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Tall Ships Youth Trust

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Tall Ships Youth Trust

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Changing young lives at sea since 1956
www.tallships.org We’re the UK’s oldest and largest youth development sail training charity.

Over the past 65 years, more than 120,000 trainees have sailed over two million nautical miles with us.

06/11/2026

UPDATE FROM THE ATLANTIC

Blue skies, over 800 nautical miles logged, and the crews plan is to arrive into Cascais near Lisbon this evening.

Challenger 3 is making great time on Leg 1 down to the Canaries with our First Class Sailing charter.

The crew are keeping spirits and energy high - between staying outside of Orca zones off Finisterre, practicing celestial navigation, and enjoying hot dogs on deck, everyone is enjoying life on board.

After a quick stop in Cascais, they’ll be pushing on towards the Canaries ahead of the ARC! Did you know you can follow all our vessels via our live boat tracker >> https://tallships.org/follow-our-voyages/

📸 Enjoy these snapshot moments straight from the Atlantic!

Charters like this help fund our life-changing youth development programme.

04/11/2026

Who brings the energy, and who keeps us on the water? ⚓

Our 70th Anniversary Recognition Awards are all about celebrating the extraordinary people behind the scenes. Behind every voyage is someone living our values or quietly ensuring our Challenger fleet keeps sailing.

Cast your nomination for these two key categories:

☀️ The TSYT Spirit Award: Celebrating a volunteer or group leader who lives TSYT’s values and brings energy, optimism, and encouragement to others.

🛠️ The Anchor Award: Celebrating a steadying presence from a volunteer whose dedication keeps our Challenger yachts on the water.

Help us celebrate those who make a real difference to TSYT and the young people we support.

👉 Nominate here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/ryuQ61yL7k

03/11/2026

Our 2027 voyage programme is launching soon!

Ready to step out of your comfort zone, gain new skills, and experience the magic of offshore sailing? Dates for our brand-new 2027 sailing schedule are almost here! 🌊

Whether you're looking to book as an individual or bring a group aboard our 72ft Challengers, here's a glimpse of what's on the horizon for 2027:

⛵ Youth residentials (12–25): Life-changing adventures building confidence, teamwork, and leadership
⛵ Adult voyages (up to 80): Hands-on sailing getaways, skill-building, and ocean exploration
⛵ Qualifications and progression: From first-time sails to offshore passages and racing challenges
⛵ Group and corporate voyages: Bespoke team adventures for schools, cadets, youth groups, and corporate teams

Be the first to know when dates drop and secure your place on board! Sign up today https://tallships.org/set-sail-in-2027/

02/11/2026

Who has left a lasting mark on Tall Ships Youth Trust - and who is carrying us forward?

As part of our 70th-anniversary celebrations, we are honouring the people who make TSYT so extraordinary through our Recognition Awards. We want to hear about the people who have shaped our past and those inspiring our future.

Nominate someone for one of these two special categories:

🏛️ The 70th Anniversary Legacy Award: Celebrating an individual whose long-standing contribution has had a lasting impact on TSYT.

🌱 The Rising Tide Award: Celebrating a young person or new volunteer representing the future of TSYT.

Do you know someone who fits the bill? Take a few minutes to share their story with us.

👉 Nominate here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/ryuQ61yL7k

02/11/2026

Following our launch of the new Youth Voice team, we’re kicking off our ‘crew spotlights’ with 18-year-old Kitty!

Kitty first stepped on board as a young person on a TSYT voyage back in 2022. Since then, she's returned as a volunteer and worked her way all the way up to Mate with nearly 300 days at sea - a true testament to the life-changing impact of our voyages, and proof that on the water, experience counts over age!⚓✨

We asked Kitty a few quick-fire questions to give you an insight into our young people at the heart of Youth Voice:

🎶 Team anthem: "Here Comes The Sun" by The Beatles (something chilled for everyone to join in with!)
🧶 Favourite knot: Bowline (and yes, she can do it blindfolded!)
🧽 Least favourite chore: Unblocking the heads (every sailor's rite of passage 😅)
🍫 2:00 AM watch comfort food: A hot chocolate and a mystery snack
🦦 Dream sea creature: Sea otters… swimming right alongside the yacht!

Head over to https://www.instagram.com/youthvoice_tsyt/ to follow our Youth Voice crew and see more life on board!

31/10/2026

And they’re off! ⚓️🌊

A fond farewell to Challenger 3 and her crew as they leave Gunwharf Marina to begin their First Class Sailing Charter adventure!

First stop, Gran Canaria – around 1,600 nautical miles south – before joining the iconic ARC for the epic Atlantic crossing to St Lucia, covering a further 2,700 nautical miles.

Wishing the crew fair winds, following seas and an unforgettable voyage. Bon voyage! ⛵️

29/10/2026

Feeding a full adult crew for the long haul isn’t just a grocery run - it’s a precision operation!

Challenger 3 is almost ready for her First Class Sailing Charter! Leg 1 takes us from Portsmouth to the Canaries, where the crew will join the iconic ARC to cross the Atlantic all the way to St Lucia!

Before lines are thrown off, there’s a huge amount of prep happening behind the scenes by our team:

✅ Massive provisioning and meal planning
✅ Sail and spinnaker checks (plus all the spares!)
✅ Mechanical servicing, chart updates and full safety audits

Thanks to Hugo for capturing the sheer scale of the food drop-off! Departure day is almost here - stay tuned for Saturday’s send-off from the pontoon. 🌊

28/10/2026

In 1971, David was sitting in his office at Heathrow Airport when he spotted a short article in his staff magazine asking for applications for a place on a Tall Ship. He saw it as a chance to get away from the humdrum of office life for a while and have a bit of an adventure.

“There was always many stories, experiences and adventures. Above all, there were the crews and characters.”

David went on to sail as cook’s assistant, relief cook and Watch Leader on the Challenger yachts, and crossed the Atlantic on the Prince William.

As we mark 70 years of changing young lives at sea, we’re celebrating the real stories that make up our incredible community.

🔗 Read David’s ‘story for seven decades’ - https://tallships.org/a-story-for-seven-decades-david-lindsay/ 💙⛵

27/10/2026

Ever dreamt of racing a 72ft Challenger yacht? Now you can! ⛵💨

Calling all young people and adults! This is your opportunity to join us for an exciting, beginner-friendly race training weekend in the Solent (4–6 December)!

Voyage highlights:

✔️ Learn to race a 72ft Challenger yacht
✔️ Challenge yourself by racing head-to-head against another Challenger crew in the Solent
✔️ Get hands-on with sailing drills, from steering to sail trimming
✔️ A great step-up from dinghy or small yacht racing—no previous racing experience necessary!

Don't let cost be a barrier to stepping on board - we provide financial support for young people aged 12-25.
..And if you're a full-paying adult, you're supporting us to ensure more young people get to experience the thrill of the ocean! 💙

Find out more and book your spot:

If you're 14 – 25 years old - https://tallships.org/voyage/solent-racing-weekend-2-2/

If you're 18 - 65 years old - https://tallships.org/voyage/solent-racing-weekend-cf886/

26/10/2026

52-knot gusts, two named storms, and zero stopped smiles!

Despite a weekend dominated by heavy rain, howling winds, and back-to-back named storms, our incredible crews and resilient young people proved that the voyage doesn't stop when the weather gets wild.

While top gusts reached 52 knots at Gunwharf Marina, our volunteers and sea staff went above and beyond to keep everyone safe, engaged, and learning. From wet-weather sailing drills across the Solent to extra overnight watch checks, STEM challenges, cake decorating competitions, and even an educational visit to the RNLI Poole Lifeboats Station - our team turned potential weather delays into an unforgettable adventure.

Nothing sums up the spirit of our voyages quite like first-time voyager George, who was aboard Challenger 3 when Storm Austin began approaching:

"The weather at times was really rough with the heavy rain and winds but we all still pushed through. We ended up traveling: Portsmouth > Cowes > Poole > Cowes > Portsmouth. To take part in another voyage again is just amazing... I can’t wait for my next voyage!" 💙

A massive thank you to our hardworking skippers, mates, and volunteer crews - you are the heart of what we do!

Address

2A The Hard
Portsmouth
PO13PT

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+442392832055

Website

http://www.tallships.org/

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