Price
£645
Nights
Four
Age range
16-25
Start port
Belfast
End port
Greenock
Passport
Yes
DofE
Yes
RYA
Start Yachting
Voyage code
EV062A
Bursary
Available
Voyage highlights
Begin your personal development journey with Tall Ships Youth Trust (TSYT), on a four-night Voyage of Exploration from Belfast to Greenock and explore the Irish Sea and West Scotland coastline in an immersive experience .
You do not require any prior experience of sailing before boarding our iconic 72ft Challenger yacht, as we’ll be teaching you the core skills along the way. Take this exciting opportunity to build lasting friendships and explore the ocean environment, whilst also building your confidence and self-esteem, and developing key social and communication skills.
Not only will you work towards achieving your RYA Start Yachting qualification, but you can also use this voyage to complete the residential section of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award.
From Belfast, you’ll head out towards Bangor with potential stops before heading north east to Scotland.
After your passage across Irish Sea, with Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula, you will explore the Firth of Clyde with possible anchorages and port stops en route to your final port of Greenock.
New skills. Increased confidence. New friendships. Lifelong memories.
Throughout the week, you’ll build experience in the fundamentals of sailing, including steering, sail handling, ropework and onboard safety. You may also get to do some night sailing if conditions permit.
We divide the crew into two teams (watches) – traditionally, known as Port and Starboard. In your watches, you’ll take it in turns to be involved in all aspects of sailing the Challenger – from deck duties to cooking and cleaning.
Each crew member will receive a personal assessment covering their leadership, teamwork and communication skills— a great addition to your CV.
You’ll hopefully get the chance to complete the RYA Start Yachting course while you’re on board.
The RYA Start Yachting syllabus includes:
- Sea terms and parts of a boat, rigging and sails
- Sail handling
- Ropework
- Personal safety equipment
- Man overboard recovery
- Clothing and emergency equipment
- Rules of the ‘road’ (at sea)
The cost of your RYA Start Yachting certificate is included in the price.
RYA logbooks are available for purchase on board at a cost of £6 (Skippers are only able to take cash for this).
All our voyages of four nights or more qualify for the residential section of the DofE Gold Award.
Please let our Reservations Team know before sailing if you want to use the voyage for this.
You’ll be asked to enter your passport details as part of the booking process. If you don’t have these to hand, please contact us as soon as possible after submitting your booking form to let us know your details, as we cannot accept your booking without this information.
You will also need to present your valid passport to the Skipper at the start of the voyage.
The Skipper will determine the final route depending on weather and other variables.
There’s a possibility you could be recommended by the Skipper to come back and volunteer as a Watch Assistant or Watch Leader for future Tall Ships Youth Trust voyages.
Meals on board are included.
We believe everyone should have the chance to experience a life-changing voyage and realise their potential.
Bursaries Available: If you’re a parent or guardian facing financial constraints or a young person who has faced, or is facing, personal challenges (this could be a learning disability, you are a young carer or are not currently in education, for example) we have funding available to support you. Please apply to see if you qualify.
Flexible Booking Options:
- Book your place with just a 30% deposit
- The remaining balance is due 8 weeks before your voyage
- Need more flexibility? We can set up a payment plan to suit your needs—just contact us for details.
