Duet

Classic Yawl from 1912

The oldest boat in our fleet, Duet is a classic accommodating groups and individual voyages of up to 7 persons.

Life on board

  • Not just sailing

    Our voyages are not just centred around sailing. Trips to the beach are common but you may need to help to get there!

  • History in your hands

    Built in 1912 Duet is a classic boat and is a delight under sail. Everyone gets opportunity to take the helm (steer) and get involved with every aspect of sailing the boat.

  • New Friends

    On our individual voyages, most people won’t know each other at the start of the voyage but many go on to form close friendships even after the voyage has finished.

Contact us to discuss a voyage on Duet

Built in 1912, Duet was owned since 1932 by the well-known Essex Courtauld family, first of which was explorer Augustine Courtauld. Used for intelligence and reconnaissance in the Second World War, she then went on to be the founder boat of UK sail training, originally with Ocean Youth Club, now with The Cirdan Sailing Trust.

What the young people and leaders say about their voyage

  • "The children are 'known' to services and are considered highly vulnerable to offending and exploitation. It is recognised that they are also exposed to a lot of harm and lack of opportunities to take part in activities such as this. It was therefore amazing to see them take advantage of Cirdan's voyage and see their confidence and self-esteem lift."

    Leader of Youth Justice Service

  • "This has given me and others the opportunity to experience something truly wonderful and normally very rare. Before going on this voyage I had always wanted to sail but never had the opportunity as there were always obstacles and sometimes myself in the way. However, throughout Covid the feeling of being trapped spurred the encouragement needed to pursue this dream."

    Duke of Edinburgh participant with autism

  • "The voyage enabled me to learn many things about myself, one of those being that I can thrive in the unexpected, work as a team member and lead. I always thought that I would have to be comfortable to thrive but I'm glad that now I know I can also succeed in unpredicatable and occasionally stressful situations."

    Duke of Edinburgh participant

  • "A massive thank you to everyone that made this possible to children who have not always had the most positive starts in life. You have allowed them to make lifelong memories and allow them to access skills and experiences I know they would likely never get the chance to do so."

    Leader at specialist high school for students with social, emotional and mental health difficulties

  • "It was an amazing experience aboard an historic sailing boat and one that I hope will remain in the memories of all those who participated for many years to come."

    High school teacher

  • New “Our clients encountered a world beyond their lived experience and faced adversity with courage and resilience. This was all made possible by your vision of helping the less fortunate to discover their capabilities and encourage people to achieve more than they ever thought possible.”List Item

    Leader at homeless charity