In the 1990’s I regularly went on flotilla sailing holidays in the Med as a single on a Pot Luck boat. In 2001 I was unable to book this as usual and looked for another type of sailing holiday. Thinking of tall ships, I did a web search which threw up the JST. There was a voyage on Tenacious sailing to Antwerp to join the Tall Ships gathering before separately sailing to Amsterdam and London. The voyage and the ethos of mixed ability sailing sounded appealing and I found there had been a cancellation so one berth available. It felt like fate had this planned for me. And so it was.
Sailing on Lord Nelson and Tenacious, combined with voluntary support to the ships, has since been a major part of my life. It has enabled me to have some incredible journeys and visit places I would not normally have thought of actually visiting. Tenacious, and before her Lord Nelson, were considered by many to be ships which were there to enable people with disabilities to have life-changing experiences through the adventures of tall ship sailing, and non-disabled voyage crew were there to enable the disabled to have these experiences. As a non-disabled member of voyage crew I can say that ALL voyage crew can have life-changing experiences.
It is an incredible experience to see first-hand how a voyage can change a person during the course of the voyage. And that applies to both disabled and non-disabled. During a voyage you can meet a more diverse range of abilities than you would see in many months of everyday life. And you soon realise that no one is defined solely by their ability or apparent disability. The ethos of the ships, sailing with a mixed ability crew all participating with a can-do attitude, and the fully supportive permanent crew, means that EVERYONE can achieve things they never thought possible.
At first, as a non-disabled person going on a voyage with a mixed ability crew, it can be quite disconcerting. I was certainly out of my comfort zone at the start of my first voyage. I had never been around so many people with identified disabilities, and it was a bit like treading on eggshells in case I said or did the wrong thing. However we all quickly learn to look beyond the disability, and discover that most of those fears are completely unfounded. It was great to be involved in all aspects of sailing the ship, whether it be being on watch, setting and trimming the sails, climbing the rigging to stow sails, or washing up in the galley and cleaning the ship. But it was even more special to be part of the mixed ability team, helping others when help was needed, and going on my own personal voyage of discovery about myself.
As a rather shy and self-conscious person I was amazed that at the end of that first voyage I was asked by the permanent crew if I was interested in becoming a Watchleader. That summed up the effect the mixed ability crew and the ship had had on me – it was something I would never have even thought possible before the voyage. I have since sailed on over 40 voyages, many as a Watchleader, and every voyage is inspiring. Helped by my experiences on Lord Nelson and Tenacious, I have now become increasingly involved with my local Sailability Group that enables disabled people to sail in adapted dinghies. But it remains the case that sailing in a mixed ability crew on the purpose designed Tenacious enables truly life changing and enhancing experiences for all.