 | | Andrew Jeffrey |
Being brought up as a lad by the sea at Eastbourne, salt water is in my veins. So when given the chance to take to the seas again, and swap the freshwater of Derwent Reservoir for the salt of the north sea - I jumped at the chance. But as a wheelchair user, that is a watery metaphor. It seems like weeks, but in reality, I have just spent 48 hours on the SV (Sailing Vessel) Tenacious - the largest Class A wooden built Tall Ship in the world. And that's not the only notable thing about her. For the sailors amongst us you will know the tests you go through dealing with the pitch and roll of a ship - add to that, the excentuated roll that the four wheels of a wheelchair provides, and you get some pretty interesting sailing. On board
 | | Barbara Campbell runs a fine ship |
I joined the Tenacious in Scarborough, when the crew were on a high, fresh from their second place in the Waterford to Cherbourg leg of the Tall Ships' Race - an amazing feat from a fleet of 104 ships. She had to anchor off the coast by about a mile, as the weather and seas were against an entry to Scarborough's port. This meant a wet journey in an inflatable rib, riding the difficult three metre swell. Thoughts were going through my mind of how I was to get on board, when I suddenly had a flash back to boarding yachts with a trapeze harness and the swinging boom trick - it proved to be very similar. The rib drew along side the Tenacious and the important load of chocolate chip biscuits, flapjack and loaves of bread went on first. We had to take our chances with the swell of the tide and clip on to the harness that was to take me on board. Clipped on, and I was whisked skyward, immediately being chased by an ascending rib, but the on-board crew pulled me over - I just had to hang there waiting for my wheelchair to ping skyward too - it did, and it was caught on board too - phew! I immediately made myself known to the Captain, Barbara Campbell, who, leading from the top, was very much a part of the dragging on board party.
 | | There's even a talking compass |
For a 48 hour trip, I even beat my wife's holiday bag count - four black canvas bags with tv video cameras, tripod, and my personal belongings - in preparation for a wet weather change. Quiet afternoon The Jubilee Sailing Trust has this sailing with a mixed ability crew business all sewn up. They have years of experience and a crew with compassion, understanding and a wealth of sailing experience. This all inspires confidence. When anyone joins either the Tenacious, or its sister ship the Lord Nelson, they are paired up with their able-bodied "buddy". Mine was a fine gentleman named Mac - we also shared a bunk room, so he kindly took me on my initial ship's tour, dropping my kit into the cabins below. This was the crew's day off in Scarborough, so I took advantage of the quiet to wander the ship, snapping the pictures of the key rooms, cabins and working parts of ship. Like any army, the ship's company works well on its stomach, and Graham, the ship's fantastic cook ensures that every breakfast, lunch and dinner is a cracker - oh yes, and the "smoko" tucker - flapjacks... I wondered if I should ask if I could stay on for the Norway leg of the race too. But Graham gave way for the barbecue to Dave, the Chief Engineer - a finer piece of barbecue engineering I have never seen... the trouble was that the tantalising smells started at about 5pm and we had to wait until the crew returned after 6pm.
 | | Now, where's that tot of rum? |
But wait we did, and along with the crew came some guest "Friends of the Trust" to celebrate the Tenacious' arrival in the spirit of the "Year of the Sea" and Scarborough's "Sea-fest" festivities. Traditional build This ship is the largest wooden built ship in the world, and proudly displays glorious amounts of Sapele - a West African Mahogany and the fittings are of the highest spec. In fact, the interior fit-out spec book was 7cm deep. Much was learnt from the building of the Lord Nelson back in 1986, and the letters and missives from those who had sailed with her gave great help in the eventual fit-out of the Tenacious. After post barbecue fireworks on the Castle Hill above Scarborough, it was time to crash out, leaving the late "watch" to carry on watching through to midnight - it was the bunk for me. By this time, I had adjusted to not only anticipating the pitch and roll of the ship, but also compensating for movement when using the camera for the Look North report I was compiling. I had planned to get a dramatic inspiring shot of the sun rising over the bows of the ship. So I had set my alarm for 4am. Early start
 | | This is a hi-tech ship in all ways |
The anchor was weighed at about 1am and the pitch of the ship sent me off to sleep perfectly. It was one of those sleeps that seemed to last for only 3 minutes - but no, 4am came round all too quickly. A quick visit to the heads (the loos for the non matelot amongst you) and a shower - wow, even these were perfectly designed and constructed for us wheelchair users, and then it was on with summer wear of shirt, jumper, fleece and storm jacket - yup - this was really summer. And - yup - the sun was just getting up, but sadly heavily veiled behind deep gray clouds - but the show had to go on, and it was here that I set up my initial "piece to camera" for the report on the Tenacious bows with wave crests breaking on every dip. After some five hours pounding the waves we were passing the gas burn-off flames at Teesside with just a couple of other Tall Ships in sight.
 | | There's a place for every rope on board |
It was then that the thought of breakfast was chipping away at me, so I gave in and went to the lower mess deck for my full English breakfast - sea-sick? no - not me thank goodness. There are several tell-tale signs of being at sea apart from the usual sight of oil-skins and welly-boots lying around. On the mess tables, bottles of ketchup and vinegar are laid on their sides, as are the plastic cereal containers - there are many tales of laps being on the receiving end of bowls of cereals and sauces - all to be avoided. The new watch had been on deck for an hour or so, the weather had not returned to the North East Bahama-esque we had recently been accustomed to and I had been leaping around with a tripod, sticking the lens of the camera into faces, up rigging and generally getting out of the tugging of ropes and being a Jack Tar. Happy Hour Over the tannoy system came the call for all hands to their allotted decks for "Happy Hour". "Come on", said the announcement, "you know we all love it." What was this I thought - surely not a visit to the very well stocked bar in the lower mess at this early time of day... but there again, could this be the tot of naval rum tradition with a 60 minute rest. No, it was not quite that. Every day at sea, every person on board gets stuck in to Happy Hour - cleaning almost every visible inch on deck, below deck, up the masts, in the galley, on the poop deck - just don't stand still, or you might just get scrubbed or polished.
 | | Even scrubbing can be fun |
Did I say everyone? Well, I got away with it, as I was filming... but, I did me bit... I was caught washing and drying dishes. But everyone does something on board, because, as the Jubilee Sailing Trust states in their cruise literature, "there are no passengers" on their ships. Most of the Tall Ships Race crew were from the North East. Alison, registered blind and Joanna, a paraplegic, put much of the on-board facilities to the test. The lifts to all parts of the decks, mean that wheelchair users are not excluded from any element of sailing - they can even go aloft into the rigging and participate in the setting of sails. Braille signage and the talking compass allow for those with visual impairments to be fully included in the ship's activities. There are small thoughtful design touches that mean so much, such as the shallow batten in the centre of all decks that gives a tactile surface along with the welded bow direction arrow on all the hand rails. There was considerable thought put into every stage of construction.
 | | She sails to any compass bearing |
Up to this time, mid-morning, we had not seen the sails aloft, but the wind was turning to a more useful direction, and Captain Barbara decided we'd give the sails an airing. This is where the team spirit, engendered through the Trust's ethos, really comes into play. Ropes, sheets or strings - whatever you call them, all need pulling, letting go or cleating, so everyone gets into the action. The sails were up and it was on toward the Tyne. This is what the Jubilee Sailing Trust is all about, under sail and a crew all pulling together. I know that they haven't seen the last of me - I'm going to do everything I can to get out to the Tenacious or the Lord Nelson in the future - and if you know anyone with a disability - I would urge you to read more about the Jubilee Sailing Trust, its aims and objectives. And I would challenge you to disagree with me saying that this is a life changing experience - thank you Tenacious crew for my life changing 30 hours! | 
