"I've got a great idea....."

"...I have had an idea to mark the Trust’s coastal celebration. I thought it would be good if someone were to sail round the Welsh coast calling in wherever possible at our properties and highlighting the cause.  The only problem would be who could do such a thing?  Well, I suppose I could…"

These were the words of John Whitley, when he wrote to the Trust suggesting the idea of Sails around Wales.  

John is one of the Trust’s countryside rangers, based with George and Bob at the Glan Faenol estate, on the banks of the Menai Strait.

"I'm sure we'll have a few adventures on the way...."
John on Capercaille

John learnt to sail when he was a teenager.  He joined two family friends on a voyage to the Azores and was hooked.  A more recent feat, this time with his own yacht, was to sail around Britain.  “The voyage took me two months and I experienced the sea in all its moods – from storms to wonderful peaceful sunsets” explains John.

“The trip around the Welsh coast is much shorter, of course, but I’m sure we’ll have a few adventures on the way.  You have to be ready for anything - conditions can change so quickly and our route takes us through some treacherous waters, including the Bardsey, Ramsey and Jack Sounds.”

And to keep everyone in touch with progress on social media, I’ll be joining John for two weeks.  I’ve been told that my duties are ‘deck-hand, tea maker and blogger’” 

If conditions allow, we hope to take on-board colleagues and volunteers so they can get a new perspective on the coastlines that they care for.

Why not come over and say hello when we’re in port – or give us a wave from the coast!” 

Use the 'Where are we...' tab above after 8 June to locate us, or contact us via the email  to find out more.