Booking a voyage

Guide to booking a voyage on board John Laing

2009 voyage programme - including latest availability
Booking form - please print, fill in and return to the office.
Terms and conditions (pdf)

1) Look at the voyage programme 2009. This lists all our voyages with start and finish dates, times and places, and the price for each trip. Don’t forget to check whether there are any age restrictions on the dates you are interested in – a few voyages have a minimum age of 15 or 16, such as Tall Ship Race events, and some are for over 18’s only.

2) Each voyage is listed with two prices. Crew members aged 12-25 on normal voyages are eligible for our Standard Crew Price, which is 50% of the cost of the voyage. OYT South’s fundraising covers the rest of the cost. For adult voyages and some special voyages, the price may be closer to the true cost – contact the office for information.

3) When you have chosen a suitable voyage, contact the office by telephone on 0845 365 6781 to confirm that spaces are still available, and to reserve a berth on the chosen voyage. It is always worth doing this: even though we try to keep availability up to date on our website, it’s always possible that someone has called up and taken the places on that trip since the last update. You can also ask if there is any other relevant information about bookings on your chosen trip. For example, if you are aged 25, you might prefer not to book on a voyage where everyone else is 12 – and vice versa.

Contact by email requesting a reservation will be answered requesting full details for reserving a berth.

If you have a physical or learning difficulty or other special needs, you should certainly discuss it with the office before booking, to avoid any problems later when joining the vessel.

Once you have agreed that your chosen voyage is suitable and has a space for you, you can pay your deposit (25% of the voyage fee) over the phone using a credit card. If you do this, you will be sent a receipt of payment and an invoice giving the balance owed and date when the payment will be due (60 days before the start of the voyage). If it is already less than 60 days till the voyage starts, you will be asked to pay the full fee when you reserve your berth.

If you prefer not to pay over the phone, an invoice will be sent, or you can pay online here:

Please do not pay for a voyage on the website until you have checked that there is a suitable place on your chosen voyage!  

If you have reserved a voyage but have not paid a deposit, we will continue to advertise the voyage but if anyone else enquires about that place, we will make a final check with you before selling it. Only payment of a deposit secures your place.

4) Download a booking form. If you are bringing a group, we need an individual booking form for everyone in the group.

If you have any problems downloading the form, the office can send you one in the post or by FAX.

Make sure you fill in all the sections on both pages – it is vital that we have emergency contact details for someone who can be called day or night while you are on the boat. We must also know about any illnesses, medication or other issues which might affect you while you are on the boat. Don’t forget to sign the form. If you are aged under 18, a parent or guardian must sign it for you.

Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before returning the booking form.

5) Return the form to the OYT South office with a cheque if you haven’t already paid by credit card. Because we need a signature, you will need to return the form by post, not by email, to OYT South, PO Box 203, Gosport, Hampshire, PO12 9AZ.

6) When a booking form is received with a deposit or full payment, you will be sent a copy of our Crew Handbook, which will have a lot more information about what to expect when you join the boat.

7) Sixty days before the voyage start, you will be asked to pay the balance of the voyage fee if you only paid a 25% deposit when you booked.

8) A short while before the voyage starts, you will be sent joining instructions telling you where the boat will be and reminding you what time you need to arrive. You will also be sent a list of things to bring.