STS Lord Nelson
In early July, the Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST) faced a financial crisis where it needed to raise £1m in five days in order to stay in operation. Fortunately, the charity succeeded in raising the funds in time. Their financial challenges have not ended, however.
The charity has announced that it will be decommissioning one of its two ships, the STS Lord Nelson, and will continue its operations on the STSTenacious. Both ships were specially designed and fitted to allow people with physical impairments, including wheelchair users, to sail side-by-side with people who do not have disabilities. It appears that Lord Nelson will be dockside while Tenacious will continue sailing.
In a statement, the charity said its review would put “stronger financial footing”, with STS Lord Nelson potentially being used as a visitor attraction to promote the trust.
“A single vessel will also help the JST deliver a much stronger voyage experience by concentrating investment into crew training, professional development, along with ship maintenance, and other elements that improve life on-board,” it said.
Thanks to Irwin Bryan for contributing to this post.
I guess the trust is admitting it is facing too much of a challenge to fill and operate two ships at sea reading between the lines
Perhaps one of the big cruise lines should take on the running of the ship.
I could see it making an excellent PR exercise, they have the shoreside infrastructure already set up and there might be considerable tax advantages. It would be interesting to see if they can make a better job of it than a charity.