A MACS Voyage 

Our MACS sailing voyages are the ultimate experience for fun, friendship and adventure. They are run in partnership Ocean Youth Trust South, an adventure sail training charity, in their 30-metre vessel Prolific.

Our MACS voyages are intended to help young people develop their independence and confidence, make friends, learn new skills and most importantly to have fun!

A voyage with Ocean Youth Trust South is about developing qualities which matter in everyday life.

• Confidence
• Working in a team
• Coping with unfamiliar experiences
• Communication
• Taking responsibility
• Learning new skills
• Perseverance in the face of challenges
• Getting on with people
• Making lasting friendships

These are all skills and qualities which employers, families and communities need!  The experiences young people have on our voyages have long lasting impact on their everyday lives!

Some sailors choose to work towards recognised sailing qualifications while on board, but it’s not all about the sailing, there are beach trips, movie nights, cooking and baking classes, swimming with dolphins and plenty of ice-cream stops.

What happens on a voyage?

The voyage includes five nights onboard. This allows time for young people to develop familiarity and confidence in sailing the boat; make friends; work as a team; learn new skills; earn recognised qualifications; face new challenges; have a lot of fun; and go home with a real sense of achievement.

We sail with up to 15 young people at a time, as well as up to eight adult staff and volunteers. Some of our MACS sailors bring their own carer to support them.

Young people take part in all activities on board – sail handling, steering, navigation, cooking, keeping watch (including night watches) etc. We don’t even decide in advance where the boat will go: there will be a start and finish port, but what happens in between depends partly on the weather but also on what the young people want to do.

We don’t usually sail all day, every day - voyages include time ashore, a chance to explore a new place, have a shower, play games, have a beach BBQ or buy souvenirs.

What are the Sailing Qualifications about?

Working towards the Sailing Qualification is not mandatory, the opportunity is offered to interested young people.

Ocean Youth Trust South offers sailing qualifications through the Royal Yachting Association: the RYA Start Yachting certificate or, the RYA Competent Crew certificate. These qualifications are ideal for keen young sailors who wish to go on and develop their skills; but they can also be valuable for young people who struggle in school and may not get many academic qualifications. As well as showing that a young person has mastered some basic sailing skills, an RYA certificate also demonstrates that they listened, concentrated, worked with others, joined in with the routine activities as well as the exciting ones, took responsibility when asked, got out of bed on time, practised things they initially found difficult or challenging, without giving up, and much more.

Some MACS young people have gone on to become involved with OYT as volunteers in many different capacities.

What is the boat like?

Prolific's length on the waterline is 23.4 metres, length on deck 26 metres and with bowsprit 30 metres. Her draught is 3.2 metres. She comes under the Small Commercial Vessels Code.

There is lots of information and some lovely videos of the boat on the OYT website.

Who will be on the voyage?

Our MACS voyages are open to members with a MACS condition aged 16-25, plus their siblings.  Some members bring their own carer from home, if this makes the trip accessible for them.

Prolific sails with at least six adults on every voyage, who are responsible for managing the trip, maintaining the vessel and her equipment, and ensuring that all our crew members have a safe and enjoyable experience.

Sea staff for each voyage will include the skipper, engineer, and first, second and third mates. The skipper is in overall charge of the vessel, sea staff and crew, responsible for the safety and success of the voyage. The engineer is responsible for maintenance. The first mate organises the day-to-day running of the vessel and ensures that the skipper’s decisions are carried out. The second and third mates are watch leaders

Some of the volunteers on board have been on MACS voyages for several years, so if you are returning to trip for a second, third, or fourth time it’s very likely to contain some of your last crew!

Who can attend?

The voyage is open to MACS young people and siblings aged 16-25, to a maximum of two persons per family.

You can read about last year's voyage on pages 21 of our latest Focus magazine HERE.