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Speaker Rotarian John Cogley 14th October 2010 The Tall Ships Trust
R
otarian John Cogley is a
volunteer with The Tall Ships Youth Trust. His talk reflected his love of sailing and his belief that the trust can help develop character in
young people through fun, hard work and discipline. You have got to be keen to drive two hours to Upminster from his home near Southampton, deliver a 30 minute talk to some heavy lidded Rotarians, and then battle his way back to Hampshire via the Dartford Crossing and the Dreaded M25 for another two-plus hours!
T
he trust is a registered charity which provides the opportunity for personal
development through sailing for young people between the ages of 12 to 25. The challenges are physical and psychological. They develop team work and awareness of other people‟s skills to make an effective team, understanding of others which in turn leads to friendships, an increase in self confidence, a sense of achievement as an individual and part of a crew, and fun. It is not an elitist pursuit, the young people come from all walks of life.
B J
eing a charitable organisation, funding comes from a number of different
sources. Sponsorship through the several volunteer support groups which can be found all over the country. The police force is a great supporter of the scheme, along with organisations such as Rotary, The Lions and Round Table. The list also includes Industry, Youth Projects and finally Private Funding which comes in many different forms.
ohn related to us the tale of a man who owned and sailed a tall ship who, when he
got too old to sail the vessel, donated it to the Trust because he could not bear to sell the thing that was so dear to him and had given him so much pleasure. A mighty fine gesture!
O T T
Stavos S Niarchos
n the 48-crew voyages the youngsters have to live on, eat on and sail the ship,
performing all the routine tasks from steering to organising. On the very large ships are six professional/paid crew members plus eleven volunteer crewmen (who pay their own way). These hardy souls fill the roles of Captain right the way down through all the seafaring jobs such as 1st. Officer, navigator, cook etc. (You know what I mean - I could not write that fast!)
here are three watches (not the wrist kind) Red, White and Blue, and these
come under the watchful eye of a Watch Leader. Throughout the ship‟s day there are seven watches, which all make perfect sense when someone like John explains how it works. Alongside the Watches there is a Daily Routine Rota, the activities of which include lectures and training of things like navigation. After breakfast there is Happy Hour from 8.50 to 9.50.
his period does not mean that the young- sters get to rest up, play on electronic
games, read etc.- THEY CLEAN the ship. All the gangways, called the Green Mile (because they are green), have to be thoroughly cleaned and polished and all the white surfaces have to be cleaned with disinfectant because, as John pointed out, it is absolutely vital that the crew remains healthy and fit. All the work on the sails is done manually, so every person counts.
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