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 Saturday 9th November 2019
Saturday 9th November – depart Wells 1500 return 1830
Mystery sailing destination today watching for wildlife but where – Warham Stiffkey Wells East Hills?!
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person
Sunday 10th November – depart Wells 1430 return 1730
Join us on one of our most popular sailings through the saltmarsh and over to the mythical East Hills
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person
Monday 11th November – depart Wells 0500 return 0830
Enjoy an early sail out into Wells harbour exploring creeks and channels and on over to East Hills
Crab boat max 6 persons – exclusive charter £495 or £90 per person
Tuesday 12th November – depart Wells 0530 return 0900
Join us as we set out on the mussel flat to explore the unique habitat that is Stiffkey’s saltmarsh
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person
Wednesday 13th November – depart Wells 0600 arrive Cley 1000
This morning we set sail bound for Cley, a medieval trading port in its day complete with iconic mill
Crab boat max 6 persons – exclusive charter £495 or £95 per person
Thursday 14th November – depart Cley 0630 return 1100
Join us as we cast off right under Cley’s iconic mill’s sails head up the channel out to sea back to Wells
Crab boat max 6 persons – exclusive charter £495 or £95 per person
Friday 15th November – depart Wells 0700 return 1030
Today we explore Warham marsh using the power of the wind and tide only watching for wildlife
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person
Saturday 16th November – depart Wells 0730 return 1100
Sail down our heritage coastline passing the glorious pines of Holkham Bay and Scolt Head Island too
Crab boat max 6 persons – exclusive charter £495 or £90 per person
Sunday 17th November – depart Wells 0800 return 1130
Today we explore Wells marsh making our way slowly over to East Hills watching for wildlife as we go
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person
James Boyd's Wilderness concerts reflect James’ love for adventure and wild spaces. They are immersive experiences – thought-provoking, uplifting and unforgettable.
Each Wilderness Concert is a world-class experience aboard our beautiful wooden boats in the heart of the salt marshes. Locally sourced artisan food, roaring wood burning stove, remote anchorages set the scene.
Immerse yourself in the cry of wading birds, wide skies, the trickle of the tide and a concert experience that will become a lifetime memory.
Concert Programme -
The Age of Discovery
26th October 1630 - 1900 James Laing Countertenor and James Boyd Guitar
"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
“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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