FAQ about our voyages

Sailing will always depend on a variety of factors including weather conditions, tides and the abilities of those onboard. We encourage all participants to take an active role in passage planning, including navigation and chartwork.

If there is a particular location you would like to stop, please inform the Skipper so they can see if they can make it work.

There is usually the option to stop onshore somewhere part way through a voyage. This can be for a visit into a town, a BBQ on the beach or to visit a particular historical site or museum, for example. This is also an ideal opportunity to have a shower at the local marina.

Our crew are very experienced with working with a wide range of needs and levels of ability, and each voyage is tailored to the individuals onboard.

Some people may need a little more help and assistance with learning new things, or need instructions explained differently. We also have various visual aids onboard we can use to help make the learning process easier and inclusive for everyone onboard.

each boat has a set of coloured overlays to help both young people and leaders who have dyslexia or visual stress.

Don’t worry, we will teach you everything you need to know! The majority of people that join our voyages have no prior sailing experience.

On every voyage you are accompanied by our fully-trained and experienced crew - Skipper, Mate, Bosun and sometimes a 4th Hand (the latter on our bigger vessels). Our crew will run through everything step-by-step, and are on hand at all times to help and guide you.

All of our crew members are first-aid trained.

Please don’t worry if you become sea sick, it is quite common. Medication such as ‘Stugeron’ helps while people acclimatise to the motion of the vessel. Eating well, keeping warm and not getting tired help.

Yes you can! The Cirdan Sailing Trust is a Duke of Edinburgh Approved Activity Provider (AAP) and each of our three Skippers are able to assess you throughout your voyage and sign off Gold Duke of Edinburgh Residentials.

Your voyage will need to be a minimum of 4 nights, 5 days to count towards your Gold DofE Residential. At the beginning of the voyage, the Skipper will have a chat with you about your aims for the week, and will complete an assessment report at the end of your residential.goes here

All of our group voyages are self-catering, so the group leaders will organise a food shop for your voyage.

For Gold DofE Residentials, participants will plan their own meals for the week and go shopping on the first day with a member of crew to get the food.

We encourage everyone to take an active role in prepping and cooking meals as part of a watch system during each voyage, and we cater for all dietary requirements.

You can work towards gaining RYA accreditation whilst onboard, so some of the activities will include work towards gaining this. These will include chartwork and navigation, helming, ropework and passage planning.

There will be opportunities for some downtime both on the boat and time onshore. You can play games, have a BBQ and socialise with your crew mates.

The crew have plenty of games and activities you can get involved in including climbing the rigging on Queen Galadriel, relaxing in the bowsprit, and seeing if you can crack the handcuff and bucket challenge.

Queen Galadriel has a number of different cabins including 4-berth and 2-berth which are divided by wooden doors.

Faramir also has a variety of cabins including 4, 3 and 2-berth which are divided by curtains.

Duet has 4 bunks in the main saloon area and 3 bunks in the front of the boat.

The size of the group depends on which boat you sail on, as well as how many places have been booked.

Queen Galadriel takes a group of up to 16 people, Faramir takes up to 15 people and Duet a maximum group of 7 people.

Most of our Gold DofE Residentials take place onboard our smaller vessel Duet.

Each of our three boats are all different in both size and layout. Queen Galadriel is our biggest vessel. She was built in 1937 originally as a Baltic trader and is gaff-rigged. Queen Galadriel has a very large dining table and big galley including a double gas oven, two fridges and a freezer. She has three toilets (called 'heads') with washing facilities and has a large deck area. She is often referred to as looking like a pirate ship and can accommodate a group of 16 people.

Faramir was built in 1982 specifically for sail training and is a Bermudan ketch. She has a dining table, double gas oven and two fridges. She also has two heads with washing facilities and sleeps a group of 15 people.

Duet is our smallest vessel and is an Edwardian gaff-rigged yawl built in 1912. She is snug and compact, and even though she is the smallest in our fleet, she is often the fastest! She has a an oven, fridge and one head with washing facilities.

Indeed you can! We have a variety of Cirdan branded items you can buy during your voyage including tshirts, hoodies, beanie hats, baseball caps, water bottles and keyrings.

These items can also be purchased on our website either before or after a voyage: www.cirdantrust.org/store/merchandise

One of our charity aims is to give as many young people who wouldn’t normally get the opportunity, the chance to experience life on one of our boats.

Cirdan's Voyage of Discovery Fund can help support any individuals or groups who are struggling to pay for a voyage. The majority of people that sail with us require some sort of help with the cost.

We can also provide advice on alternative funding sources that you can make an application to for financial support.

Visit our Help With Costs page to find out more and to apply for assistance.

Sleeping bag and pillow
Warm sleeping gear (t-shirt and shorts, tracksuit, pyjamas)
Underwear and socks
Washing items, flannel and large towel
Warm jacket (preferably waterproof)
Shirts/tshirts
Trousers x 2/3
Jumper/hoody (warm) x 2/3
Two pairs of non-slip shoes/trainers/ boots as one pair could get wet.
Pocket money for going on-shore or if you wish to buy merchandise
Warm hat and gloves
Bin liners (to keep gear dry)
Suntan lotion

Bottom sheet for under sleeping bag
Flip flops (for use on-shore)
Pencil and paper
Cards and/or small board games
Books
Swimwear
Binoculars
Camera
Musical instruments
Wellington boots

We have waterproof jackets and trousers onboard for people to use in a variety of sizes.