COMPLETE YOUR DofE GOLD RESIDENTIAL

WITH US in 2025

Take your DofE Gold Residential on board a historic wooden ship. During your voyage, you’ll meet new people, learn the skills needed to sail this wonderful vessel, take a night watch and learn to cook resourcefully in the ship’s galley. Your voyage may be to Europe or entirely UK-based – but as you’ll discover, it’s all about the journey, not the destination!

Would you like to join a voyage aimed specifically at your age group? We do run voyages each year for young individuals. These are primarily aimed at 16+ and we occasionally run voyages aimed at 14+.

If you are working towards your Gold Residential award, you can now take the five-day residential section on board our fine ship, sharing challenges and making decisions with new people from a variety of different backgrounds. This team-based residential setting will broaden your horizons and encourage you to make a significant difference whilst giving you all the excitement that sailing a traditional wooden ship provides. The cost includes food, safety equipment and waterproofs.

Available trips for 2025:

Ostend at Anchor: 21sy-26th May 2025 (6 days, 5 nights). You'll take part as crew for a 24 hour North Sea crossing from Lowestoft to Belgium, then enjoy the cultural maritime festival in the port of Ostend, before returning to Lowestoft with the ship for a second North Sea crossing.

Limfjorden Rundt: 8th-14th September 2025 (7 days, 6 nights). Race with Excelsior in one of the Nordic region's biggest races for wooden sailing ships. You'll visit 6 Danish harbours and have an amazing cultural experience. Starts and ends in Denmark.

Denmark-Lowestoft Navigational Training Expedition: 15th-26th September 2025 (12 days, 11 nights). This is an excellent mile-builder and training exercise for those looking to take their seamanship to the next level.

TALL SHIPS RACES 2025

Why sail with Excelsior for Tall Ships Races? As a smaller vessel with 17 crew (5 responsible crew and 12 trainees), you form a tight-knit community from day 1. You work together to achieve all elements of the voyage, from cooking to sail handling to helming to navigating. Everyone gets to experience everything, and you form a close bond with everyone in the crew. The professional team is friendly and accessible, and highly experienced in handling their ship. Since Excelsior is still authentically rigged and sailed as she was when she was built in 1921, she's a dream for traditional boat geeks (and wannabe geeks) who really want an experience of historic sailing. You get a close-to-the-water small boat sailing experience, whilst still feeling safely cradled in a large strong sea-going voyager. You don't need any sailing experience to join the Tall Ships Races, just enthusiasm and a thirst for adventure.

Leg 3 |Aberdeen to Kristiansand |21st July - 1st August 2025

Leg 4 |Kristiansand to Esbjerg |1st - 8th August 2025

Call us today for more details on residentials and to book.

*Please note that all youth group voyages can be adapted to UK waters only.