At sea on a tall ship

Rudolf Ellul of Floriana and Albert Felice of Marsascala are at present on the tall ship Tenacious, which belongs to the Jubilee Sailing Trust.

Mr Felice was the headmaster of the first school for the disabled in Malta and is also a qualified sailing instructor. Mr Ellul, who is disabled, was one of his pupils.

The Jubilee Sailing Trust is a charitable organisation which also owns the ship Lord Nelson. Both of these three-masted barques are specially built so that physically disabled and able bodied people from all backgrounds can sail alongside each other, under the guidance of professional crew.

Albert and Rudolf will take on crew duties during their one-week voyage.

They were welcomed on board by John Marshall and Carol Stokes, chairman and vice chairman of the Jubilee Sailing Trust Malta GC branch.

The Tenacious is the largest wooden ship of her type in the world and was built in Southampton, England. She took approximately four years to build.

Onboard Tenacious and Lord Nelson are eight specially designed cabins for wheelchair users and lifts for wheelchairs operate between the various decks, an added bonus for people who are unable to use the stairways.

The Tenacious usually carries a regular crew of nine and approximately 40 crew members of whom half usually have a physical disability.

People with sight and hearing problems also have special facilities available on both Tenacious and Lord Nelson.

Further information on the Jubilee Sailing Trust may be obtained from John Marshall on tel 0044 1702 341615.