Tall Ships festival sees Cornish teenagers race to Spain
by Louise Midgley 4 Aug 2023 10:14 PDT
Aboard tall ship 'Maybe' © Roseland Youth Sailing Trust
A crew of 14 young "venturers" from Cornwall will sail out of Falmouth on 18 August to steer Tall Ship Maybe to A Coruna in the first leg of the Tall Ships Races Magellan Elcano 2023.
The Race is the culmination of a four-day Festival in the historic Harbour which will see the world's magnificent Tall Ships showcased in Falmouth for the first time in nine years from August 15th -18th
The largest Class A ships will be open to the public at Falmouth Docks from the Tuesday to Thursday afternoons, followed by the spectacular Parade of Sail on Friday 18th when Class A B C & D ships, surrounded by a flotilla of hundreds of local well-wishers, head from Falmouth Harbour and across the Bay to the start of the race to Spain and Portugal.
Team Maybe has been organised by sailing charity Roseland Youth Sailing Trust (RYST), with places aboard and return travel sponsored by local organisations, so the trip will be completely free for the lucky venturers.
Some come from Cornish seafaring families and are hoping for a maritime career. A few have sailed before. Others will be putting to sea for the first time. And one wants to overcome his fear of the vastness of the ocean.
Everyone in Team Maybe 2023 is looking forward to adventure and the challenges presented by sailing a classic 24-metre gaff-rigged ketch the 430-odd sea miles to Spain. Maybe took part in the first ever International Tall Ships Race in 1956 and 67 years later is one of the few original boats still competing in the International Tall Ship Races.
RYST chairman Dina Wheatcroft says, "The aim is to build young people's confidence at the start of their adult lives, enabling them to learn new skills and new things about themselves. A huge thank you to our sponsors for funding another voyage we hope will be of enduring benefit."
As well as hosting the 2023 Tall Ships Festival and Race, Falmouth Harbour is sponsoring 17 year old Ella, from Lostwithiel: "We're looking forward both to welcoming the Tall Ships back to Falmouth Harbour after nine years' absence and our part in supporting and enabling 14 Cornish teenagers to join the race for the first leg to A Coruna," says Chief Executive Miles Carden. "We trust they will have a memorable voyage on TS Maybe and return to Cornwall tired but elated!"
Ella will join Maybe just three months after taking part in the Aspire360 Round Britain Challenge with Morvargh Sailing Project. She hopes her experience of this voyage will help bring the crew closer together and says, "I love creating new friendships and I'm hoping for a career in marine photography or marine biology, so the wildlife in the sea interests me a lot, especially whales, sharks and dolphins."
Sponsors for Team Maybe include estate agents H Tiddy, accountants Phillips Frith, St Just in Roseland Parish Council, St Mawes Sailing Club, Classic Cottages, Flushing Sailing Club, Frost Builders, Falmouth Harbour, Challenge Consulting and Cornwall Marine Network & Academy. One place aboard is sponsored by a private individual and two by RYST itself.
The final place is sponsored by previous venturers as a mark of appreciation and as a thank you to their own sponsors. Members of Team Maybe 2021 & 2022 have raised enough to fund 17-year-old Daisy from Tremore Valley near Bodmin.
One venturer has already started fund-raising for next year. 17-year-old Erin from Redruth, sponsored by Classic Cottages, is swimming from Portreath to Gull Rock. She has already raised £550 - even before stepping aboard."
Dina Wheatcroft says, "It's truly heart-warming to see young people creating opportunities for other young people to take part in a life-changing experience. A big thank you to them all."
Launched in 2015, Roseland Youth Sailing Trust's mission is to change young lives through sailing. The only resource available to schools in the wider Roseland and Clay Country areas, the Trust organises and funds sailing lessons by professional instructors at RYA-approved centres, helping children get RYA sailing qualifications.
For more about the work of the Roseland Youth Sailing Trust and Team Maybe visit www.ryst.org.uk/category/tall-ship-maybe-2023
The 2023 Tall Ships Festival takes place in Falmouth from Tuesday August 15 to Friday August 18 with full details of the event, the ships and ticket bookings at www.falmouth.co.uk/tallships