Price
£970
Nights
Six
Age range
18-80
Start port
Portsmouth
End port
Portsmouth
Passport
Yes
DofE
Yes
RYA
Competent Crew
Voyage code
CF842
Bursary
Available for under 25's
Voyage highlights
Join us for an exciting week sailing a 72ft Challenger yacht. Explore the beauty and charm of the Channel Islands as you hop between stunning ports such as St Helier (Jersey), St Peter Port (Guernsey), and Braye Harbour (Alderney).
You’ll join a watch system and play an important part in life on board, from sail changes, tacks, and gybes to helming and domestic duties. Along the way, you’ll get to enjoy the camaraderie of your crewmates, share stories, and celebrate each landfall together.
On this voyage, you can work towards your RYA Competent Crew qualification—and for our young people, there’s also the opportunity to complete the residential section of your Duke of Edinburgh Award.
On return to Portsmouth, you’ll have more miles in your logbook, new skills to your name, and a head full of memories.
And there’s even more. By setting sail with Tall Ships Youth Trust (TSYT), you’re helping to create life-changing opportunities for young people (aged 12-25), especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. All proceeds will directly support TSYT’s vital youth development work.
Voyaging from Portsmouth, your voyage may include stopovers along the South Coast such as Cowes, Yarmouth, Poole and Weymouth.
Before heading across the Channel to mainland Europe and the Channel Islands with potential visits to Alderney, Sark or Guernsey.
Throughout the week, you’ll experience helm the yacht, night sailing, sail handling, ropework as well as learning how to keep safe onboard.
We divide the crew into two watches. In these teams, you’ll take turns to be involved in all aspects of sailing the Challenger from hoisting and dropping the sails, to domestic tasks sharing the cooking and cleaning.
You’ll also experience plenty of offshore sailing away from land. This voyage is a great opportunity to escape from it all, build your confidence and broaden your sailing experience.
Our adult sailing experiences give you an exhilarating journey that directly enables more young people to benefit from our transformational youth development programme.
Bursaries Available: We believe every young person should have the opportunity to take part in a life-changing voyage and realise their true potential.
If you are aged 18–25 and would like to join this voyage but have experienced, or are currently experiencing, personal challenges (for example, a learning barrier, being out of education, training or employment, caring responsibilites or other difficult circumstances) — we have funding available to support you.
Please see our bursary guidance for details and apply if you would benefit from this support.
Flexible Booking Options:
- Book your place with 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. For details, please contact our Reservations Team.
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.
All 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 hopefully get the chance to complete the RYA Competent Crew course while you’re on board.
The RYA Competent Crew syllabus includes:
- Sea terms and parts of a boat, rigging and sails
- Sail handling
- Ropework
- Fire safety and precautions
- Personal safety equipment
- Man overboard
- Emergency equipment
- Manners and customs
- Rules of the ‘road’ (at sea)
- Dinghies
The cost of your RYA Competent Crew 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).
The Skipper will determine the final route depending on weather and other variables. All meals on board are included.
Your Skipper can also recommend you for our volunteer crew training programme, if they feel you have the skills and attributes that we’re looking for. You can speak to your TSYT crew if this is something you’d be interested in and you’d like to find out more.
