Jubilee Sailing Trust

Jubilee Sailing Trust - Changing Lives since 1978

"Tenacious - a name which represents a great act of generosity, a slice of history and a call to action." (Tony Hicklin - JST Trustee)

The inspiring story of the Jubilee Sailing Trust is told below courtesy of Tony Bushby and Daily Star Sunday.

Sailing to recovery
The Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST) promotes the integration of men and women of all physical abilities through the challenge and adventure of tall ship sailing. On board our two magnificent, fully accessible tall ships ‘Lord Nelson’ and ‘Tenacious’ everybody gets the chance to participate in all aspects of running the ship. The JST was established in 1978 and over 35,000 people have sailed with us. Of these approximately 13,500 people were disabled, including 5,000 wheelchair users.

Anyone over the age of 16 can sail with us and we take people from all over the UK and further afield. We aim to take an equal mix of able-bodied and physically disabled crew on each trip with a maximum of 40 people on each voyage.

Stories and experiences from Afghan veterans:
Soldiers wounded in Afghanistan have battled back from horrific injuries to take to the ocean waves. Four Grenadier Guardsmen joined the crew of the sailing ship Lord Nelson for a week-long trip around the Canary Islands. They hauled ropes, steered the ship, cleaned and cooked and even climbed the rigging on their 311-nautical mile trip.

That’s quite a challenge when you have to get about on a pair of hi-tech artificial legs, as Lieutenant Garth Banks, 27, does after losing his lower limbs to a Taliban roadside bomb. The officer, from Leckhampton, Glos, said: “It’s been great. Steering this magnificent ship is something I never thought I would be doing.”

Also aboard was Lance Corporal John Goggins, 26, from Bacup, Lancs, who suffered devastating leg wounds from a Taliban bullet. John
said: “Everyone is so friendly and nobody makes much of a thing about being disabled.”

Guardsman Paul Bennett, 23, from St Austell, Cornwall, lost his leg below the knee and suffered hand injuries when an enemy improvised explosive device (IED) exploded. He has an artificial limb and uses a crutch. He said: “If anyone had told me I’d enjoy peeling spuds, you can guess what I’d have called them. But I am – this is great! What’s really important to all of us is that aboard this ship we are working in a team. That’s what we are used to in the Army…teamwork – and it is one of the things we have missed most since coming back from Afghanistan.”

One crewman said: “They are heroes, though they wouldn’t thank you for saying it. Lord Nelson himself would have been proud to have men like these fellows in his crew.”

Kyle Baker, 19, from Cheshire joined Tenacious on 8 October 2010 for a tall ship adventure. He sailed from Canary Wharf, London, for an eight day voyage, the ship stopped over in St. Malo, France, and returned to Southampton the following week. He is part of The Rifles and was injured whilst serving in Afghanistan where he was ambushed in Sangin and now uses sticks to get about.

“Sailing with the JST is a special experience; no matter what your physical disability, you are all classed the same whilst on board. I really enjoyed interacting with people off all ages and backgrounds which is so unlike everyday life. I wouldn’t hesitate to go on board again and suggest it to everyone, especially those returning from service in the army.”

• able bodied or disabled, you can sail with us
• ages 16 - 100, you can sail with us
• unique, the only specially built tall ships in the world
• day sails for as little as £120

For more information and to find out about bursary funding for service personnel please contact us:
www.jst.org.uk
E-mail: josephine@jst.org.uk
Telephone: 023 8 042 6868
Or see here for information about a guided tour of Tenacious in London on 25 July or 25 September
Registered Charity No. 277810