Adult Voyages

Corporate sailing

* * * The next available dates for corporate sailing days in John Laing
are 28 and 29 April 2009 * * *

Many organisations take part in corporate sailing; and on the south coast of England there is a bewildering choice of suppliers who will take your staff and clients to sea. John Laing may not be the right boat for every sort of corporate sailing, but she will be ideal for some people.

Reasons to choose corporate sailing in John Laing

• Your voyage fee helps us provide sailing for deserving young people who would not otherwise be able to afford an experience like this. We do not seek to make a profit: all proceeds go to the charity, and most of the watchleaders on your voyage will be skilled but unpaid volunteers.
• John Laing is run in a relaxed and informal way. No-one will shout if you don’t know what to do. The aim is for people to have fun.
• You can choose whether you want to join in as a crew member and help to sail the boat, or whether you prefer to sit back and enjoy the experience.
• There will be opportunities for everyone to ask questions, and have a go at anything you find interesting.
• There are opportunities for individuals and companies to develop a longer-term relationship with OYT South: your involvement doesn’t have to end when the trip is over – unless you want it to.
• If you have never sailed before, John Laing is immensely safe and strong. Because we normally sail with children as young as 12, everything is arranged to be safe for novice sailors, and the sea staff are thoroughly familiar with sailing with people who may not be confident.
• If you have sailed before, John Laing, at 72 feet long and 55 tonnes, is an opportunity to try something bigger than many people have experienced.

Reasons why corporate sailing in John Laing might not be the right choice for you.

• John Laing is not a luxury yacht; she is a seventeen-year old sail training vessel; she works hard throughout the season and she is more functional than elegant. Her facilities are simple and fairly basic. If you, your guests and clients want elaborate accommodation, comfort and five-star meals then John Laing is probably not right for you.
• John Laing is not a competitive racing yacht – though she is fast in the right conditions. If your idea of a corporate sail is a hard day’s racing in a fleet, then John Laing is probably not right for you.

Team building

If team building is what you want out of a corporate sail in John Laing, then we can set the trip up to push everyone as hard as you like, getting people to learn new skills, work together, overcome challenges, face fears, tackle problems and come home exhausted. As a sail training vessel, the boat is set up so that crew members can join in everything, whether or not they have sailed before. And all our sea staff are experienced at teaching people and getting them to join in, because that is the normal routine of our voyages with young people.

Corporate entertainment

OYT South supplies five or six staff for every voyage, and this is plenty of people to sail the boat, especially on shorter trips. If you and your guests prefer to spend part or all of the voyage sitting back rather than joining in, then we will aim to give you a relaxing and entertaining day with time to enjoy the experience.

To discuss your company's requirements, email Caroline White.