- Press Release - Harriet Hill from Wilbarston is setting off on the adventure of a lifetime aboard a unique tall ship. The 16 year old will be joining the crew of Tenacious on Monday 12th July as part of this year’s internationally recognised The Tall Ships Race from Kristiansand, Norway to Hartlepool, which is run by Sail Training International.
Harriet will be joining a crew of up to 40 other amateurs on board Tenacious, which is owned and operated by Southampton based charity, Jubilee Sailing Trust. 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.
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 ships wheel but with hydraulic power assisted steering, everybody has the chance to fully participate in the action on board.
Harriet, who is currently studying for her GCSE’s at Bishop Stopford School in Kettering decided to challenge herself by signing up for the adventure when she found out about Jubilee Sailing Trust at the Southampton Boat Show. She says the following of her forthcoming adventure;
“I am looking forward to being able to support others to enable them to enjoy the adventure of the Tall Ships Race. I also know that I will learn a lot about myself as well as having the opportunity to mix with lots of other Nationalities. I guess that overall it is an adventure with lots of unknowns which will be very exciting. It will start when I leave Heathrow and find my way to Antwerp and end ten days later full of memories and new friendships.”
This will only be the third time that Tenacious has participated in the STI Tall Ships Races, but, fresh from her success in the STI Historical Seas Tall Ship Regatta, where she is currently top of her class for the 2nd leg of the first race, the crew are confident that they can help to sail her to victory.