Jubilee Sailing Trust offer unique opportunity this Summer for Australians to sail on board accessible tall ship, Lord Nelson
(PRWEB UK) 12 July 2013 -- A UK charity is offering Australians a unique opportunity to sail on board its accessible tall ship, Lord Nelson, when she arrives in Fremantle this month. The ship, operated by the Jubilee Sailing Trust, who provide disabled holidays through accessible sailing, is one of only two in the world that is especially built to be accessible for disabled and able bodied sailors alike, and the first ever to sail around the world.
The 55-metre square rigger boasts a number of features which allow the crew to sail on equal terms including an audio compass, hearing loops, wheelchair lifts between decks and a bowsprit which is wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair, allowing the user to get right to the front of the ship for their own ‘King of the World’ moment.
She is taking part in the Norton Rose Fulbright Sail the World Challenge, a 50,000-mile voyage designed to promote inclusion and equality in every port of call. During the 23-month odyssey Lord Nelson will cross the Equator four times, visit 30 countries on seven continents and become the first accessible tall ship to round the three Great Capes: the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa; Cape Leeuwin, WA; and the infamous Cape Horn at the tip of South America.
Lord Nelson is due to arrive in Fremantle on 17 July on her first ever visit Down Under.
During her visit to WA she will undergo planned maintenance in dry dock before setting sail again for Adelaide, SA, on 18 August.
Members of the public will also be able to visit the ship while she is alongside in port.
But perhaps even more exciting, Australians can sign up now to take part in the voyage from Fremantle to Adelaide, or get on board for one of the other coastal voyages during her visit to Australia, including the opportunity to see the Great Ocean Road from a unique perspective, sailing from Adelaide to Melbourne in company with other international tall ships.
No sailing experience is necessary as the permanent crew will give all the training and guidance needed to get the most out of the voyage, whether that is showing a crew member how to climb the rigging, steer the ship or haul on a rope to help set the sails.
Berths are available for both able bodied and physically disabled people. A ‘buddy’ system on board pairs able bodied and disabled crew to offer mutual help and support during the passage. The lower age limit is 16 and there is no upper age limit.
Sydneysider Karen Leverington sailed on board Lord Nelson on the voyage from Durban, South Africa, for the seven-week voyage to Kochi, India, via Mauritius and Sri Lanka and has this advice for any Australians thinking about getting on board.
“Do it! It’s an extraordinary experience, on many levels. There is the sailing and the working of the ship, but also the way 40-50 strangers come together into a unit. Everyone is expected to do whatever their abilities allow, from cleaning the heads to peeling potatoes to rope pulling, helming and going aloft.”
As well as Lord Nelson, Jubilee Sailing Trust operates a second adapted tall ship, Tenacious, and more than 37,000 people have sailed with the organisation since it was founded in 1978, 14,000 of whom are physically disabled, including 5,000 wheelchair users.
Lord Nelson embarked on her 23-month voyage from Southampton in the UK on Sunday 21 October, riding the wave of success enjoyed by the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 9 December, before setting sail again for a second transatlantic crossing, this time to Cape Town, and a first-ever visit to South Africa.
Norton Rose Fulbright, which has five offices in Australia, including one in Perth, is supporting this unique global voyage under their banner of “All abilities. All aboard.” The global legal practice supports the Jubilee Sailing Trust’s values of diversity, inclusion and integration.
Lord Nelson’s Australian voyages (dates for crew joining and leaving the ship)
17 August – 31 August: Fremantle to Adelaide
1 September – 8 September: Adelaide to Melbourne
13 September – 22 September: Melbourne to Hobart
24 September – 4 October: Hobart to Sydney
8 October – 27 October: Sydney to Auckand, NZ.
STS Lord Nelson Facts and Figures
Length: 55 metres
Beam: 9 metres
Deck to fore masthead: 31 metres
Sail area: 1,024m2
Number of sails: 18
Fresh water capacity: 22 tonnes
Launched: 15 October 1985
Max speed under sail: 10 knots
Crew: 50 comprising:
8 permanent crew
2 bosun’s mates
1 cook’s assistant
1 cadet
38 voyage (paying) crew; 17 may be physically disabled and 4 may be wheelchair users
ENDS//
Notes to editors
Further information regarding the ship’s berthing arrangements in Fremantle and subsequent Australian ports will be issued prior to arrival.
The Norton Rose Fulbright Sail the World Challenge
During her inaugural 23-month circumnavigation of the world, the 55-metre square rigger, Lord Nelson, will log four Equator crossings and visit 30 countries on seven continents. More than 1,000 people will have the opportunity to sail on the vessel during this 50,000-mile voyage. It is the first time that an accessible square-rigged sailing ship has undertaken such a journey crewed by disabled sailors alongside their able-bodied peers.
http://www.jst.org.uk/sail-the-world.aspx
The Norton Rose Fulbright Sail the World Challenge route: Southampton (UK), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Cape Town (South Africa), Durban (South Africa), Kochi (India), Singapore, Fremantle (Australia), Adelaide (Australia), Melbourne (Australia), Hobart (Australia), Sydney (Australia), Auckland (New Zealand), Wellington (New Zealand), Nelson (New Zealand), Auckland (New Zealand), Ushuaia (Argentina), Antarctica, Buenos Aires (Argentina), Recife (Brazil), Halifax (Canada), Southampton (UK).
Lord Nelson
The Jubilee Sailing Trust’s tall ship, Lord Nelson, was designed to enable physically disabled people, including wheelchair users, to sail alongside their non-disabled peers as equals. Lord Nelson was built in the UK and first set sail in 1986. Since then she has been changing the lives of everybody who sails on her.
Jubilee Sailing Trust
The Jubilee Sailing Trust was founded in 1978 and was the brainchild of Christopher Rudd, a teacher and sailor who wanted to give his disabled pupils the same opportunities as able-bodied children. Starting with two non-adapted vessels, the charity grew and Lord Nelson, a custom built ship which can be sailed by a crew of 40, was commissioned. Since her maiden voyage in 1986, more than 10,000 people with a physical disability, including almost 4,000 wheelchair users, have sailed aboard Lord Nelson.
The Jubilee Sailing Trust also owns and operates a second tall ship, Tenacious. She is currently operating voyages in Europe.
http://www.jst.org.uk
Norton Rose Fulbright
Norton Rose Fulbright is a global legal practice. We provide the world’s pre-eminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. We have more than 3800 lawyers based in over 50 cities across Europe, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.
Rebecca Withers- Marketing & PR, Jubilee Sailing Trust Limited, http://jubilee-sailing-trust.com/, 02380 426 846, [email protected]
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