PRESS RELEASE
Date: 11/10/10
Sophia Takes off on another Tall Ship Adventure
Sophia Adams from Bungay, Suffolk, will be seeing in the New Year in the sun by setting off on her latest sailing adventure aboard a unique tall ship.
Sophia will be joining the crew of Lord Nelson for an eight day voyage around the Canary Islands, leaving Las Palmas on 29 December and returning there on 5 January.
Sophia will be joining a crew of up to 40 other amateurs on board Lord Nelson which is owned and operated by Southampton based charity, Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST). The ship is one of only two in the world that has been designed and built to enable able bodied and disabled people to sail side by side as equals. The other ship Tenacious is also owned and operated by the JST.
Everyone on board has a part to play no matter what their level of experience or ability. With facilities that include wheelchair lifts between deck levels, a speaking compass and the option for joystick steering or the usual ship’s wheel, but with hydraulic power assisted steering, everybody has the chance to fully participate in the action on board.
Sophia who is a wheelchair user, has been sailing with the JST since 1996 and completed her gold Duke of Edinburgh Award residential on her first voyage. She is looking forward to welcoming the New Year in the warmth of the Canary Islands and to sailing in the Tall Ship Race from Waterford to Greenock in July 2011.
Sophia says of her experiences sailing with the JST: "I get out and meet different people and they don’t treat me like a disabled person – they treat everybody the same."
Sophia has a PAT (Pets as Therapy) dog and in her free time she enjoys taking her dog into local hospitals to meet elderly patients.
The JST is excited about its new offer this winter – 'Bring a buddy for free’! This is the perfect opportunity to introduce a friend who hasn’t sailed with the JST before, to come on a voyage for free, or perhaps you could share the costs between you. This offer is available on 7 voyages in Las Palmas on Lord Nelson and 4 sailings in Antigua on Tenacious.
Details of all JST voyages are available on the JST website at: www.jst.org.uk.