A huge sailing ship has docked in Cardiff Bay and is offering a taster to the public of what life at sea is like before it departs for Liverpool. The S.V. Tenacious, which is owned and operated by the Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST), is currently the only sea-going tall ship in the world that can be sailed by a mixed ability crew, including disabled people, those with mental health conditions or long-term ill-health issues. The public has the opportunity to join them on a day sail in the Bristol Channel this Sunday.
Launched in February 2000, Tenacious is open to people from all backgrounds and offers a fully immersive sailing experience that is adapted to create an accessible environment for its diverse crew. Its mission aims to deliver a positive impact on those facing long-term health issues, loneliness, physical and mental impairments, and people dealing with significant challenges or changes in their lives.
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“We make a bold statement, we say that we change lives but we do,” said Captain Darren Naggs who has been at the ship's helm for the past decade. “It generates self-confidence in people and awareness and development of that can-do attitude. When you’re part of a team that provides that for people, it makes you feel very fulfilled and rewarded.”
“Our whole ethos is to have full equality and openness and having a ship like this provides that for people. There are so many people out there who think ‘I could never do something like sail on a tall ship, that avenue closed for me’, but no it's not because of this ship and what it does, it opens up that opportunity to so many different people.”
At each port that Tenacious docks at, the crew does their utmost to engage with locals and to show off their proud vessel and the work that they do. Sarah Banks from Gloucester has joined the crew for her fourth voyage, this time as a cooking assistant, and believes that she has benefitted massively from Tenacious and the afforded opportunities on board.
“I never thought I'd ever be able to step on a ship like this and set sail but the people here make it all possible,” she said. “They teach you all of the rope skills which I'm quite bad at remembering but they're always happy to reteach you, even if you forget it doesn't matter.”
“For me, the people make this boat what it is because it doesn't matter if you're able-bodied or not, everybody is treated the same and nothing is impossible, everyone is included and made to feel like part of the team,” she explained.
While at sea the entire crew takes part in the daily duties of cleaning, navigating, night watch, and tacking the sails. Up to half of the crew members are differently abled and the ship itself is entirely wheelchair accessible with raised deck strips and Braille signs for the visually impaired.
It also has chair lifts at each stair, extra-large cabins with hoists, and a specially designed navigational chair that can be amended for each of the crew member’s needs.
23-year-old Barry native Sam Phillips balances his marine life with his work after he first came aboard in 2019. A trainee engineer on land, he becomes the ship's Bosun Mate while at sea, looking after the maintenance of the deck, rigging, and sails. Sam also ensures that everyone is feeling fit and healthy for the day's energy-sapping work and since joining, he has seen the positive impact that S.V. Tenacious can have on people’s lives.
Sam said: “One of my favourite moments was when we were docked in Dartmouth and one of our crew who was completely blind managed to climb up to the first platform on the mast by himself. I was just talking him through it and although it was very stressful it was also extremely rewarding.”
An instance like this very much reflects the JST ethos of its foundation in 1978 by allowing those who are differently abled the opportunity to partake in the challenge of crewing a tall ship at sea. Captain Naggs, one of the few members of the permanent crew, added: “It's the best job in the world, there are people here from all walks of life and everybody has got a story. It's nice to bring that out of people and give them this opportunity. Working here just gives you hope for the human race.”
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