The Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST) has taken the difficult decision to delay the beginning of their voyage programme that was due to begin next week.

Following the latest government announcement that lockdown restrictions will no longer be eased on 21^st June as planned and instead postponing for another four weeks until 19^th July, the JST will cancelling all voyages up until mid-July in line with government guidance.

Affected voyages are the Cardiff to Belfast trip on 25^th June, as well as the Belfast to Liverpool voyage taking place on 3^rd July. The Greenock to Leith voyage will now depart two days later on 19^th July to accommodate the new road map date.

Chief Executive Patrick Fleming said it was a difficult decision for the JST to make, explaining: “The charity continues to live with the impact of the global pandemic and voyages are the lifeblood of the JST. Not only are they one of the charity’s main funding streams, but they are much loved by all those who sail on board Tenacious.

“We are extremely disappointed to have got so close to resuming voyages once again, however, we have maintained throughout this process that the safety of the permanent crew, volunteers and voyage crew is paramount. Therefore, when the government made the announcement about the planned delay to the easing of lockdown restrictions, due mainly to the risk associated with the new variant, this left us little choice but to cancel our earlier voyages in the summer programme.”

Patrick also confirmed that there would be additional voyages running later this year to try and accommodate those who have had theirs cancelled.

“We understand how disappointing this has been for everyone looking forward to setting sail on Tenacious once again” added Patrick. “But, we are looking at introducing new dates to the voyage programme for later on in the year when it is safe to do so.

“At the moment all other voyages remain unaffected and we hope to resume with Greenock to Leith to London on 19^th July.”

The JST offers people of all abilities the opportunity to climb aboard their tall ship Tenacious for an immersive sailing experience and relies on funding from the public. Since its founding in 1978 the Jubilee Sailing Trust has welcomed more than 50,000 people on board.