You don't need years of sailing experience to climb aboard a wooden boat and head off on an adventure. That's the message from a panel of UK operators due to speak at Southampton Boat Show later this month, aimed squarely at demystifying traditional sailing for newcomers.
Four leading providers of wooden and traditional boat adventures will join a discussion on the show's Wooden Boat Stage on Sunday 20 September at 3pm. The session, called "Adventure Holidays in Wooden Boats", is hosted by Belinda Joslin and looks at how everyday travellers, not just experienced sailors, can get out on Britain's coastline, rivers and waterways aboard working vessels with real maritime heritage behind them.
The panel brings together Henry Chamberlain, founder of the Coastal Exploration Company, which runs traditional sailing and coastal exploration trips from the North Norfolk coast. Alongside him is Jess Clay, Business Operations Coordinator at Classic Sailing, the UK's leading specialist in traditional sailing holidays, connecting travellers with historic and traditionally rigged vessels around the world.
Neville Khambatta, who runs Hunter's Yard and the Norfolk Heritage Fleet Trust, is behind the last remaining fleet of traditional gaff-rigged hire yachts on the Norfolk Broads. Rounding out the group is Conrad Humphreys, the professional sailor, adventurer and storyteller known for Channel 4's Mutiny – Bounty and Hope, who now runs day trips and wild-camping experiences around Plymouth Sound and beyond aboard a replica of the boat used in the series.
The pitch is simple. You don't need to know how to sail.
Options on offer range from a couple of hours out with a skipper right through to multi-day adventures, wild camping and voyages aboard historic vessels. Locations span the peaceful waterways of the Norfolk Broads to Britain's coastline and the waters around Plymouth, and for those chasing something further afield, traditional sailing voyages around the world, including adventures in the Antarctic.
There's a heritage angle too. Many wooden and traditionally rigged vessels need specialist skills, care and investment to stay in use, and operators say every booking directly supports the operators, craftspeople and communities keeping that maritime heritage alive. Jess Clay of Classic Sailing puts it directly, saying the aim is for these boats to remain "living, working places where people can learn, belong and be inspired", rather than drifting into museum-piece status.
Access matters to this group as well. Hunter's Yard works with schools and youth groups introducing young people to the water, and Conrad Humphreys works with underprivileged children in Plymouth, and is passionate about making adventure sailing opportunities accessible to a wider audience.
Belinda Joslin, hosting the panel, sums up the appeal: "Wooden boats offer such a wonderful way into adventure. They are beautiful, they have stories, and they take you places at a pace that allows you to really experience the landscape around you. You don't need to be a sailor to start, you just need to be curious."
