Adam and Debbie Purser establish Classic Sailing in St Mawes, Cornwall. Their aim is to give more people the chance to sail aboard traditional boats and tall ships.
Classic Sailing builds relationships with the owners, operators and professional crews of traditional vessels in the UK and overseas. These include vessels connected with France, the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Canada and the United States.
Over three decades, more than 12,000 people sail aboard more than thirty working heritage vessels with Classic Sailing. Voyages range from short coastal trips to offshore passages and expeditions in the Artic, Arctarctica and all the Oceans of the World.
Classic Sailing develops as a route into traditional sailing for people with no previous experience, as well as experienced sailors seeking a different form of seamanship. Guests join as active members of the voyage and sail under the guidance of professional crews.
Classic Sailing changes to a Community Interest Company. The new structure allows any surplus to be reinvested into sailing bursaries, widening access to traditional sailing while supporting working heritage vessels, their crews and the skills needed to operate them.
The Community Interest Company will be formally launched during Classic Sailing’s 30th Anniversary celebrations aboard the tall ship Morgenster in Falmouth. The ceremony will include the ringing of the ship’s bell by a distinguished Cornish public figure.
Classic Sailing Community Interest Company will use its experience and international vessel connections to help more people sail aboard working traditional vessels. Its wider purpose is to support access, practical maritime skills and vessels that remain active at sea.
Adam Purser co-founded Classic Sailing with Debbie Purser in St Mawes, Cornwall, in 1996. He is a director of Classic Sailing Community Interest Company and an experienced sailor and RYA Yachtmaster Instructor.
During the past thirty years, Adam has helped develop Classic Sailing from a Cornish sailing business into an international provider of traditional sailing experiences. The organisation has worked with more than thirty historic vessels in the UK and overseas and has introduced more than 12,000 people to traditional sailing.
Adam’s work brings together future sailors, experienced sailors, vessel operators and professional crews. His approach is based on direct advice and practical knowledge of life aboard traditional vessels. He believes these boats are best supported by sailing, carrying people and passing maritime skills from one generation to the next.
As a director of the Community Interest Company, Adam is helping shape its sailing bursary programme and its work to widen access to traditional sailing.
Debbie Purser co-founded Classic Sailing with Adam Purser in St Mawes, Cornwall, in 1996. She has helped guide the organisation throughout its thirty-year history and has played a central part in introducing people to practical sailing aboard traditional vessels.
Debbie is an experienced traditional sailor, RYA Yachtmaster Instructor, and skipper of the pilot cutter Tallulah. Her work is rooted in practical seamanship, capable crewing and the realities of living and working aboard a sailing vessel. She has particular experience of helping people take part safely, including those stepping aboard a traditional boat for the first time.
Alongside her work afloat, Debbie has helped Classic Sailing build lasting relationships with vessel owners, operators and professional crews in the UK and overseas. Her experience will help inform the Community Interest Company’s work to widen access through sailing bursaries while supporting the vessels, crews and maritime skills on which traditional sailing depends.
| Subject | Fact |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founders | Adam and Debbie Purser |
| Place founded | St Mawes, Cornwall |
| Anniversary | 30 years in 2026 |
| People introduced to traditional sailing | More than 12,000 |
| Working heritage vessels | More than thirty during the organisation’s history |
| Area of work | World Wide |
| International vessel connections | France, the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand Canada and the United States, as well as the UK |
| Types of vessel | Traditional boats, pilot cutters, schooners, brigs, ketches, luggers and other tall ships and working heritage vessels |
| Sailing approach | Practical, hands-on participation under the guidance of professional crews |
| Previous experience | Many voyages require no previous sailing experience |
| Current organisation | Classic Sailing Community Interest Company |
| Community purpose | To widen access to traditional sailing and help sustain working heritage vessels, professional crews and maritime skills |
| Use of surplus | Reinvestment into sailing bursaries |
| 2026 launch venue | Tall ship Morgenster, Port Pendennis Marina, Falmouth |
| Official launch date | Saturday 5 September 2026 |
| Website | classic-sailing.com |
Classic Sailing connects people with voyages aboard working traditional vessels. Guests do not simply observe. They can take part in sailing the vessel under the direction of the professional crew. The exact activities depend on the vessel, voyage, weather and operating conditions.
It is the new Community Interest Company formed from Classic Sailing’s thirty years of experience in traditional sailing. Its purpose is to widen access to sailing aboard working heritage vessels and support the people and skills that keep them operating.
Any surplus will be reinvested into sailing bursaries. This will help more people take part in traditional sailing while also supporting working vessels, professional crews and maritime skills.
The bursary programme is being developed. Details about eligibility, application dates and the voyages covered will be published once the scheme is ready.
No. Many voyages are suitable for people who have never sailed before. Professional crews explain the work on board and guide guests as they take part. Some demanding voyages require particular levels of fitness or experience, and this is stated in the voyage information.
Classic Sailing works with vessel owners, operators and professional crews in the UK and overseas. The operating arrangement varies between vessels. The common link is that these are working traditional sailing vessels offering practical experience at sea.
The cost of joining a voyage can prevent some people from taking part. Bursaries can widen access. They also place more people aboard working heritage vessels, supporting the crews and maritime skills needed to keep them sailing.
The launch will be carried out by a distinguished Cornish public figure who is a strong advocate for the maritime sector and the local community. Their identity is being kept confidential until the event for security reasons.
The event aboard Morgenster will mark Classic Sailing’s 30th Anniversary and formally launch the Community Interest Company. It will include an afternoon media sail, the ringing of the ship’s bell during the evening launch ceremony, music from local shanty group Bowside and a celebration with invited guests.