Duncan Fagg

Brought up near the coastal town of Fowey in Cornwall, I learned to sail from a young age. At seventeen, anticipating disaster at A' levels, I took and passed the theory part of the RYA Coastal Skipper and Yacht Master Offshore and passed. In 1997 I graduated from Brighton University with a BA with QTS. (Qualified teaching status)

Moving to London to work as a supply teacher I soon found myself working with children with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) and enjoying every minute of it.

During the years since I have managed to split my time between the classroom and adventures in the wider world. I have travelled to both India and New Zealand. I have also bought and restored a classic boat, a Stella. After restoring her I have cruised her in England, Wales, Ireland, France and Spain, where she is currently moored, prior to further cruising around the Mediterranean. I am lucky enough to continue working in EBD schools when not travelling.

My involvement with the project started in January 2005. I had just returned from an extended season sailing and was already missing being on a boat. So, in an attempt to remedy this, I had arranged to meet some friends and spend the day wandering around the London boat show. Unfortunately we were soon growing bored of the glitzy boats and assorted gadgets and so we ventured outside in to the January drizzle. To our delight we found two wooden classics of reputation; Suhaili and Lively Lady lay surrounded by the metropolis of London. My friends and I climbed up on to Lively Lady’s flush teak decks then descended down in to her cabin. As we descended the aroma of bilge water mixed with engine oils synonymous with wooden boats (and reminding me of my own boat) rose up.

We listened as one of the crew explained the project, and how they intended to work with children from a disadvantaged background and that they were still looking for co-skippers. My friend’s eyes lit up and she turned to me and said, “Duncan, you should get involved in this, it’s right up you street.”. I expressed some interest but knowing how enthusiastic Claire, my friend, can be decided it would be best to have a think and come back later before Claire signed me up on the spot!

I spent a couple of hours pottering around and decided that she was probably right, I went back, met Alan and expressed my interest in joining the project. I had just written my CV to pass around schools; I had tried when writing it to play down how much of my time I spent sailing and working on wooden boats. The following day I revised the CV to include the sailing and posted it off to Alan. I followed it up a few days later with a phone call; Alan had noted that I had visited India and asked if I would like to do the leg to India? I jumped at the chance with the added delight of knowing I would be sailing Lively Lady back in to the country in which she had been built.

It now seems a distant memory, as the project has been running for so long. During the time I have had the privilege of working and training with a great bunch of people. There seemed to be a plethora of certificates and courses that we all needed to work towards before we were able to set foot on a boat with the young adults. The young adults themselves have also had to engage upon training towards their competent crew and of course the endless fundraising. To be involved with a project that has endeavoured to do something different with the youth of today has been both a joy and inspiration as to what can be done.

It would be hard for me to pinpoint any one highlight of the project for it has been so multifaceted. Possibly tearing along in strong winds off the south American continent would be a contender for the sailing high point but the project has become more than a sailing based project. Despite a loathing of meetings it’s often a delight to be in some of the well-attended meetings and witness the young adults involved in planning fundraising and events. Or noting how Alan’s eyes roll back as he realises he is about to endure one of my jokes for the umpteenth time.

As this project draws to its end I look forward to future sail training and expeditions that the Lively Lady project has paved the way for. And to continue being involved in taking children sailing.