What We Do

Every year, the Rona Sailing Project takes around a thousand young people to sea for a week of offshore sailing adventure and teamwork in our three purpose-built sail training yachts. Most people come to us with little or no sailing experience but nearly all find it a life-changing experience.

At the end of a sail-training week, we will have:
- Created a sense of achievement
- Built the self-confidence of our young crew
- Developed teamwork and leadership skills
- Demonstrated the value of cooperation over conflict

Provided positive role models for young people, encompassing:
- Maturity
- Leadership
- Resourcefulness
- Effective Communication

We use the medium of the sea because it is an unforgiving natural environment that provides a sense of risk and adventure. We use large sailing vessels because they require hard, physical work and cannot be sailed without teamwork, both on deck and down below. All of this builds self-discipline, teamwork and tolerance. If this sounds all too good to be true, a recent independent study into Sail Training around the world, which included one of our yachts, confirmed the value of sail training in exactly these areas.

The 'Experience of a Lifetime' becomes a lifetime's experience. We also give those with leadership potential the opportunity to gain qualifications to become Watch Leaders. From here if they want to continue sailing with us and give something back to society, they can become Watch Officers then Mates and ultimately Skippers.

Currently over 60% of our 60 volunteer Skippers started as trainees on our boats. Every year we enter one boat in the European Tall Ships Race and every 10 years in the Trans Atlantic Tall Ships Race. Our crews are selected from those who have given of their personal best and tried their hardest.