Sailing Adventures on an historic wooden boat
Join us for a hands-on sailing adventure, visiting some of the most beautiful and popular cruising areas across the UK and Europe.
Stepping onto the decks of Golden Vanity feels like stepping back in time. Join us for a hands on classic sailing holiday. We welcome a great mix of people, young and old, families and friends that take the whole boat, couples, and people that come by themselves. You may never have been sailing before or you may be an experienced sailor looking for your next adventure on the sea.
You will experience a mix of hands-on activity at sea, exploration ashore, new adventures each day, along with plenty of time to relax. Each evening we will aim to visit a new harbour town or pretty anchorage.
Team work is needed to sail Golden Vanity. Unlike modern yachts there are no winches and so raising and lowering the sails is all about using traditional seamanship techniques. Our experienced skipper and mate will show you the ropes.
Itineraries
Golden Vanity was built in 1908, she is very much a historical boat with an interesting past. She is a Mumble Bee class of Brixham Sailing Trawler. Built for any weather she is very stable and really solid. Of course, she has been modernised which makes for a perfect sailing holiday.
Sailing In or from the Solent
Sailing in the Solent is great fun. There are so many places to visit. Bustling Cowes on the Isle of Wight or further upstream of Cowes is a pub called the Folly Inn that is a fun place to moor off. Or sleepy Beaulieu that involves a potter up the beautiful Beaulieu River that winds it's way through the New Forest. The market town of Lymington at the far western end of the New Forest is a fun and vibrant place to visit as is Yarmouth at the western end of the isle of Wight. Then there is the historic port of Portsmouth with lots to see and do.
If choosing a week from Shamrock Quay, be that an RYA course or just a cruise you will likely visit most/all of these places. We also offer weekend trips.
If opting for a 5 or 7 day cruise from the Solent then you will quite possibly venture further a field, either South to France or the Channel Islands or west towards Poole, Europe's largest natural harbour, or the seaside town or Weymouth or Portland. Depending on the time you have, the weather and tides you may get further west to Devon and Cornwall
Devon and Cornwall
Explore this superb stretch of coast line on our own doorstep. Potential stops include: Dartmouth, Salcombe, the Yealm, Fowey, Falmouth and the Helford along with a wide range of secure and pretty anchorages. The skipper will know many secret creeks and sheltered coves, some of which are only accessible from the sea.
RYA Courses
You can also take an RYA Course on Golden Vanity depending on what week you book. Click this link for more details on RYA Courses on Golden Vanity.
The Boat
Golden Vanity is 53ft overall and 39ft on deck. Her beam is 12ft and her draft 7ft.
Her pine decks are wide and spacious with high bulwarks. There are plenty of places to sit, relax and watch the world go by or even read a favourite novel - maybe Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers who sailed alot on Golden Vanity with her original owner the renown marine artist Arthur Briscoe. For more information on Golden Vanity's past have a look here.
There are 5 sails to play with – 3 headsails, the main and the topsail. There are no winches so traditional methods are used to handle the ropes. The gaff rig is a powerful rig but each sail is small enough to be handled by 3 or 4 people and less if needed.
Down below is cavernous. Up forward is the main accommodation area. There are 6 cosy bunks here arranged into 3 sets of 2. There is not alot of scope to segregate the accommodation. There are steps going up to a whale back forehatch in the foredeck. There is a spacious heads.
Aft of this bunk area is the saloon with a table and galley beneath a butterfly hatch in the coach house decking. There is also a comfy berth up on the port side.
Further aft and past an oak beam is the chart table, the skipper's and mates's bunks and the companionway steps up into the cockpit.
Golden Vanity is legally allowed to take 12 and for day sailing this number would be fine. A comfy number for cruising is 5 or 6 plus the skipper and mate.
Join us for a classic sailing holiday adventure!
Here is what customer James wrote on Trip Advisor in September 2021
"We had a fabulous weekend on the Solent with our friends, first mate and skipper this weekend aboard the Golden Vanity. A beautifully restored Yacht. The smell of wood and Varnish was enchanting and transported us back through the years.
The first mate and skipper were great. They were knowledgeable about the boat, the traditional methods of sailing and they made our weekend safe, fun and instructive.
We sailed to Portsmouth and berthed right underneath the Spinnaker Tower.
Dinner was out in the dock at a Cafe Rouge and quite delicious after a day on the water.
Additionally, all the provisions on board made time at sea just as delicious thanks to freshly prepared lunch and breakfast from the first mate.
The weather was kind - some sunshine, good wind and only one real downpour just as we were berthing back at the Marina at around 5.30pm in the evening - great variety to test our skills as a crew.
All our friends had a great weekend which we will all remember for a long time. A few of us were even total beginners and are now in-love with life onboard the yacht.
We really enjoyed Golden Vanity whilst being guided and looked-after by First Class Sailing.
The Solent was very busy as it was Cowes week but we enjoyed navigating our way through the racing traffic.
Thank you for a very well organised trip from start to finish.
It was a great way to spend the weekend and our cohort is already in talks to rebook the same for next year - I recommend First Class Sailing 100%".
