“Let’s Try Sailing”

Classic Sailing has never aimed our activity holidays exclusively at sailors. Since 1997, we’ve introduced thousands of people to the world of sailing and travel under sail. Our skippers will teach you to sail, and they’ll teach you well—because we can’t go anywhere without you. You are the crew. On traditionally rigged vessels, teamwork is everything. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never set foot on a boat before, aren’t particularly strong, or worry about agility. There are important roles for everyone, and if you’re willing to learn, you’ll leave feeling like a sailor. Even on a short three-day voyage, you’ll pick up enough jargon and skills to sound like one too.

From Shore to Sail – Your First Days Aboard

Stepping onto a traditional sailing vessel for the first time can feel like arriving in a foreign country. The language is different—lines instead of ropes, heads instead of toilets, port and starboard instead of left and right. The deck beneath your feet moves in a way that land never does. But within a few hours, it starts to make sense, and by the end of your first day, you’ll be handling lines, steering, and feeling at home at sea.

The beauty of hands-on sailing is that no prior experience is needed. Tall ships and classic boats are designed to be sailed by a crew working together, and that includes complete beginners. From the moment you step aboard, you’ll be learning by doing, guided by experienced sailors who were once in your shoes.

“Amazing – I never thought I would enjoy it so much! I’m booking another one!” Sarah Edwards

What Will You Learn in Your First Few Days?

Day One – Getting Your Sea Legs

• Learning how to move safely around the deck while underway.
• Getting to grips with the ship’s layout, key areas, and safety equipment.
• Handling ropes correctly—coiling, belaying, and making fast to cleats and pins.
• Helping hoist sails under supervision, feeling the teamwork involved.
• Taking a turn at the helm, getting a feel for how the ship responds.

Day Two – Becoming Part of the Crew

• Understanding the basics of sail trim—how to set the sails to match the wind.
• Getting more confident with line handling, knots, and winches.
• Learning watch system routines—how the ship is sailed round the clock.
• Keeping lookout and spotting navigational markers or hazards.
• Becoming comfortable with basic navigation—charts, compasses, and plotting courses.

Day Three and Beyond – Building Confidence

• Taking more initiative in sail handling, working as part of a team.
• Reefing and furling sails, learning when and why adjustments are made.
• Steering with greater accuracy, holding a course under sail.
• Learning anchoring and mooring techniques.
• Gaining a sense of rhythm—how life aboard flows with the wind and tide.

By the end of a voyage, many first-time sailors are confident enough to help lead sail hoists, steer on a steady course, and understand how different wind conditions affect the ship. More importantly, they’ve felt what it means to be part of a working crew—pulling together, learning new skills, and experiencing the deep satisfaction of sailing a traditional vessel.

Cross Over from Similar Outdoor Pursuits

We don’t mind if you are just coming for destination, or motives other than becoming the next Ben Ainslie. We have had avid climbers sign up for a Greenland Expedition because they wanted to suss out the granite spires for a future visit. We don’t mind if you spend 52 days on the tall ship because you are a bird watcher that wants to see albatrosses and giant petrels in their natural habitat. We don’t mind if you are an armchair Captain Jack Aubrey fan but can’t steer in a straight line or read the compass when its raining. At least you seized the day and came to try something new.

It was something we have always wanted to do and couldn’t have asked for a better captain, crew, and companions. If you have even wondered about doing something like this- YOU NEED TO! or you will forever regret it.

Michael

Our Voyages are Activity Holidays – Try Something New

Our holidays suit the team player, the social animal, the outdoor types, the kayakers who don’t mind getting wet, the campers and caravanners who are happy living in a small space, the yoga teachers who want to connect with nature and the humanitarians who want to restore their faith in human nature. The best bit is the weekend away or longer expedition comes with all the food, all the kit, all the specialist staff and guides you could need. And you home is a characterful traditional boat that will look great in your vacation photos.

You Can Be Heroes

There is a role for builders and scaffolders who relish a physical challenge without responsibilities. A tall ship is a giant climbing frame after all. Gardeners and those that work with their hands adapt to traditional sailing like ducks to water. Our professional crew are not all built like Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie. When conditions get tough or the unexpected happens, we need your help. Desk bound entreprenuers, teachers and computer techies wade in and revell in the chance to be heroes…..and they frequently are.

On Board Training

The beauty of our voyages is that they all start the same way with a safety briefing followed by training in how the vessel works and your role in this. It is never assumed that you will know it all. This applies to new and returning sailors so everyone starts on the same footing.

The exact details of how this is done will vary from small cutter to big tall ship and all vessels in between.

Safety Brief

The brief will include the use of life jackets, where they are stored and when you will use them. What to do in the event of a fire and where to muster. Where the life rafts and other lifesaving equipment is kept and the procedures the permanent crew will adopt for you to use them as appropriate.

Training

The idea will be to get you familiar with the basics of sail hoisting and simple setting of the sails for tacking, gybing or wearing ship. (Don’t worry all these terms will be explained as part of the training.) Steering and other duties may also be described or demonstrated. All the task you are given will be supervised and assistance given until you are competent to do them on your own. (Remember we want you to come sailing again so it is in our best interests to look after you properly.)

Learning the ropes

Even on a small boat there could be as many as forty different ropes that do a variety of tasks. You will not be expected to know which rope does what at the beginning but it will be hoped you know two or three by the end of the voyage. Guidance will always be available.

Going Aloft

Going aloft is great fun if you enjoy the challenge. It is never compulsory and fully supervised training will be given. The more often you go aloft the easier it gets. However if you go aloft without feeling any worry then you are probably over confident and not doing the right thing.

No one need be left out   – it’s a team game.

The tasks are all simple to perform once you have been shown how to do them. Many of them require a team of people to do them and that is part of the social fun of the voyage.

Look out duty

All vessels traveling through the water have to keep a proper lookout, in  marine speak this is called “underway”. You might think in these days of radar, gps and other gismos that it can all be covered electronically from the bridge by the ships officers. That is not the case, large dangers can lie semi submerged in the water, containers washed off ships are like mini glaciers, 7/8 under the sea and capable of puncturing steel hulls. Large logs and wreckage are similar dangers. The beauty of look out duty is that you get to spot wildlife first and any other exciting things in view. May be you get to shout “there she blows” as you spot a whale.

Steering

Taking the helm and steering the ship is one of the high points of any voyage, again training is always given before you can do this on your own. There you are helming a 56 metre tall ship through the sea with all the sails set and the ship obeys your actions. 

Summary

Enjoy the training, get to know your fellow crew members and the permanent crew in the process and in no time at all you will feel like an experienced sailor.