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 Friday 19th July 2019
Friday 19th July – depart Wells 0700 arrive Cley 1100
Sail with us out of Wells harbour, along the coast, down the cut to the iconic Cley Mill
Crab boat max 6 persons – exclusive charter £495 or £95 per person
Saturday 20th July – depart Wells 0830 return 1230
Meet us at Cley’s windmill for our return charter back to base – marsh open sea and adventure await!
Crab boat max 6 persons – exclusive charter £495 or £95 per person
Sunday 21st July – depart Wells 0800 return 1130
Enjoy a breakfast sailing with us on the mussel flat as we head on out through marsh over to East Hills
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person
Monday 22nd July – depart Wells 0830 return 1230
Explore the salt marshes with us and onwards as we head out to sea and sail into Holkham Bay
Whelk boat max 10 persons – exclusive charter £695 or £95 per person
Tuesday 23rd July – depart Wells 0845 return 1215
Sail with us out over to East Hills encountering salt marsh and wildlife on the way
Crab boat max 6 persons – exclusive charter £495 or £90 per person
Wednesday 24th July – depart Wells 0945 return 1315
Destination East Hills following a slow meander through channels & creeks crossing of Wells Harbour
Crab boat max 6 persons – exclusive charter £495 or £90 per person
Thursday 25th July – depart Wells 1030 return 1400
Join us as we set sail from Wells to embark on some wild swimming en route over to East Hills
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person
Friday 26th July – depart Wells 1130 arrive Cley 1500
Explore the creeks and channels that make up our coastline on this wildlife sailing out to East Hills
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person
Saturday 27th July – depart Wells 1245 return 1615
Join us on this wildlife sail through creeks and channels through to Warham Marsh
Mussel Flat max 4 persons – exclusive charter £295 or £85 per person
Sunday 28th July – depart Wells 1400 return 1730
Stiffkey Marsh is our destination today as we glide gently along looking for wildlife en route
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 Angel's Share
21st July 0830 - 1130 Harriet Mackenzie Violin and James Boyd Guitar
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.
Sign up for updates from the Coastal Exploration Company.
