An Adventure of a Lifetime
How my first tall ships adventure has led me to want to work with them regularly.
By Melissa Joy
Prince William (arriving in
I’d been interested in tall ships for a few years before I went on my first voyage, and I’d been studying them mainly through the internet. Following that initial interest, I knew I needed to do the research in order to write as well considering I am also an aspiring fantasy writer. For a long time I’d wanted to sail on a tall ship to get the hands on experience for both of these things, but hadn’t been able to afford it. However, when my 21st birthday came in August 2007, that all changed.
My older brother asked me what I wanted for that birthday, and told me that he wanted to do something very memorable for me. I said that I would love to do a day sail on a tall ship, and would like to do it in Portsmouth so that I could visit HMS Victory as well. On my birthday, my brother surprised me with the paperwork that said I’d be sailing on a tall ship for a week from Barry in South Wales to Portsmouth. At first, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing or hearing, but the excitement soon settled in.
Roughly three weeks later when I came to do the voyage, of course I was nervous and afraid of embarrassing myself in front of others. For a long time I’d been an introvert and not very social. I didn’t have many friends that I could see on a regular basis as most of them worked a lot of the time or they lived a great distance away. Instead, I amazed myself. I got along with everyone and I settled in very quickly. I already had some knowledge of tall ships from my research online, but it wasn’t going to stand up to actually sailing on one and working as a member of the crew.
I sailed on the Tall Ships Youth Trust’s brig Prince William with other people of my age range, and loved every minute of it. I was a member of perhaps the most spontaneous and excitable watch on board; humour and laughter being the two main highlights of being with them. I actually started to feel sad when the voyage was rapidly coming to an end. What it taught me though was how to socialise better, how to be an effective team member, and how to live life to its full potential. I really felt empowered.
Since that voyage, I have sailed with the Jubilee Sailing Trust on board LORD NELSON (November 2007), and have also taken up volunteering for both of these trusts. The ocean calls me now, and every time I’m at the coast I long for the next time I’ll get to be out on it sailing on a tall ship. I’ve found a big part of myself in sailing on these magnificent vessels, and enjoy sharing my experiences with other people. For some people it’s a once in a lifetime experience, but for me it’s something I’m going to do continually as much as I can. I am now looking into short term maritime courses that I hope will allow me to take part in working with tall ships more. My next voyage is already arranged, and that will be in the Caribbean on board Stavros S Niarchos in April 2008.
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