Our New Partnership with Morvargh Sailing Project

We're delighted to announce a new partnership with Morvargh Sailing Project, a Cornwall-based community interest company doing exceptional work running sail training voyages for young people aged 11-18.

About Morvargh Sailing Project

Morvargh Sailing Project (MSP) is based in Fowey and operates TS Helen Mary R, a 50-foot ketch that runs voyages around the South West coast and further afield. The project takes young people from a range of backgrounds, with bursary support to make voyages accessible to those who couldn't otherwise afford them.

MSP was named ASTO/MCA Sail Training Vessel of the Year, recognition of the standard at which they operate and the work they do reaching young people who might never otherwise have a route onto the water. The award reflects more than goodwill: their vessel is inspected to MCA standards, they're members of the Association of Sail Training Organisations, and the operational rigour behind the voyages is genuinely impressive for an organisation of their size. It's the kind of project the industry is better for.

About the author

Russell Lake is the founder and RYA Principal of Sailing Course Online and Urban Truant, an RYA Recognised Training Centre based at Hamble Point Marina on the Solent. He sits on the RYA Training Committee and the British Marine Access to Boating Committee.

The project describes itself as a youth development organisation, and that framing matters. The voyages are the mechanism, but the goal is what time at sea does for young people: building confidence, resilience, and the ability to communicate and work with others. Their programme covers everything from day sails for younger groups through to eight-day adventures to the Isles of Scilly for older teenagers, with bursaries available across the schedule.

What makes MSP particularly interesting is that the work is volunteer-led. The crews delivering these voyages give their time because they believe in what the project does, and the model has been built sustainably enough to earn the recognition it has. Partnerships with other sailing organisations, such as the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club Sailing Trust, also extend their reach to young people who might never otherwise step aboard a yacht.

MSP has been operating as a community interest company for over 15 years, which is a meaningful track record for an organisation of its scale. They publish their youth development outcomes openly and continue to invest in the future of the project, including an ongoing fund to support the refit of Helen Mary R for the next generation of young sailors. It's a project run with care, run well, and run for the right reasons.

What the partnership includes

MSP students now receive a 25% discount on either our RYA Day Skipper theory course or our RYA Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster™ Offshore theory course. The standard price for either is £260, which the discount brings down to £195. That covers the full theory course, all study materials, the chart pack, exam, and instructor support throughout.

For young sailors who've come through MSP voyages and want to take the next step into RYA qualifications, the discount is intended to take a bit of the cost barrier off the table.

Why we wanted to do this

The sailing industry works best when more people have a way in. MSP is one of the projects doing the practical work of widening access, and the standard at which they do it is hard to argue with. Backing them through this partnership sits alongside the work we do to make RYA training as accessible as possible.

If you'd like to find out more about Morvargh Sailing Project, or support the work they do, their website is the best place to start!