Assist with navigation; forage and fish for your meals; visit special places that can only be accessed by sea and creek.
Create a memory that will last a lifetime with an indulgent charter with friends and family on the Norfolk coast.
Blue sky thinking takes on real meaning when you're at sea. Re-energise the team with an away day aboard one of our boats.
“We create fun, relaxing, sometimes challenging, but undoubtedly life-enriching adventures on traditional wooden sailing boats, based in Wells-next-the-Sea, on the beautiful North Norfolk coast.
Run by a small, local team of professional adventurers, we skipper and host trips ranging from four hours to three days, through creeks, marshes and open sea. Get involved with the sailing and cooking, or sit back and connect with nature – the pace is yours to choose.
We only use locally sourced high-quality food and drink on our sails, ensuring a full Norfolk experience. Our philosophy is to run a sustainable business by investing in slow food, community engagement projects and the movement of cargo under sail.”
WEEKLY SAILS
Monday 22nd April
Experience a classic sea sail with us along our coast before heading up the cut to Cley - depart Wells 0730 return 1130
Crab boat max 6 persons – exclusive charter £495 or £90 per person (we will stop for a delicious breakfast somewhere en route)
Explore with us saltmarsh habitat before heading over to East Hills – depart Wells 0730 return 1130
Mussel Flat max 4 passengers – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person (a delicious breakfast will be served)
Tuesday 23rd April
Using tidal or wind power we will slowly make our way through the wonderful Wells marshes - depart Wells 0800 return 1200
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person (breakfast served on board)
Wednesday 24th April
Fancy a breakfast venue with a unique view? Join in an early morning sail to Warham Marsh - depart Warham 0830 rtn 1230
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person (delicious breakfast a’board included)
Thursday 25th April
Morning sail with breakfast enjoyed somewhere in Stiffkey’s scenic saltmarshes - depart Wells 0900 return 1300
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person (delicious breakfast included)
Friday 26th April
Daytime sail through Wells Marsh watching for wildlife, experiencing Norfolk’s outer rim - depart Wells 1000 return 1600
Crab boat max 6 persons – exclusive charter £495 or £90 per person (breakfast in a unique location guaranteed!)
Saturday 27th April
Drift through the marshes to East Hills observing the nature on the marsh at unhurried pace – depart Wells 1100 return 1500
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person (delicious breakfast a’board)
Sunday 28th April
Join us as we chart a course for East Hills through Wells marshes – depart Wells 1200 return 1600
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person (delicious breakfast included)
James Boyd's Wilderness concerts reflect James’ love for adventure and wild spaces. They are immersive experiences – thought-provoking, uplifting and unforgettable.
May 19th, 2019 - starts 18.00 finishes 21.00
Joshua Ellicott, Tenor
James Boyd, Guitar
This is a bespoke concert that will crystallise from the emptiness and wildness of the salt marsh, the threnody of the wind, the cry of wading birds, the chuckle of the tide. Joshua and James are renowned not only for their exquisite musicianship but for their intimate storytelling that weaves through each performance. They gave their first concerts together a short voyage across the North Sea in Delft. Now with the Coastal Exploration Company they are creating an exclusive experience on the beautiful North Norfolk coast. An unmissable opportunity to hear world class music making in one of Britain's last wildernesses. Including a rare performance of Jonathan Dove's The Immortal Ship, this is for lovers of fine and rare moments. Moments that will become lifetime memories.
Reviews
"Deservedly huge cheers at the end of the night went to Joshua Ellicott…
...musical distinction, emotional precision and a keen dramatic urgency…"
The Boston Globe
'Each note falls like a teardrop such is the beauty of Boyd's tone and deeply expressive phrasing '
International record review
What most impresses is Boyd's sense of naturalness, of ebb and flow, recalling both Bream's and Segovia's willingness to savour the moment.
Gramophone Magazine
Sun 16 June 2019 – Start 1730 Finish 2030
Solo concert
James Boyd
Still finishing the details on this one Jules and Henry but... will either be a new programme built around an old parlour guitar I found in my village ( a love story) or the sequel to my programme 'stolen years'-https://www.jamesboyd.co.uk/stolen-years/ which is under construction.
Sun 21 July 2019
Harriet Mackenzie - Violin
James Boyd - Guitar
International star violinist Harriet Mackenzie and the wizard guitarist James Boyd in concert together. Guardian Angels, Devils and Will o' the Wisps weave a spell across the centuries, from Bach to Paganini. The Norfolk Salt marsh is rich in tales from the edge of an other world. Harriet and James weave this folklore into a programme that reaches from the depths of hell to the heights of heaven. Harriet is not just a world renowned soloist and chamber musician but engages her audiences with a passionate intensity that few can match. James' way with words has become legendary and he is one of a handful of international musicians that can weave a spell with words and music. This concert with the Coastal Exploration Company will take you on an adventure into the heart of salt marsh and a musical journey that will become a lifetime memory.
Reviews
Harriet
Searing intensity...full of panache...captivating.
The Strad
I defy you not to be mesmerised.
The Times
James
I was magicked
The Telegraph
The Wizard guitarist James Boyd held us enthralled
The Times
'You are not only a master musician but also a Magus, a magician who from the first moment casts a spell over us…’
Audience Member
Sat 26 Oct 2019 – Start 1630 Finish 1900
The Age of Discovery
James Laing Countertenor
James Boyd Guitar
An event born from a love of adventure, the sea and wild places of Britain. It explores a golden age when new landfalls and horizons were sighted and explored. James Laing's vocal range and dramatic talent make him unique among today's countertenors. He is one of the most highly regarded singers on the opera stage and a brilliant exponent of the song repertoire. This concert with guitar will take you on a voyage of discovery. In the lonely creeks of the salt marshes something rare and beautiful will be created for a moment, then borne away on the sea wind, leaving the memory of an extraordinary experience that will stay with you forever.
''the soaring countertenor of James Laing…”
The Daily Telegraph
''sublime counter-tenor''
Evening Standard
''Counter-tenor James Laing was heart-stopping''
The Guardian
“Countertenor James Laing sings immaculately, even when suspended above the stage in a tutu.”
Sunday Express
“FOLLOW THE WITHIES,” advises Henry, as I tug on the wooden tiller of his clinker-built, 1950s crab boat My Girls with trepidation, watching the narrow, marshy creek zig-zag before her prow.
“Swallows and Amazons, remember? Secret Water? Withies are the sticks that mark the channel, so you know where it is at high tide,” he explains. I spot them, a reassuring line of thin willows, standing upright above swirling eddies of muddy water, steadfastly marking deep water and our safe passage.
Top 10 Norfolk and Suffolk experiences
Learn to sail with the RYA-accredited Norfolk etc (01263 740704; norfolketc.co.uk) or book a sailing expedition in a traditional Norfolk fishing boat through the newly launched Coastal Exploration Company for an adventurous trip along the coast and along the atmospheric creeks and backwaters between Thornham and Cley in North Norfolk. Spot wildlife, catch mackerel, learn about navigation and enjoy delicious homemade food.
We’re sailing across a sandy-coloured sea. Seals pop up around our little crab boat and then vanish, like a game of Whac-A-Mole. Further ahead, a group lie motionless on the water, as if levitating. It takes me a moment to realise that the sea is so shallow they are resting on a submerged sand bank.
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