Tenacious - Bahamas to Bermuda - Crossing the Sargasso Sea.

Deep Ocean Sailing - Cross the Sargasso Sea

Join British sail training ship Tenacious on a 10 day ocean passage. The route from The Bahamas in the Caribbean to the isolated jewel of Bermuda way out in the Atlantic crosses the Sargasso Sea and the mythical Bermuda Triangle. The North Atlantic Drift Current starts here and all sorts of sea creatures maybe swept along with you.  If winds are light you have three masts to set sails on and Tenacious can fly 21 sails with great names like Spanker or Fore T'gallant. There is nothing to beat standing on the Royal yard over 35m up the towering mast looking down on an azure blue sea.

PDF Crew Handbook - everything you need to know about life on board - 12 pages

Start your Ocean Passage in the Bahamas, Caribbean.

This voyage starts from Nassau, Bahamas, only a short flight from Miami in Florida. All nationalities are welcome as long as you have a passport, and the working language is English.

The Bahaman chain consists of 700 islands and 2000 smaller sandy cays extending for some 750 miles from South East of Florida to Cuba. The combination of deep oceanic trenches and shallow seas around the islands creates a mecca for divers. They come seeking large wildlife encounters with dolphins, barracuda and sharks in crystal clear visability (regularly down to 100ft or 30m) but you don't have to be a diver to enjoy them. The Bahamas Banks contain approximately 5 percent of the worlds coral reefs and the crystal clear visability over white sand bottom means you may see sharks, dolphins and turtles from the ships deck without getting wet. If you love swimming off a beach or have enough sense of adventure* to swim off the ship at anchor - then bring a  diving mask or at least a pair of tinted swimming goggles. (the ship's safety boats can help you enjoy the swimming if climbing out by ladder is difficult)

Bermuda - Historic Waterfront & Pink Sand Beaches

Bermuda is only 21 square miles but comprises of 181 named islands sitting way out in the Atlantic, hundreds of miles from the USA and several thousand from the UK. A elegant destination of perfect sandy beaches palms and colonial old world charm Bermuda is decidedly British compared with the Bahamas. On a ship like Tenacious you will be centre of attention on the restored historic waterfront in St George Town.

Blue Water Sailing on a Square Rigger

Trade Winds & Tropical Sun

The Caribbean is perhaps the most perfect sailing ground in the world in terms of wind, sunshine and variety of places to visit. The Caribbean sits squarely in the North East trade wind belt and at this time of year (Jan-April 2012) is peak season and well outside the hurricane season. Ships like Tenacious revell in strong winds and boisterious turquiose seas and the white square sails look magnificent against the deep blue skies.  There is few things to beat a tropical sunset below the yard arm at anchor away from the tourist hustle and bustle ashore, or landing on a remote beach anchorage under a forest covered volcanic peak. The ship engineer's deck barbeques and punch are legendary too.

Largest wooden tall ship to be built in the UK for 100 years

Able bodied & disabled crews sailing as equals 

Tenacious (and her smaller sister ship Lord Nelson) are the only two of their kind in the world that have been designed and built to enable people of all physical abilities to sail side by side on equal terms. 36 000 people have sailed on the two ships since they were built. Facilities on board include wide flat decks for ease of movement around the ship, wheel chair lifts between deck levels, a hearing hoop, a speaking compass when required and hydraulic power assisted steering to enable people with limited strength or mobility to experience the thrill of steering a 586 ton sailing ship. (see vessel details for more on her special facilities for the disabled).

A Challenge for All

The safety of everyone is top priority and so every activity is conducted at a pace comfortable for all. The forces of nature show no compromise and Tenacious is still a powerful square rigger so with main course, upper and lower topsails traditionally rigged so there is still considerable challenge in every voyage. Perhaps going aloft (climbing the rigging is optional) will be the biggest adrenalin buzz or simply the challenge and rewards of being part of a very special floating community.

The Buddy System on Tenacious

On Board Tenacious & Lord Nelson we operate a buddy system, which pairs able bodied and physically disabled people together. Everyone is there to help one another and share the experience, so the buddy system works both ways! You’ll get the chance to share skills and life experiences and, as many of our crew have found, make friendships that can last a lifetime. (On the booking form able bodied crew are asked if they are happy to buddy a mildly disabled crew member or a severely disabled crew member.)

Debbie in the Classic Sailing office has been a buddy for young wheelchair users and blind crew, as well as sailed on Tenacious as Watch Leader and Lord Nelson as a deck officer so if you are worried about your role on board, do give her a ring on 01872 580022.

 

 

GAP year or Career Break, or Adventurous Retirement

If you are taking time out to re appraise your life or do something worthwhile for your fellow humans, then a voyage on Tenacious or Lord Nelson can be both re-affirm your faith in human nature and take you on some interesting paths. The lovely thing about a voyage on Tenacious is the great mix of ages and people come from all walks of life with amazing stories. For longer voyages and ocean crossings it helps if you have sailed or spent time on ships before, and that you like the company and working as part of a close knit team. It's a healthy life for most - out in the open doing straightforward physical work, and often a very hard thing to leave the ship at the end.

If you are aged 16-24 find out more about the ships Youth Leadership @ Sea programme - available on some voyages. There are bursaries available if you can't afford it.

A Tenacious voyage is also an accredited Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award residential programme.