Pioneer Sailing Trust donates a sailing day to Kids Inspire
On Saturday 6th August a group of young people from Kids Inspire were given the opportunity to prepare and sail a historic Smack (old fishing boat) over 150 years old in and around Brightlingsea, this wonderful experience was kindly donated by The Pioneer Sailing Trust.
A Day To Remember
The day started with a health and safety brief with the Pioneer Skipper Robin and an explanation about the history of Pioneer which was saved from the mud by the local community and lovingly restored over a period of around 4 years.
When the briefing was over and life jackets put on, we were taken by a smaller boat to the Pioneer, sitting majestically in the middle of the River Colne.
Once we were on board and another safety briefing given, our young people James, Roxy and Joseph, along with our two volunteers Rob and Steve from one of our corporate partners Utilize and myself were put to work in prepping the Smack for sail. There was a lot of “heaving ” of the ropes and teamwork was a must, as hoisting the sails up took a lot of strength and needed everyone to play their part.
Once the sails were all up and Skipper Robin was happy with everything, then we set sail around the River Colne, sailing along the upper end of the Essex coastline. In this time, the young people were able to learn how to take the helm of the Pioneer and steer it safely on, with guidance from the Skipper and crew. They also learnt about dredging and were able to identify many of the sea life pulled up in the net from the bottom of the ocean, including hermit crabs and a beautiful Sun Starfish. All living creatures netted were handled respectfully and released back into the river.
There was some downtime for us all as we enjoyed the calm of the waters and watched the sea life and different yachts around us. It really was lovely to see the smiles on the young peoples faces and their respectful interactions with one another and the rest of the crew who they had never met before.
After a lovely lunch, kindly funded by Colne Yacht Club, our young people had an opportunity to reflect on what is has been like for each of them to have this experience today and how Kids Inspire have helped them.
What Our Children & Young People Thought About The Day
James aged 13, who is currently receiving mentoring support, said that he was really enjoying today and enjoyed seeing the sea life and helping to steer the Pioneer, James will often be indoors playing games and was enjoying being out on the boat. When talking about his mentoring experience and Kids Inspire, he said that Kids Inspire had changed his life and he really enjoyed doing things with his mentor Pete.
Roxy, aged 11, also receiving mentoring support, added that she had also enjoyed learning how to sail Pioneer, experiencing the fresh air and seeing the sea life. Roxy was also really enjoying the time she spends with Louise, her mentor as they get to do things like swimming and it really helps her to build her confidence.
Joseph aged 13, who has had the benefit of mentoring and is now a member of The Voice, added that he was just enjoying the experience of being outside and learning how to steer the Pioneer and when asked about his mentoring experience and being part of The Voice, he added that he had the best mentor in the world, Jan, who he was able to share a lot of experiences with and had really helped him. Joseph continued that being part of the Voice means he feels a sense of connection with his other peers in the group and that he has made some really good friends from it. He also felt that it was a safe space to discuss any issues around his mental health with those in his group.
Getting Back To Land
Once we were ready to head back to land, again we all had to work as a team to help bring the sails down, in a coordinated manner and as instructed by the Skipper and his crew.
When we were heading back to land, all of the young people wanted to steer the smaller boat back and helped in terms of getting us all safely back to shore. We debriefed at the end and it was clear that they had all enjoyed their experience today and that being out in the open air, seeing the sea life and learning to steer the Pioneer and smaller boat were all their favourite learning experiences. As Matt, the ship mate said to them,
we literally could not have sailed Pioneer today without you, you really worked hard as a team to get those sails up, so we could set sail.
It was really great to see their confidence increase as the day went on and we can definitely see some potential sailors in the future. It’s also safe to say they slept well that night too after a fun filled day out.
It was clear to see how being in the outdoors, being part of a team learning new skills and being amongst your peers can really help children and young people with their mental health and social development and Kids Inspire are really grateful to those listed below for giving James, Roxy and Joseph an experience we hope they will never forget and will be able to use what they have learnt today as part of their personal and social development as they progress into adolescence and then adulthood.
By Jane Bridgman-Smith - Community Engagement Assistant
Helping getting the boat safely back to land, great effort team!
Special Thanks To The Following…
Pioneer Skipper Robin and his crew (Matt, Henry and Bob) from the Pioneer Sailing Trust for helping to make the day so enjoyable for the young people, staff and volunteers.
Rob and Steve from Utilize for volunteering their time to help with the sailing trip and hopefully have learnt new skills for themselves.
Lindsay and John from Colne Yacht Club who funded the lunches for our young people, which was really appreciated.
Anh from our Fundraising Team with Mark, The Deputy of the Cinque Port Liberty of Brightlingsea
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