Our National Heritage Lottery funded ‘Skippers of the Future’ sailing tour is about to begin! Blue Mermaid will be sailing to ten ports, each voyage crewed by young people and vulnerable adults taking part in the National Historic Ships  ‘Traditional Seafarer’ course. Once in port the hold will be open to the public to come aboard free of charge, and learn about the heritage of Thames sailing barges, where the surviving vessels are today, and how this historic fleet is critically endangered at the present time. We will also be showing the film ‘Wind, Tide & Oar’ in the hold of the ba ..read more

We are delighted to announce a very exciting project for Blue Mermaid in 2024. Thanks to the support of the Lottery Heritage Fund we will be taking Blue Mermaid on tour next year to ten ports between Lowestoft and Ramsgate, opening the barge to members of the public in each port and screening the film ‘Wind, Tide & Oar’ in the hold of the barge. The aim of the project is to introduce more people to Thames sailing barges and inform people about their heritage and the work they do today. Blue Mermaid  doesn’t have an engine so her tour will be undertaken using just wind and tide. Each ..read more

Long time friend and supporter of Sea-Change Sailing Trust, Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli, was installed as Lord Mayor Of London last week. Our Executive Officer, Richard Titchener, enjoyed a place on the portico to watch the Lord Mayor’s Show at the weekend, alongside Michael Mainelli’s daughter Maxine, who sailed with us herself some years ago. The Lord Mayor has many large and interesting projects to pursue during his year and it is a great  honour to see Sea-Change Sailing Trust feature as one of his supported charities. Connect To Prosper – Role Of Lord Mayor | Professor Micha ..read more

This picture tells the story of Sea-Change Sailing Trust. It is a snapshot that sums up 16 years of determination in which a charity was born, the first Thames sailing barge since 1930 was built, thousands of young people and vulnerable adults had their lives shaped by residential voyages, and cargo was delivered entirely under sail with young people learning valuable life skills in the process. Here, young people on their half term holiday have loaded firkins of beer brewed by our local Mighty Oak Brewery in Maldon, into Blue Mermaid on Monday. On Tuesday they had a long and chilly day crewi ..read more

Monday 3rd April saw the team gather at Hythe Quay for the arrival of a cargo of beer from the local Mighty Oak Brewery. Jim Dines had brought the barge down from his yard the previous day where she had been in refit. He used his red tug, almost identical to the one used when the previous owners of the yard, Dixon Kerley, had the contract to assist the ships bringing timber to Sadd’s or animal feeds to Sadler’s wharves. The smaller motor barges which supplied Green’s, now Carr’s, Mill until a few years ago were able to manage unaided. I recall going with Brian Kennell to Colliers Reach in the ..read more

Active Thames, led by the Port of London Authority (PLA), has awarded £150,000 in grants to successful applicants. The increase in funding from over £90,000 last year to nearly £150,000 this year demonstrates  the continuing commitment Active Thames partners have made to promoting activity on the tidal Thames and inland waterways in London, Kent, and Essex. Active Thames aims to encourage groups that are far less likely to engage in physical activity on the river, including individuals from ethnically diverse communities, lower socio-economic groups, and people with disabilities.  T ..read more

Rear Admiral David Snelson CB FNI, former Commander of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, will be giving a talk on ‘The History of The five Ark Royals’ upstairs at Maldon Little Ship Club, Essex CM9 5HN at 7.30pm on Friday 24th February 2023. Tickets £10 per person in support of Sea-Change Sailing Trust. The MLSC bar will be open, and after the interval we will show some film about Thames sailing barges and the work of the charity. Please come along and support us. All are welcome! Tickets from judy@seachangesailingtrust.org.uk The post The History of The Five Ark Royals appeared first ..read more

At Sea-Change Sailing Trust we love weather! Our Thames sailing barge Blue Mermaid has no engine and uses just wind and tide for propulsion. Every year around 200 young people and vulnerable adults sail with us on residential voyages designed to develop essential life skills. We enjoy having fun outdoors and so we lend our clients waterproof clothing that keeps them warm and dry whilst they are handling sails, winding a windlass, having a treasure hunt on a beach, or steering the barge. It is time to replace our current set of wet weather gear and Tesco Community Grants are helping us. If you ..read more

Young people who sail on a residential voyage onboard Blue Mermaid fully participate in all activities during their stay with us. They learn skills such as resilience, team working, communication, and leadership whilst working together to sail an engineless Thames sailing barge in the waters off East Anglia.  There are nautical skills to be gained too – we are an RYA Recognised Training Establishment. All this whilst having FUN! We have just sailed for a week with young people from Gravesham Young Lives Foundation Legends Programme who were funded by the Active Thames Fund ..read more

Sea-Change Sailing Trust is a member of The Association of Sail Training Organisations. ASTO  have commissioned researched into the effect of residential sail training voyages on the lives of participants. Group leaders reported the following outcomes with their young people: 93% Sense of achievement, 90% Improved wellbeing and confidence 89% Improved self-control and discipline 88% Increased resilience 91% Improved aspirations and motivation 89% Improved communication skills Best of all – its also fun! At Sea-Change Sailing Trust it’s also low-carbon, as our Thames sailing barge Blue ..read more