Horizons Children’s Sailing Charity

‘School Time’ waterborne activities

Every day of the week, during term time from April to October, Horizons provides morning and afternoon educational sailing trips for pupils from local schools. They are taught to drive and navigate the boat, conduct ‘man-overboard drills, touch the water and see the warships. This also gives them the opportunity to learn more about their historic Plymouth and its waterborne environment.

The activities are flexible and can be matched to curriculum requirements such as History and  Geography. Maths (time & distance) and Science (weather, aerodynamics and geological applications) are also possible and can help to make learning fun, practical and effective.

Horizons provides these trips aboard our Mitchell 31 Power Boat, called ‘Friendship of Plymouth’, so named by local children.

The children can be collected and returned to the schools by our minibus and are away from school for approximately three hours per session.

These trips, which are dependant upon weather and tidal constraints, give children an opportunity to see their city from another perspective; learning about Plymouth, its history and its importance as a port for the Royal Navy.

All this happens whilst learning their boating craft, such as helming, crewing, navigation, man overboard recovery, boat construction and types, engine checks and maintenance, sea etiquette and safety, plus making them responsible for onboard tasks and developing team working.

We have one of the best water playgrounds for young enquiring minds.

Where do we go?

Out into Plymouth Sound and St Nicholas (or Drakes) Island, into the River Plym past the old RAF Mountbatten site for sea planes, flying boats and later an air sea rescue centre (now Mountbatten Sailing Centre), then on past Turnchapel, the base for 539 assault squadron Royal Marines and under the Laira Bridge.

Across the Sound and around the breakwater, finished in 1841, or the 1880 Palmerston fort and on into Cawsands Bay, past Pier Cellars that in 1883 was the site for the Brennan torpedoes, which during WWII was also used for the development and testing of one and two man human torpedoes.

Up the river Tamar we dodge the three Tamar chain ferries joining Devonport to Torpoint, (Devon to Cornwall) take a trip around the sunken ship and on past the Royal Dockyard, warships and submarines.

Then on to either:

The Tamar suspension bridge and Brunel’s 1859 Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash next to Saltash Passage the embarkation point for the American Army for the D-day landings.

Or:

Past Jupiter point now the Royal Navy’s seamanship and boating centre for new entry recruits and on to the quite lagoon beyond!

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