North of the QE2 bridge: six yard visits in a month. And sailing on Pioneer

April was a busy month, with more surveyor training, under the brilliant leadership of Aidan Tuckett and Martin Evans, and no fewer than six yard visits: Essex Marina Boatyard and Harker's Yard in Essex; Oyster Yachts in Norfolk; and Fox's, Waldringfield and Woodbrige Boatyards in Suffolk. Much of this is covered in Classic Boat (June and July issues), but the highlight of the trip, and the first sail of the year for most of us in the 'Spike Crew' (Aidan and Martin's surveyor students), was a trip out of Brightlingsea, Essex on the amazing Pioneer. For those who don’t know the story, Pioneer is an 1864 sailing smack, 70ft (21m) long over the spars and gaff ketch rigged. She worked out of here, Brightlingsea, dredging for oysters as far as the Dutch coast until World War Two, then, after three years as a houseboat, she went into a rapid decline sinking into the Essex mud for half a century, just her mast tops left visible, pointing endlessly at the sky.    

Her rescue started in November started in 1998, when volunteers armed just with spades dug her from the mud at low water. Just six years later, she set to sea again, after a complete restoration under the newly-formed Pioneer Sailing Trust. She’s been healing injured souls and inspiring younger ones ever since then, with her song of wood, water and wind. “We do great work with kids,” said Robin, skipper on our day out. “I get quite emotional when I’m asked to talk about it.” It’s worth taking a moment to consider that this has been going for 20 years now, thanks to the efforts of the Pioneer Sailing Trust to raise the necessary funds and volunteers to keep it going. 

With no topsail or mizzen… just stay and jib, three of the five sails… we were soon reaching along at up to nine knots in just 14 knots of breeze. For all of us, from commercial yacht skipper to classic boat devotee, steering heavy, powerful 70ft yacht with a tiller was a moment unlike any other. Pioneer is actually very easy to hold to her course in these benign conditions – although the crew confirm that it can be a very physical job on the wind in harder weather. Once we are further out, the views open up. I look out to sea and think, not for the first time, that the sight of a horizon without land is a hint of eternity that always lifts the soul, and I don’t think I’m alone in that.       

Read about the other yards in Classic Boat, and learn more about the Pioneer Sailing Trust and the great work they do by clicking here.