Sailing Expeditions and Day Sails for Schools and Youth Groups

The Island Trust has many years experience of providing character-building sail training expeditions for schools, colleges and youth groups. Our highly trained professional sailing staff will ensure that your group’s sailing residential or day sail is a valuable learning experience, as well as an exciting, rewarding and enjoyable voyage.

We have extensive experience of working with groups of young people with educational support needs, moderate learning difficulties and challenging behaviour. We coach sail training to young people with both physical and mental disabilities, and our staff are adept in teaching those with visual and hearing impairment.

Our traditionally rigged wooden vessels enable young people to experience ‘living history’ and to understand something of the historic importance of our nation’s maritime past. We also teach the need to conserve the marine environment.

DofE Approved Activity Provider

We are a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Approved Activity Provider and welcome groups seeking to undertake their Bronze, Silver or Gold DofE Expedition sailing activiity together. The group would need to be 7 participants in total.

Home Educated students

We also run a number of residential sail training voyages exclusively for Home Educated students, which follow the same itinerary as our teenage weeks, and are crafted for those who are capable of benefiting from sail training without special care requirements. Contact us for more information.

Residentials

Each sailing expedition voyage is tailored specifically to the needs of your group, with consultation between the Skipper and Group Leader, to ensure that we are able to create the optimum learning environment. Most voyages offer the opportunity to work towards a Start Yachting or Competent Crew RYA certificate.

On an Island Trust voyage young people sail as a crew, sleep on board, cook and eat together. Time with us is so much more than just sailing – many studies have concluded that sailing is a particularly effective and innovative platform for enhancing young lives. A sailing activity encourages co-operation, a sense of responsibility, instils a sense of adventure, develops initiative, social skills, feelings of self-worth, communication skills and acts as a catalyst to engagement with education and employment.

Location

The majority of our sailing takes place around the South West. Voyages start from Plymouth and the young crew may visit Falmouth, Fowey, Dartmouth or Salcombe. Depending on the weather, the more adventurous may even reach the Isles of Scilly.

Life on board

Everyone helps to sail the boat, the whole crew are responsible for all aspects of life on board, from helming and navigation to cooking, keeping the boat clean and tidy, getting the sails up and rowing ashore. Our voyages often include overnight sailing and two hour watches. Those who have achieved RYA Start Yachting certificates on previous voyages may work towards an RYA Competent Crew qualification and will be encouraged to consider undertaking more sailing for sport, leisure or professional career. The Island Trust will help to facilitate this for those who discover a passion for the sea.

Day Sails

Some groups are more suited to, or prefer, a day sail and we offer these at quieter times or on Saturdays in Plymouth Sound. These are open to groups of all ages, generally up to age 25. Do contact us if you are interested.

Ocean Discoverability programme

Our Ocean Discoverability programme for young people is designed for additional needs schools and day centres in Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall, including some children with life-limiting conditions. In 2017 The Island Trust took over the good works of Cornubia and the Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter Trust to grow this acclaimed service.

Benefits of traditional adventure sailing

Through our sailing activities, young people gain:

• Practical (Island Trust or RYA certificated) sailing skills to support CVs
• Exercise, health and wellbeing
• Improved motivation, self-esteem, independence
• Ability to cope better with new situations/environments
• Improved communication, confidence, cooperation
• Resilience and a willingness to embrace new things
• Marine conservation and maritime heritage education
• Marine careers knowledge
• Reduction in anti-social behaviour
• Wider horizons and raised aspiration

If you wish to discuss the possibility of bringing your group on an Island Trust sail training residential or day sail please get in touch by telephoning 01752 823007.

We raise funds to support this work and offer bursaries for young people who fall into this category from The Island Trust Fund.

All voyages are operated by The Island Trust’s trading subsidiary Island (Cutter) Ltd.