Testimonials

Being on board the Pelican for 5 weeks during the summer has been a very uplifting experience for me.
I have enjoyed the time immensely. I feel that I have learned a lot, from the sailing to the marine biology lessons. I have also gained confidence by teaching and helping others on board, I now have a greater understanding of other people's abilities and strengths. We all learn at different rates, some people pick it up 1st time while others need to be shown several times, patience and understanding are key. I am very grateful for the opportunity I was given and will carry it with me as one of my greatest achievements so far. Thank you to all of the crew aboard the Pelican of London and the onshore staff. Thanks to Simon Thorrington who kept in contact with my parents throughout. Fair winds and following seas.

I think that the voyage helped massively when it comes to my socialising ability. Before the voyage, I would be nervous talking to people who I didn’t know. I’ve noticed that since I’ve been back, I’m able to talk to people with more ease.

I have been on two Pelican Voyages; I thoroughly enjoyed them both. The first trip I did was only a week and I was very nervous about it plus it took me a couple of days to get into the routine of the ship. The second trip I did was for two weeks which I enjoyed a lot more as I got used to the routine quicker because I knew what I was doing. I also felt a lot more involved with the crew and was doing a lot more around the ship like fixing an anchor light. It helped my confidence generally and I thoroughly enjoyed my time on Pelican and would go on there again.

I have now made friends for life. The time spent together in the mess room bonding and riding out the free time was an amazing experience. I really enjoyed exploring new places with new friends and getting to see the milky way. 

I enjoyed visiting new places and I now have a better understanding of other jobs in a career at sea.

Ben's Father and I (and Ben's headteacher) feel that Ben has been given the opportunity of a lifetime, things like this don't happen often. I hope he's learning a lot and working hard, he's a good lad, model pupil, excellent cadet and he really deserves it. I'm very proud of my son and all he has achieved so far, and I strongly believe that being on board the Pelican has helped him with his growth and maturity.

Being onboard Pelican, being integrated into both the professional crew and voyage crew with young people I really enjoyed. It is fifteen years since I have spent time at sea. It was fabulous to be back in such a welcoming and supportive, fun environment. Thanks for the opportunity.

I really enjoyed climbing up the main mast and stowing the sails. I enjoyed being on the topsail yard, as having to tie the knots was very enjoyable. The view whilst moving on the yard is unbelievable and I wish I could do it again one day.

Being on the helm for the first time was extremely nerve-wracking and stressful – you are guiding an entire tall ship full of people. I mean, it’s not a hard job, but … having the responsibility to do that is amazing. That night I learned how to sail by using a compass and it was so incredible.

Something I really enjoyed was putting the sails up to go sailing because you get to go out on the shrouds and see the lovely view. 

Sailing with Seas Your Future was a really incredible experience; I loved learning how to sail and meeting a group of exceptionally hard-working people from a whole range of backgrounds and disciplines. Life on the ship teaches you so many values, and also shows you how each person has an integral role. It also helps you prove to yourself how much tenacity you actually have! The Pelican is a beautiful ship - my first tall ship, close to my heart - and I hope to sail on her in the future exploring different seas.

I really enjoyed:
-Singing sea shanties with my watch when we were sailing and I was on the helm.
-playing Uno and listening to music at night with people on the boat.
-seeing dolphins and whales
-seeing shooting stars, meteorites and the milky way at night on watch.

I got out of my comfort zone and I also faced my fear of heights.

I enjoyed experiencing the stunning landscape and biodiversity on the trip. Being with a varied group of people. Seeing young people's passion for the ocean and science evolve. Being so connected to the weather and water.

It was great being away from normal life for so long and making lifelong friends. Constantly being outside very much helped my mental health.

The sailing experience has given me the confidence to work with others and improve my leadership. I am hoping to join the Royal Navy and so developing these skills in a maritime environment is fantastic.

I enjoyed being at sea for the first time and having the opportunity to helm a Tall Ship while under sail. I also enjoyed meeting the professional crew and learning lots of new skills. Everyone was very friendly and we worked well together as a team. I am hoping to pursue a Maritime Career in the future and following my experience on Pelican, I would ideally like to work aboard Tall Ships.

I’m more confident meeting new people, and I’m much better at working as a team - useful for future careers.

Daniel, a trainee from Sailing Summer Camp Costa Rica, talking about his 'Seas Your Future experience' discussing mainly his emotions and emphasising how anyone and everyone should experience a voyage on tall ship Pelican.  

I really enjoyed meeting a broad range of people on the voyage, learning about sailing and helping teach ocean science. The crew were fantastic. The diving of course was amazing too. Such beautiful weather really helped as well.

Oliver made lots of new friends onboard, loved the challenge of being at sea for the first time, enjoyed learning new skills and hearing stories about other trips. He said all the professional crew and volunteers were amazing, the trainee crew were lots of fun and the food was brilliant. He overcame his fears and said that climbing the rigging had been one of the best things he had done, although he would have liked to go all the way up to the top. Helming the ship was his other highlight and he is now definitely thinking of a maritime career.  

I had such an incredible experience and I'd like to thank everyone involved. I had so much fun meeting new people, trying new things and learning all about sailing. I am definitely thinking about going again next year or looking at longer voyages.   

May had a fantastic time and has regaled us with stories of the voyage and how much fun she had. She loved working with the crew and making new friends among the group. It obviously really fired her imagination because she's told us a lot about the things she's learnt. For example, knots and the names of parts of the sail, etc. She also felt quite deflated and sad the day after she was back, missing everyone there and life aboard the ship. I think she would very much like to get involved in the future, if the stars align!

This experience has made me consider spending more time on tall ships and boats, potentially working on them. In terms of education, I have become more interested in the study of ocean science and I want to find out more.

Sailing on a Tall Ship was really a dream come true for Oscar, and he has returned a change human. We watched the ships come down the Thames, for the Parade of Sail Greenwich in 2014, and it's been an ambition of his ever since. 

He has told us lots about the experience and really did enjoy himself. I've also noticed that he hasn't worn his hoodie with the hood up since he arrived home. It was his default comfort position! So, from a parental point of view he seems a lot more confident in himself, he's more relaxed and he is less worried about making mistakes - less defensive. He can see that others make mistakes so it's not just him, and that's ok. 

Lily and Grace both had an amazing time and haven't stopped talking about it all week! They literally loved everything and everyone and they could not find a negative. This trip will, for sure, be one for them to remember.  

Everyone onboard was very friendly and it was interesting talking to the crew about some of the other ships they have sailed on. I really enjoyed climbing the rigging even though I was worried about it to begin with.

While I don’t think a maritime career is something I necessarily want to pursue, the team working skills I have gained will be useful across all kinds of jobs that I might follow in life. I learnt many skills such as problem solving and teamwork which will certainly come in useful as I continue my education.

I enjoyed the sailing life just being at sea as well as the activities like climbing the mast. I also thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people and the fact we all were going through the same emotions so we could support each other and enjoy it together. It has made me want to continue and I’m looking at maybe completing a RYA course to get qualified in sailing as well as joining my local sailing club.

I got stuck in with real work and taking on real responsibility, where in day to day life this really doesn’t happen. This experience has helped me to get to know others who otherwise I would never have socialised with even if they lived just down the road. I am considering a career in sail training and I am actively pursuing this, this is partly down to my time spent on TS Pelican with Seas Your Future on this voyage.

A mother rang us at about 3pm on Thursday. Wanting to say how much Ella hasn't stopped talking about the voyage since she got home on Sunday. At 15 this was her first time away from home. Doing this with her friend, Sophie, definitely helped. Before the voyage Ella's mum said she had been very nervous about her going, and secretly had hopped that when she applied it would be too late! But she wasn't and as a result of Ella coming aboard, she had the time of her life and her mother wanted us to know that. Ella made loads of new friends and apparently a load of the youngsters are in touch via Face time and messaging. They are all planning to sail with us together again, next year! 

I learnt so much in such a short space of time, I liked the challenges I faced and the sense of purpose and responsibility.

Every member of the crew was absolutely fantastic and made me feel nothing but welcome and at ease with tasks I needed assistance on. I loved feeling like I could contribute to everyday operations such as being a lookout, helming, galley duty, etc and how every professional crew member respected the boundaries of what I was comfortable with doing (turns out I don’t like climbing high) and helped me when I needed instructions to be repeated.

My experience in helping the engineers, on the Pelican, has led me to consider a career in maritime engineering.

As a marine biologist and Darwin leader, the Darwin 200 UK voyage provided an opportunity like no other. I was fortunate to have been on the 2020 voyage for both legs of the expedition circumnavigating our island nation and what an experience it was! Sailing and science go hand in hand and really provided a unique platform for both education and conservation science. During the voyage an array of projects were undertaken by budding young scientists and sailors alike and provided crucial data to academia and conservation organisations, notably over 100 observations and recordings of marine mammals and mega fauna. I will forever cherish my time onboard the Pelican of London and thank the crew and Darwin team for making this such a special experience. Following on from the UK voyage, I have high hopes for the opportunities the global voyage will provide to the next generation of Darwin leaders and conservationists.

A Trainee who sailed the Darwin200 Launch Voyage on board Pelican of London in 2020, talks about the personal value the voyage had for her. The experience helped her not only to overcome her social anxiety, but it completely changed her life when she came home and changed her career path.

It was one of the best experiences of my life so far. It’s so intense being out on a boat for a week with people you don’t know but I’m after making friendships that I know will last a long time. I’d do it again in a heartbeat

Sure, I'm still me. But my way of seeing and thinking is different. I go around better and calmer with stress, anger, grief and things I can't change anyway. I've gained a certain composure. I have also become very aware of how the world works. Economically as well as between people.

I am more self-confident and express my opinion more clearly. I am more open and hardened about difficult situations. Besides, I always feel the need to do something. I am clearer about what I want and more sensitive about our environment.

It was an unforgettable trip that I would recommend to anyone. All the people in charge did a great job organizing everything. The trip was a perfect fit for my part of life. The places were great, the experience even better. You got to know beautiful places and experienced unique things. Not to forget the things you learned about yourself, others, the ship or the countries. A big thank you again to the Ocean College team and of course the crew and teachers.It might be tough, lack of sleep, taking part in the watch-system, pulling ropes, taking the helm, climbing the mast(s) - but you can be sure when leaving the Pelican at your final port of call you will feel like a sailor, or rather you will BE a sailor - go for it!

Amazing vessel, amazing people, they give me such great opportunities and I am very thankful! Starting my Naval engineer training in February 2018!

It might be tough, lack of sleep, taking part in the watch-system, pulling ropes, taking the helm, climbing the mast(s) - but you can be sure when leaving the Pelican at your final port of call you will feel like a sailor, or rather you will BE a sailor - go for it!

A trainee in recovery, when asked how her voyage on Pelican of London had impacted her life, said: “It was life-changing. It gave me a sense of self-worth and a purpose in life.” Today she is 2 years, 6 months, and 4 days clean and pursuing a career in the industry.