Bronze, Silver and Gold DofE Expeditions

Open DofE Expeditions

To achieve your Duke of Edinburgh’s Award you are required to complete the Expedition section and what better way to do it than at sea. To support our charitable work, we run exciting open Bronze, Silver and Gold DofE Expedition voyages during the school holidays. Running seamlessly back-to-back, the Practice and Qualifying modules take place on board our sail training vessel, Moosk, for a duration of 3 days Bronze, 8 days Silver and 9 days Gold.

While not essential, some previous knowledge or sailing experience on yachts or dinghies would be advantageous.

However, it won’t all be work. Alongside the expedition activities there will be time for visits ashore, swimming from the boat, chatting, and most importantly, having fun with your new friends.

To ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part, and recognising that funding can be a challenge, if you need support with fundraising to help cover the cost of your expedition, we’re happy to offer practical guidance and advice to support you along the way. In addition, bursaries may be available for eligible participants, thereby helping to make our expedition voyages more accessible.

Further information, including details on sailing dates and availability, can be found further down the page.

School/Group DofE Expeditions

If you are a school or organised group wishing to undertake a Bronze, Silver or Gold DofE Expedition together, we would be pleased to hear from you and may be able to offer a bursary towards the course fee. Please note, the group would need to consist of seven participants in total.

As with the Open Expeditions outlined above, the practice and qualifying modules are run back‑to‑back. Additionally, and again while not essential, some previous knowledge or sailing experience on yachts or dinghies would be advantageous.

For further information or to discuss your requirements, please contact us on 01752 823007, email info@theislandtrust.org.uk, or use the enquiry form at the bottom of this page.

Location

Sailing in the magnificent waters along the south Devon and south Cornwall coast, sailing east or west depending on the weather conditions, there are plenty of hidden coves, tiny islands and harbours to visit.

Homework prior to your Silver or Gold expedition voyage

Ahead of your Silver or Gold DofE expedition voyage, you will need to complete some essential home reading.

Approximately six weeks before your voyage, we will send you the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) book An Introduction to Navigation.

Please make sure you thoroughly read and absorb this book before your Expedition begins. This is crucial because you will need a good understanding of the content before you can complete the Practice and Qualifying elements.

During the Practice sessions, we will work through the book together and apply what you have learned.

Handy learning aids

Marine Flip Cards are a simple and effective way to learn essential maritime codes and nautical rules. Compact and pocket‑sized, they are easy to carry and ideal for learning on the go. The cards can be purchased direct from Flip Cards or from most chandleries, both in‑store and online. Marine flip cards are also a useful tool to use alongside the Introduction to Navigation book and continue to be a handy reference long after completion.

We suggest these as part of your navigation toolkit:

• Rule of the Road
• IALA Buoyage – Area A
• Lights and Shapes

RYA Qualifications

Our voyages are delivered in line with the RYA Cruising syllabus, giving you the opportunity to develop practical sailing skills alongside your expedition. With active participation, the RYA Start Yachting qualification should be achievable during your expedition voyage.

RYA Yachtmaster Scheme Syllabus and Logbook

An RYA logbook can be purchased from us during your voyage, currently £8.50. If buying from elsewhere you will need the G158 version.

The expedition voyage will be broken down as follows

Bronze
Arriving on the first afternoon you will prepare for the voyage, which will include provisioning and menu planning, and collectively agree your team’s goal.

The next two days are the Qualifying Expedition days where you will learn about life on board and how to sail the boat, from passage planning, navigation, getting the sails up and down, meal preparation and keeping the boat clean and tidy.

At the end of the Expedition a DofE Assessor will carry out the assessment – at Bronze level the Assessor may also be the Expedition Supervisor (the Skipper).

Silver and Gold
After joining on the first afternoon you will prepare for the voyage, which will include provisioning and menu planning, and decide with your fellow shipmates what your team’s goal will be.

The next two days are the Practice Expedition days where you will learn the essential skills to plan, sail and take control of the boat – this will include a Navigation refresher so that you are best prepared for passage planning and navigating the voyage. Day four will be a rest day.

Finally, you will complete the Qualifying Expedition days where you will be expected to plan the passage, carry it out, and guide the boat into or out of port – our professional sailing staff will of course be close at hand keeping a watchful eye. On the last day a DofE Assessor will visit the group on the vessel, talk to the team and hear their presentation, and assess the DofE Expedition.

Click on Bronze, Silver or Gold Expedition to view each itinerary (active tab display colour blue):

Get in touch

Please phone us on 01752 823007, email info@theislandtrust.org.uk, or use the enquiry form below:

* denotes an obligatory field