Four 72 foot, single-masted yachts of the Tall Ships Youth Trust arrived in Dartmouth on Tuesday last and left at 9am the next morning. They were crewed by two youth groups, 12-15 years and 16-25 years. Each group were split into two crews of ten to crew four yachts. There were also 20 others, 5 to a yacht, who included skippers, mates etc.

The yachts were out of Plymouth and all were sailing to Portsmouth. It is a leisurely cruise, as they have eight days in total for the voyage.

Amelia Ralphs, first mate on Challenger II, said: “I first started sailing with the trust when I was 14. I’m now have an Ocean Yacht Masters Certificate at 20 years old. I’m from Gloucestershire although the boats are based in Portsmouth.

“This week we have young people from all over the UK and Europe on board, including some people from Belgium.”

Joined by Nick Huxford from Cowes, he added: “I’m mate on this one here, Challenger IV. I’ve been doing this professionally for two years.” The skipper of Challenger IV, Sue Geary joined the group and set about organising the younger group crews for photograph before the yachts made their departure.

The aims of the Tall Ships Youth Trust, a registered charity, are to enable the personal development of young people through the crewing of ocean-going vessels.

The four Challengers yachts were built in 2000 and have all raced around the world. They have been given the highest rating for safety features by the Coastguard and Maritime Agency.