One vital role of the Voyagers’ Club is to provide crew to sail on the Spirit of New Zealand as Leading Hands. There are two leading hands on each voyage, one male and one female. The Leading Hand role is quite unique, and as ex-trainees Voyagers are perfectly suited to filling the role. The Leading Hands act as a liaison between the crew and trainees, assist the cook in the galley with meal preparation and cleanup, assist the Mates and Watch Leaders on deck and aloft, and with any other activities that are organised. Not only is this helping the Trust by providing volunteer crew, but it is a fantastic opportunity for Voyagers to get back onboard and have a hell of a lot of fun!

Leading Hands sail on all of the different Voyages run by the Trust, including:

• 10 Day Youth Development Voyages
• 5 Day Spirit Trophy Voyages
• 5 Day Leadership Development Voyages
• Annual 5 Day Physically Disabled Voyage
• Various 2-3 Day Public Coastal/Overnight Voyages

To sail on any of these overnight or longer voyages you must be 18 or older.

For 10 day voyages (this includes back to back 5 day voyages) the Trust will pay for air travel if you live 250km away from the departure or arrival ports, or bus (or petrol voucher) if you live between 150km and 250km. This means that Voyagers from all around the now have the fantastic opportunity to go sailing on the Spirit without having to provide their own transport.

Voyagers also act as Crew on Day Sails. These are run in Ports around the country, normally following a 10 Day Voyage. They are a great chance for Voyagers of all ages to get back onboard the Spirit, refresh their memory on how to sail the boat, and meet other Voyages. There is no age requirement for these sails.

In order to sail as crew, regardless of the type of Voyage, you must be a financial member of the Trust. This is $25 per year, or $65 for three years. You must also have full uniform. Click here for a membership form. Click here to go to the Uniform page, and click here for a Uniform Order Form.

The roster for Day Sails and longer voyages is sent out every 6 months to all financial voyagers. So if you want to sail on the Spirit all you have to do is become financial and wait for the roster to turn up in the post! You can also contact the Voyager Rosterer Janelle who may have some vacancies on the current roster that need to be filled. If you have any questions or problems about sailing as Crew on the Spirit, send them to Janelle: rosterer@voyagers.org.nz