For more than 40 years The Norfolk Boat has been giving young people and those with disabilities the opportunity to sail offshore. And, as we discover, for many it has been a life-changing experience

‘We have a tagline: sailing seas, shaping lives. We all feel that is the essence of The Norfolk Boat,’ says Anthony Hunt.

For more than 40 years the charity has been giving young people, age 12 to 24, and those with disabilities of any age the opportunity to experience sailing out at sea.

And Anthony, chair of the organisation, and the rest of the team have seen time and time again the many ways in which it has enriched the lives of participants.

Filling in the ship's log. Photo: contributed by The Norfolk Boat

‘It’s a fact that quite often they perhaps struggle at school, or at college. Perhaps it’s academically or socially and they can’t quite find their place and as a consequence they never get asked to be involved in anything,’ says Anthony. ‘We get reports back from young people who have been on our sailing trips and they have been given a responsibility, they did the night watch or they made breakfast for everybody or they had a cleaning task to do. Those that get the most out of it are the ones that embrace it. They show a resilience that they never knew they had and experience working as part of a team. They might get seasick, but they still love it.’

The Norfolk Boat was founded by Andrew Cuthbert in the early 1980s and he is still a director and life president. ‘He was a naval man, and understood the benefits of sail training for young people – how it gave them a sense of camaraderie, a sense of worth and really helped them,’ says Anthony.

Students from East Norfolk Sixth Form on a sailing trip. Photo: contributed by The Norfolk Boat

In 1980, Andrew organised the Holkham Country Fair and the profits, together with donations from generous Norfolk individuals, trusts and the Marine Society, raised enough to buy a 50 per cent share in a custom-built 72ft........

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