Issue date
A UK charity is offering New Zealanders a unique opportunity to sail on board its tall ship, Lord Nelson, when she arrives in Auckland this month. The ship, operated by the Jubilee Sailing Trust, 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 Auckland on 25 October on her first ever visit to New Zealand, sailing into the harbour at 1pm.
The public will be able to visit the ship while she is berthed with a fleet of ten international tall ships at Queens and Princes Wharves, and then on 6 and 7 November in Wellington.
But perhaps more exciting, Kiwis can sign up now to take part in voyages within New Zealand from Auckland to Wellington, Wellington to Nelson, Nelson to Auckland and the final voyage starting and ending in the City of Sails.
There are just a few spaces remaining to take part in the International Tall Ships Race from Sydney Harbour, Australia, to Auckland for those wishing to be part of the crew sailing into New Zealand waters with Lord Nelson for the first time.
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.
For more information on all the opportunities to sail on board Lord Nelson, email: info@jst.org.uk, visit www.jst.org.uk, or call +61 (0)3 9981 3312 in Australia.
New Zealander, Anthon Johnson, sailed on board Lord Nelson for the voyage from Singapore to Fremantle, Western Australia.
The former Royal New Zealand Coastguard volunteer originally opted for a week-long coastal voyage but found himself enthralled with the experience of sailing with a mixed ability crew and signed up for the much longer ocean passage from Singapore to Australia.
He said, “It was great, I couldn't keep up with my buddy, Ricky, on the in-country voyage. He’s a wheelchair user but it didn’t stop him disappearing off to each end of the ship.”
The ethos on board is to focus on what each person is capable of, rather than what they can’t do.
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 2012, 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 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 New Zealand voyages (dates for crew joining and leaving the ship)
8 October – 27 October: Sydney, Australia to Auckland.
27 October – 5 November: Auckland to Wellington
8 November – 17 November: Wellington to Nelson
18 November – 27 November: Nelson to Auckland
28 November – 6 December: Auckland to Auckland
Lord Nelson departs Auckland on 15 December to sail across the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn to Ushuaia, Argentina.
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
