MOB Pages

MOB ~ Tenacious Page

The Aim:

To take a party of 9 MOB members on another adventure this time on Tenacious, 2nd to 9th March, adventure, team building and integration.

List of sponsors:

• The Fishmongers Company
• Minories Holdings Ltd
• 3H Fund
• Paddock Wood Lions
• Swale Charitable Trust
• The Pidem Fund
• Hedley Trust
• Mick Barn
• 2/6 Heavers

• BP
• Vista Sports
• Biffa Bins
• Tonbridge Lions
• Marsh Ltd
• Medway Mariners
• Kent and Sussex Border Lions
• Battle Abbey School

Thank You For YOUR Support

Heres the crew.

A TALE OF ‘THE MOB’, A TALL SHIP CALLED ‘TENACIOUS, AND THE CANARY ISLANDS

On 2nd March, 9 members of Mariners of Bewl met at Gatwick Airport to start their adventure, a week sailing around The Canary Islands on the Tall Ship ‘Tenacious’

Our chairman Mike had made all the arrangements and we were soon checked onto our flight with Easy Jet, bound for Las Palmas on Gran Canaria.

Our team included our Leader Mike, Malcolm, Brian, Glen, Lindsey, Mark, Lee, Peter and Anthony. A motley crew if ever there was one.

Modern jet travel soon had us landing in Gran Canaria where we met a representative of The Jubilee Sailing Trust. Our mini buses were waiting and by mid afternoon we approached the huge harbour of Las Palmas where we set eyes on a rather good looking girl, the three masted tall ship ‘Tenacious’. And a girl she truly is, having been built in the year 2000 and the newest tall ship in the world in the last hundred years.

We walked up the gangplank with bags of kit whilst our three wheelchair users were treated to their first experience of how to deal with wheelchairs and ships together. No problem. The permanent crew expertly pulled each wheelchair up to the deck with ease. We were allocated our bunks/cabins and we went below, using the internal lifts, to get settled in and explore our surroundings. Other ‘paying’ crew members were also arriving from various parts of the UK. It was a thrill to realise a group of 6 Canadians had joined us and two guys had flown in from the USA. As we all gathered in the mess room for our first meeting at 6pm there was an air of excitement and anticipation. Many of us had looked at the seven day forecast and it was going to be windy, followed by even more wind! The forecast proved to be on the modest side!

At 6m we met Simon our Captain and he introduced us to his team, Steve, Rowan David, Ed and perhaps the most important person of all Graham the ships cook. He had the task of feeding us breakfast at 8am, smoko 10.30am, (Tea and cakes) lunch 1pm (two course) smoko 3.30pm and evening meal at 6pm. Rules were explained to us and it was noticeable that the more mature members of our group noted the bar opening times. We were placed in our watches of ten per watch, effectively splitting up ‘The MOB’and we were given our watch cards. Would we ever see each other again! This was going to be no holiday, up at 4am to start a watch! Reality started to sink in as we all went to bed reasonably early and drifted of to sleep.

‘Good morning, 7.30am, time to get up’. The efficient ships tannoy burst into life to call all for breakfast at 8am. All 40 of us were not disappointed with our full English. Then it was down to business. Evacuation drill, fire drill, more rules and regulations, lifejacket monitor duties etc. We were preparing to set sail that afternoon and there was no time to lose. Most able -bodied crew had the opportunity to go aloft to the first Crows Nest, digital cameras capturing hundreds of images. Smoko, lunch and then we cast off, mid afternoon. As we left the protection of Las Palmas harbour sails were set, using a complex series of ropes and tackles. Teams of the crew pulling on the ‘braces’ set the Yards. We were sailing at last in a stiff Force five building to six. Hundreds of metres of rope, massive sails, and a crew with huge smiles on their faces. That evening we dropped anchor in the lee of Gran Canaria, then realised that our anchor watch was due to start at 4am until 6am! We got up at 3am to prepare for our watch. Only three of us were needed, so it was me (Anthony), my dad Peter, and my ‘Buddy’ Lars from Vermont in America. The Jubilee Sailing Trust appoint a ‘buddy’ to all disabled crew members. They can help with your care or just be there for you. We met up on the bridge of ‘Tenaciuos’. It was very quiet and calm as we checked our position every 15 minutes to ensure we were not dragging our anchor. Lars told us he was a teacher in America and we soon became friends. At 6am the other watch took over and so to bed. ‘It is 7.30am, it is time to get up’! ‘Oh dad I am not very hungry’. At 8am we were having breakfast as we prepared to set sail down to the Island of La Geroma, around 100 miles away in a gathering wind. The ‘on’ watch crew were working hard to set sails, so it was all hands on deck. Topsail set, Lower Gallant, Top Gallant, Main Course, pull those braces, harder, more crew are needed and it is Force 6 at least. ‘Tenacious’ is broad reaching at 6/7 knots in quit a heavy sea. Wheelchairs are strapped to the leeward rail, sea sickness hits some of the crew, whilst Graham and his team work hard in the galley to provide smoko on time. Then we hit the acceleration zone. This is an unusual area between Canary Islands where all the wind is displaced as it veers around the Islands. It increases by around 15 knots. Now they tell us! ‘Tenacious’ ploughs on taking it in her stride. This is Tall Ship Sailing at it’s best, in the warm Canarian wind. On Watch, off watch, what time is it? What day is it?

We eventually berth at San Sabastian on LaGomera and we have a wonderful view of snow capped mount Tiede on Tenerife opposite. It is night time and the noise from the massive fender prevents much sleep! 7.30am ‘Bonjour’ The French Canadians are in charge so we are told to get up in French, English and Spanish!

San Sabastian was a day to relax, recharge, and go out for the evening for a beer. We even got some sleep. We were going to need it. What day was it?

Getting off the harbour wall was going to be a problem. A force 7 was pushing us directly onto it. Eventually the Pilot boat pulled the bow out and we pulled out of harbour bound for Megan, Gran Canaria. A long night sail ahead of us and we were heading into some big winds. Sleep. forget it, our watch started at 8pm.

All 10 members of our watch gathered at 8pm on the bridge. It was now dark and our watch leader Ruth had been briefed by the Captain. It was going to be windy. The huge sails were set already as we sailed our course, taking it in turns to helm ‘Tenacious’. From our high vantage point I could see how beautiful she was as she pounded through the building waves, spray flying across the deck, heeling to leeward. One our watch, John called out ‘Force 7’. Dad put the clamps on my wheelchair and put on my hat. The wind was still getting up when John called out ‘Force 8’. Collars were turned up and my wheelchair was roped down now.

At 11.30pm it was hard to hear anything as the wind was howling through the rigging, and the waves were pounding the bow. ‘Your turn to steer Anthony’. David handed me a small electronic box with a joystick mounted on it and placed it on the tray of my wheelchair. David shouted at me ‘Press the red button and you will have the helm of the ship’ Now I have Cerebral Palsy and can only use one hand. I use this hand to operate my electronic talker but did as I was told. The speaking compass was turned on for me ‘122 degrees’ it said, but I could see the clear display in front of me. I could hardly hear anything as the wind howled even louder as John shouted, ‘We just hit Force 9’. ‘Tenacious’ was very ladylike and just heeled a little more. She was easy to helm. Suddenly it was 12 midnight and time to go to bed. Four of the watch carefully helped me down to bed. We all slept well that night.

The morning was much quieter, as we anchored off Megan, Gran Canaria. We were a tourist magnate as we were photographed by passing boats. Everyone could go ashore and the expert crew lifted all the wheelchairs into the specially strengthened RIB and ashore we all went for a beer and a rest.

What day of the week it was did not seem to matter but it was my dad’s turn to spend a day in The Galley as we set off for our return to Las Palmas. Each member of the 40 crew has to help the cook. He seemed to enjoy it as he told me the cook had really old records on his IPOD like Motown, Soul and Funk and they were all dancing around the kitchen. Whilst this was going on my buddy Lars and another of our watch, Bob took me right out onto the bowsprit, over the water and I could see the dolphins swimming with the ship all around the bow. What a sight.

When we reached Las Palmas and finally berthed we had thought we had seen all the fun and drama but there was more to come. The crew arranged for all wheelchair users go aloft, just as our able bodied crew had done at the start of the voyage. The Captain explained that our lives were in the crew’s hands, literally, as they would pull us up manually. There was no shortage of volunteers. Pierre, our Canadian friend was pulled up fist. His wife held my dads hand as her husband was pulled slowly and gently aloft to the Crows Nest, where he was met by two of the permanent crew. He took photos whilst his wife cried. Then it was my turn. Up I went and everyone cheered as my dad climbed the rigging and joined me in the Crows Nest. Why were so many people crying, I was having a great time. What a view of the harbour and town. One of our group is Lee and he is a wheelchair user like me. He is very strong and instead of being pulled up in his wheelchair he climbed the rigging using only his arms. People were shouting, clapping and I noticed two big guy’s crying as he reached The Crows Nest.

I realised then that we had all become friends in such a short time. There was no time to have any division, discussion, meetings, agendas we just got on with sailing our ship and enjoying each others friendship and hearing of their life stories. Some very difficult, others the complete opposite. I met a Lawyer, Doctor, retired Engineer, a couple of lads on some special training scheme who had had a difficult life, a Carpenter, a Policeman, and even some married ladies who regularly join ‘Tenacious’ for a weeks adventure away from their family life. They were all interesting people.

After the last night ashore it was pack-up, clean the ship, last smoko and off to the airport after saying our goodbyes.

If you are reading this in your tea break, or sitting on a train to London, or maybe you are tucked up in bed, then book yourself a trip on ‘Tenacious’. It is a real adventure. The JST claim they ‘change lives’ all nine of us would agree with that.

Report by Anthony Dale.