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 30th November 2019
Saturday 30th November – depart Wells 0800 return 1130
Take a slow engineless sail through saltmarsh creeks watch for wildlife head out over to East Hills
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £345 (min 2 pax £195)
Sunday 1st December – depart Wells 0830 return 1200
Slow you down and sail with us using the power of the wind and tide only to explore Warham marshes
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £345 (min 2 pax £195)
Monday 2nd December – depart Wells 0900 return 1230
Breakfast aboard set sail along our heritage coast bound for Holkham Bay and Scolt Head beyond
Crab boat max 6 persons – exclusive charter £495 or £90 per person
Tuesday 3rd December – depart Wells 1000 return 1330
Explore the unique saltmarsh habitat of Wells marsh watching wildlife then head out over to East Hills
Crab boat max 6 persons – exclusive charter £495 or £90 per person
Wednesday 4th December – depart Wells 1100 return 1430
Today we sail to Stiffkey always with warm blankets fresh coffee watching for wildlife as we go
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £345 (min 2 pax £195)
Thursday 5th December – depart Wells 1200 return 1530
Magical Mystery tour mussel flat sailing which creeks and channels will we explore today – up to you!
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £345 (min 2 pax £195)
Friday 6th December – depart Wells 1300 return 1630
Explore the environs of our home port Wells today before heading out over to the enigmatic East Hills
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £345 (min 2 pax £195)
Saturday 7th December – depart Wells 0800 return 1130
Join us today as we embark on a Warham wildlife special making nature notes on all we encounter
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £345 (min 2 pax £195)
Sunday 8th December – depart Wells 0830 return 1200
Warm blankets hot coffee view our scenic shores from the comfort of our crab boat on this sea sail
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £345 (min 2 pax £195)
My silk escape and evasion map of the Caucasus was spread out in front of me, shaking as the Russian helicopter gunships and artillery tried to dislodge Chechen and Ingush bearded fighters who had streamed out of the heavily wooded foothills to capture our small Russian town. It was 0100 during a cold winter’s night and I was trying to work out if we should hunker down in the damp concrete basement or follow one of the tracks on the map...
During WW2, MI9, the British military intelligence escape and evasion service had developed these silk maps for downed pilots, covert operatives, special forces and other ad hoc units. They used silk because it was durable, easy to conceal and didn’t make crinkly noises when used. Today they are printed on synthetic Tyrek. During my adventurous life I have always travelled with a silk map of the areas that I am working in, they are if nothing else reassuring, but more often than not very useful. This thread of my life provided the inspiration for CEC HQ to produce a silk map of the North Norfolk coast, worn by all of our skippers and often used to get us out of a tight spot, especially when in a tight spot.
“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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