News

An important record of Boleh’s past has just been added to the Archive. Almost exactly 53 years ago Boleh sailed from Salcombe to join the Junior Leaders Regiment, Royal Engineers as their sail training vessel based in Dover. Over 3 years, until she was replaced with a new build yacht, Boleh took some 500 trainees to sea and sailed nearly 7000 miles.

Boleh’s adventures in the Channel and North Sea are recorded in the Log Book kindly presented to the Boleh Trust by John Maddock, pictured here with Trustees, George and Henry Middleton. John, a civilian instructor with the Royal Engineers at the time and a qualified Boleh skipper, flew in from South Australia last week where he and the Log Book have lived for the last 45 Years.

We are very happy to be able to report that Boleh finally left Chichester last Friday for her voyage down to Falmouth and the next phase of her life with the charity Sea Sanctuary. Last night (Sunday) after a terrific sail along the South Coast, passing Salcombe where her 1950 journey from Singapore with Robin Kilroy finished, she arrived safely in Falmouth Haven. The picture shows her passing the beach huts at Hayling Island in Hampshire. After trials and familiarisation with her new crew the formal handover to Sea Sanctuary will take place and the lease with the Boleh Trust will be signed.

All but the weather seems set fair for Boleh in the New Year. Now fully ‘coded’ by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for operation as a sail training vessel, Boleh has been waiting in Chichester Marina for a fair wind to take her to Falmouth based charity, Sea Sanctuary, which is to be her new home (see our Sail Training page for more information). With trials complete and Sea Sanctuary eager to start using Boleh in their therapeutic ‘Sail into Life’ programme, only the current run of extreme weather is preventing Boleh from helping young people. The picture of Boleh during trials in the Solent a few months ago shows the type of weather we would love to see!

2015 was another momentous year for the Project with continuing generous help from many quarters. Our annual Newsletter will cover the story and be sent out and posted on the website just as soon as we can show you Boleh securely alongside in Falmouth. In the meantime, we wish all our friends and supporters a very happy, peaceful and successful New Year.

We are delighted to announce that, once again, we have received a generous donation from the Payne-Gallwey Charitable Trust – and this time to help Boleh in her operational role. We are extremely grateful for this gift from our very loyal supporter which is to be used to provide important elements in Boleh’s suite of sails. The picture shows a recent trial of the new running booms which will be used to recreate the ‘Tradewind Rig’ of headsails used 65 years ago on Boleh’s voyage from Singapore to Salcombe.

We are absolutely delighted that Roger Angel’s granddaughter, Naomi, was able to visit Boleh recently. Roger rescued and restored Boleh in the early 1980’s after she had been severely damaged by fire and then sailed her for over 25 years. Without Roger there would be no Boleh and it was fitting that, shortly before his death in 2008, he was there to see her delivered to Portsmouth for the current restoration. The picture shows Naomi and her family – the first Angels to get afloat in Boleh since 2007.

Boleh is making good progress towards her MCA Category 2 ‘coding’ which will allow her to operate in the English Channel as a sail training vessel with 8 people onboard. She has now completed the first round of sea trials and the picture, taken by our Sea Sanctuary colleagues, shows her working to windward in the Eastern Solent. Further sea trials will follow shortly before her planned handover to Sea Sanctuary and voyage to Falmouth.

Watched by the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Councillor Frank Jonas, and a host of supporters and well wishers Boleh slipped in to Gunwharf Quays to a warm welcome on Thursday evening. Following her complete restoration at Henderson Road, Boleh is now in the middle of sea trials and preparations for her maiden voyage to Falmouth later this month. The picture shows Boleh coming alongside Gunwharf below Spinnaker Tower.

We are thrilled to report that, after a 7 year restoration in Portsmouth, Boleh is finally back in the water and preparing for her next journey. The picture shows her lying in Chichester Marina, masts stepped, awaiting sails and sea trials. In August Boleh will be heading West to join the inspirational charity Sea Sanctuary in Falmouth where she will be based.

This change of course away from Portsmouth reflects the success of our sister charity, the Portsmouth Sail Training Trust, whose impressive programmes for raising the aspirations of inner city children now utilise smaller craft. Sea Sanctuary employ larger, traditionally built wooden sailing vessels, combined with the ‘can do’ ethos, to improve the mental wellbeing of adults and young people from around the country.

Almost exactly 7 years after arriving from Spain, Boleh has flown her nest at 199 Henderson Road. Picture shows Boleh being lifted on to a low loader for the road journey to Chichester Marina where her mast and rig will be fitted. Over the next month the sails will be made and Boleh will then undergo a programme of trials to test her unique design and propulsion system.