Last year the father of our trustee Professor Francis Douglas died and those attending his funeral were invited to make a contribution to Sea-Change.

Walter Douglas was an artist who won the Ruskin Prize for drawing before the war. The family have collected 16 of his pictures and had high quality prints made of them.

These pictures are now for sale and a donation from each one will be made to Sea-Change.

…News…News…News…

1. Local news coverage of our new barge plans

2. Receiving a donation from the Maldon Town Regatta

3. Receiving a donation from the Mayor of Maldon’s Charity Fund

4. It is so gratifying when one of our Youth Sailing Scheme members moves on

5. We have a new referral and client information form on our Downloads page

Supporters Christobel and Nick Ardley have yet again demonstrated their kind generosity. 

Ditch-crawler went filming and

… The Sea-change Sailing Trust benefits…  Their story

For two weeks our returners group, the Youth Sailing Scheme, has been under way on the east coast aboard SB Xylonite. It hasn’t all been sail training.

Following a passage from St Katherine Docks, next to Tower Bridge, last weekend she has been alongside at Maldon for rigging checks, sail dressing and maintenance on deck.

Then she sailed to Pin Mill in Suffolk for a few days on the hard, undergoing her annual dose of painting and antifouling. Now she is on her way back to London, see our photo album of the exercise.

Last June ten learners from the Work Prep course at the College at Clacton, which is part of the Colchester Institute, joined Sea-Change aboard sailing barge Cambria for five days. Then in October ten different learners joined Reminder for a further five days.

These courses cater for learners with a multitude of learning difficulties, so consequently the groups who took part had a wide range of individual barriers to learning, in a social capacity as well as academically. With this in mind sailing trips really are a great challenge for each individual. Now find out how they got on.

Groups of young people are booked, sails are bent on and a new season is getting under way. Off the water  a huge amount is happening too as the charity grows.

We have received new awards and accreditation for our work with difficult to reach young people and there is big news concerning our new vessel, which will enable us to work more economically for longer periods and carry cargo too.

Our Spring 2014 newsletter is out now.

Are you between 14 and 19? No plans yet? Come sailing with Sea-Change.

You’ll have a great time, make friends, start learning how to handle a Thames sailing barge and understand how these wonderful craft used to work up and down the coast carrying cargo in the days before motorways.

You will be living aboard, they are a bit more comfortable these days, and if you like it can come back for further training that could even lead to a maritime career. If funding is an issue we can usually help you there too.

What are you waiting for? Contact us here 

Projects to engage isolated young people  were among those to receive money from the High Sheriff of Essex, Mrs Julia Abel Smith, during the annual High Sheriff’s Awards ceremony last week, which was jointly hosted with the Essex Community Foundation.

Sea-Change  is to buy a  second hand sailing dinghy and buoyancy aids to carry aboard the sailing barge it uses to deliver its work, which includes working residentially with socially excluded young people and vulnerable adults.

A new paper by Sea-Change Trustee Professor Francis Douglas has implications for Sea-Change today.

Captain Wakeford and Captain Stewart had very high expectations concerning conduct and behaviour in all activity both afloat and ashore and Sea-Change continues this tradition. Their analysis of sail training for a professional life upon the sea is still valid. However, it is interesting to note that cadet training at sea was most successful when the young men were the crew of a cargo ship whether it was propelled by sail, steam or motor.

Without cargo there is something missing from the experience. A yacht does not have a function other than to provide pleasure for the owner. The crew of a yacht may obtain pleasure from having helped to take the vessel from A to B but how much more worthwhile the experience if by their own endeavours they have transported something.

The vision of an engineless, cargo carrying Thames sailing barge fits all of the School of Navigation, Southampton sail training criteria and more. Full document

Sea-Change is advertising a new job opportunity for a Development Assistant.

Initially part time this is an opportunity to grow an existing interest in fundraising in the charitable sector and develop a career with us. More here

The RYA is a National Operating Authority for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE). Their partnership helps promote and inspire more young people to participate in sailing.

Sea-Change is pleased to announce it has become a RYA DofE Award Centre. Both its Executive Officer and Chair of Trustees are accredited assessors for all three progressive levels of programmes.  To get involved please contact Sea-Change or visit DofE.

PRESS RELEASE National Historic Ships UK (NHS-UK) has received a confirmed grant of £261,100 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Skills for the Future Programme for the Shipshape Heritage Training Partnership project, it was announced today. This project will develop traditional skills and techniques in young people, focusing on the conservation, handling and maintenance of historic vessels at a time when these skills are in serious decline.

The project will host ten 12-month training placements with the following partner organisations: Scottish Fisheries Museum, Anstruther; Excelsior Trust, Lowestoft; Sea-Change Sailing Trust, Maldon; Dauntsey’s School Sailing Club, Solent; and Trinity Sailing Foundation, Brixham.

Full press release

The trustees of Sea-Change have discussed their policy on inclusivity and definition of disadvantage.

Sea- Change’s philosophy is inclusive, supporting people from any background and of any ability seeking the benefits of shared endeavour, learning about themselves and their world. The full statement is available here.

Sea-Change’s new sailing barge will take her lines from 1930 built Blue Mermaid, one of the last barges constructed. It is known that she struck a mine in 1941 and ‘was blown clean out of the water’ near the West Hook Middle Buoy in the Thames estuary. There were no survivors (memorial).

The incident was witnessed by the crew of the barge May Flower, which was sailing tack for tack with her and is recounted in Nick Ardley’s excellent book, ‘The May Flower, A Barging Childhood’.

The wreck has been located and its position recorded.

How you can help us to build her replacement.

Our sailing programme for the 2014 season is taking shape. A more comprehensive listing including our Youth Sailing Scheme and Sailing Barge Course will be published shortly.

If your group would like to join us during one of the few periods that remain available please contact us as soon as possible.

Additionally, some weekends are available for fully funded adult supporter groups.