster days, but there are 9:30AM UP AND OVER far-flung adventures as also options to sail from Once I’m fluent in the ship’s aeroplanes are to us Southampton, Blyth and emergency drills, it’s time to today, Tall Ships are a Liverpool. She’s a 200-foot get active. All 11 of us in white Ophenomenal mode of transport. square-rigged brig and the watch, led by a smiley volunteer Magnificent in stature, they were biggest to be built in the UK named Emma, muster below used to trade, fight wars and HAVING A GO in a century – as tall as eight the main mast. I quickly buddy explore the globe. Today, Madeleine double-decker buses. So if up with a 24-year-old English Barber joins organisations like the Tall Ships Tall Ships you want to gain a sense of life teacher from Somerset named Youth Trust (the world’s largest Adventures for on the high seas, aboard the John – he looks like he knows sail training charity for people a day spent Stavros is a great place to start. what he’s doing and I need help sailing on aged 12-25) are encouraging the Solent with my harness. Learning that young men and women to (OPPOSITE) 8AM ALL ABOARD appreciate the few left on our The first items I’m handed seas. As part of the trust, Tall onboard are a heavy canvas ASK the PRO Ships Adventures offers four- harness and fetching black Roy Love, to seven-night excursions for oilskin. A crewmember looks captain of people of all ages. So whether at me apologetically and says, Stavros S you’re 18 or 80, you can learn ‘We really tried to dry them out Niarchos, has how to sail a Tall Ship. But if overnight, but yesterday’s been sailing you’d rather dip your toes in the storms were something else.’ for 36 years. Here, he talks seawater before taking the plunge, I look at the lingering clouds, about the importance there are one-day taster courses smile politely and accept the of sailing and the Tall available; no experience required. gear. Next, the enrolled group Ships Youth Trust. Operating out of Portsmouth, of around 30 split into three ‘I was in the Royal Navy Tall Ship Stavros S Niarchos is ‘watches’ – red, white and blue Reserve for 16 years and have one of the vessels used for – and are asked to ‘muster’ in worked with this company ‘the mess’. As a sailing newbie, for 20, so I’ve been at sea I’m already finding the lingo for a long time. We live on challenging. Luckily, volunteers an island, so being able to are on hand to point me in the sail is an advantage! It also right direction. I learn that I am in teaches you basic life skills, ‘white watch’, which is seafaring which is why it’s such a terminology for a team, that great match for the Tall Ships ‘muster’ means to gather, and Youth Trust. The charity ‘the mess’ is the galley and dining encourages disadvantaged MADELEINE BARBER room. Once inside, we meet young people to live and Captain Roy and receive safety work together in isolation, so training from his Chief Officer, who sailing is the ideal medium.’

PHOTOGRAPHS is also, coincidentally, called Roy.

coastmagazine.co.uk 81 COAST coast ACTIVE

NEED to KNOW

I’ll be going ‘up and over’ CLOCKWISE to set sail. I volunteer for the the sails move), and that the top FROM ABOVE the main mast of the ship, A life buoy hauling team and line up along three sails on a tall ship are I tentatively begin to climb a on board; the gangway with four burly hauled up by ‘halyards’. WHAT IT COSTS wooden-slatted ladder. No Madeleine men, picking up part of the makes coils on This year, there will safety ropes yet, it’s with white deck; volunteers rigging. My teammates haul. 2PM THRILLING HEIGHTS be five day sails departing knuckles that I reach the 50-foot demonstrate My hands burn. Cursing my lack Now a pro at traversing the rope skills; a Portsmouth between June platform where I’m told to view from above; of readiness, I hurry to catch up rigging, I jump at the chance and October, plus two ‘clip-on’ using a carabiner. a bagpiper plays and, after the initial shock, get to climb out onto a yard, which departing Blyth in July. A the crew into the hang of it. Stepping back, is a horizontal mast used to one-day course costs £125 the harbour; 9:45AM TOP VIEWS going up and I can see we’ve launched a small support the sails. It’s like walking including lunch onboard. Shifting my attention to the over the main sail – the sense of achievement a tightrope, so I’m relieved For a longer trip (3-7 nights), mast; climbing prices start from £299. surroundings, I take in out onto the yard helps me forget about the heat my harness is clipped on. 360-degree views of Portsmouth in the palms of my hands. Holding on for dear life, with Voyages also operate out of Southampton, Glasgow, Harbour. Over the waterway, the wind in my hair and a certain Cardiff and Liverpool. Call Gosport looks bustling with 12:45PM TIME OUT ‘Titanic’ feeling, I never want to 023 9283 2055 or visit boats, and the Spinnaker Tower Now we’re in open sea and climb down. As a bonus, the tallships.org to find out stands magnificently beside white horse waves rock Stavros thrill has cured my seasickness. more and book your place. Gunwharf Quays. Drinking in from side to side. Feeling a little as much of the bird’s-eye view queasy, I sit down to a lunch of 3PM STEERING STRAIGHT HOW TO GET as possible, I unclip myself from lentil soup and a Cornish pasty, Lastly, it’s time to put on an THERE the safety rope and scamper but can’t quite bring myself to imaginary Captain’s hat and The nearest mainline down like a gleeful spider. eat. A fellow crewmember steer the ship. We’re sailing station is Portsmouth reassures me, ‘Don’t worry, back towards Portsmouth now Harbour, which offers a 10:15AM HEY HO, Nelson was seasick on his first (heading northwest at 290 direct service to and from London Waterloo and AWAY WE GO! two days,’ but I find this less degrees), and I take the wheel. Victoria. If travelling by As we make our exit from the than comforting and leave the I remark that it doesn’t feel car, from the A3, turn on harbour I’m surprised to hear mess for some fresh air. On heavy to manoeuvre, and Emma to the A27, then M275 the unfamiliar sound of bagpipes deck, the sun is shining and chuckles, ‘It’s power steering’. before following signs emerging from the bow, so there are breathtaking views to Portsmouth/Seaport. rush to take a look. One of the of the mainland, so I sit and 3:30PM LAND AHOY volunteers is playing a sea watch the world roll by, It’s back to the mess for a WHAT TO BRING shanty, and a fellow amateur pondering what an exceptional well-deserved scone. As we Oilskins and crewmember joins in: ‘Hey ho, experience I am having. drift into the harbour, bagpipes climbing equipment are away we go!’ he sings. I wonder sounding overhead, I get provided, but you’ll need if 19th-century seamen were 1:30PM CIRCLE TIME chatting to one of the galley to bring your own thick, rubber-soled shoes for treated to the same song. Chief Officer Roy calls white volunteers. She tells me climbing the mast and watch to muster on deck, so with a knowing look, ‘Before yards – make sure they’re 11:30AM SETTING SAIL we gather into a seated circle. you can become a volunteer, secure. Packing sunscreen, After a session of rope skills, ‘It’s story time,’ he says. ‘I’m they make you do four or five even on cloudy days, is we’re heading east along the going to teach you about sails.’ days onboard to make sure a good idea, and don’t Solent and using the Isle of I learn all sorts of seafaring things, you can handle it.’ Well, I think forget your seasickness Wight for shelter from strong like how to identify ‘buntlines’ I handled it pretty well for a tablets, if needed. southwesterly winds. It’s time and ‘clewlines’ (ropes that make sailing newbie.

82 COAST coastmagazine.co.uk coastmagazine.co.uk 83 COAST