Tall Ship Race 2018

Travelexperience:

Jess x

"I've always loved the sea and Tall Ships, but being in land-locked Birmingham, opportunities to experience them are somewhat limited! I turned 30 in October and decided to spend the year ticking some things off my bucket list, and was lucky enough to find Classic Sailing. We were impressed by their range of vessels and voyages, their eco-friendly ethos, conservation efforts and green credentials.

We have never sailed before, but were up for a challenge so my partner and I booked leg one of the Three Festivals Tall Ship race aboard Morgenster, and what a week we had! The Classic sailing team answered all of our (very numerous) questions, and we got to meet up with the lovely Becky at the CS stall in Liverpool.

Morgenster and her crew were were amazing. What a ship! Captain Jakob and his crew of very friendly, professional and experienced multinational sailors were brilliant - they made us feel at home and made sure we all got stuck in, no matter our ability or confidence level - by mid week we were all one big happy competent(ish!) crew :) The food aboard the ship was amazing, all prepared in the tiny galley by the wonderful Isabel. After meals we all got stuck in to ship chores during "Happy Hour" - from cleaning the galley to swabbing the decks - it was a lot of fun!

Going into the race, we weren't really fussed about winning, we were just happy to be enjoying the experience - that is until we WON the race for the Class A category! We were so proud to collect the winners trophy during the awards, followed by the crew party which was an absolute blast! Despite everyone feeling a little worse for wear the next day, Jonathan (staff crew) managed to cook celebratory pancakes for breakfast, before we left the ship to travel home.

The whole experience, from booking, to the festivals, to the ship and the crew - was something that will stay with me forever, we've made some great friends, learned so much and really built our confidence - there is nothing like sitting out on the bowsprit of a tall ship - it's indescribable. And the buzz on the ship when the captain announced "all hand on deck!" when we were about to tack or jibe - you really felt like you were part of something amazing.

We were only on the Irish sea, but saw dolphins, puffins and even a basking shark. And spotting our fellow tall ship competitors on the horizon was so exciting!
 

We can't wait for our next voyage!! - If you're reading this while trying to decide if a tall ship voyage is for you, Go for it! You WILL LOVE IT!"