Our mission

We are a registered UK Charity whose intention is to build three ships modelled on Captain Kidd’s original pirate ship Adventure Galley from over 300 years ago. Like the Adventure Galley, our ships will feature both square-rigged sails and oars. One will retrace Kidd’s voyages across different parts of the world while two smaller ships will make daily passages along the River Thames in London.  Each ship will combine sails with oars, just as the original Adventure Galley did.

By doing this, we aim to create an interactive living history programme with the broadest possible scope. It will appeal to and benefit Londoners, tourists, students and business people alike, as well as anyone interested in traditional arts, crafts and skills.

Wide-ranging objectives

In no particular order, our aims are:

  1. To save and teach the fast-fading skills of the traditional sailor. Crafts such as these are coming back into favour as we look for alternatives to the waste, pollution and expense of the throwaway society. We want as many people as possible to sail with us, fully participating in the passage of the ship, and learning traditional maritime skills, as well as maritime conservation.
  2. To help young people. Joining professional crew and ordinary members of the public sailing and handling the ships will be young people with sea-going experience from a national youth charity – Sea Cadets. They will also be assisting with the building of the ships, and we also aim to create a significant number of apprenticeships in the many skills required for shipbuilding.
  3. To promote inclusivity. Seventeenth century piracy, and the government’s response to it, led to a form of today’s multi-cultural society, something that many communities today might not be aware of. Via education and interactive participation, we aim to have a significant social impact. In particular, promoting a greater understanding of history thereby reducing community isolation and increasing a sense of belonging. We also aim to make our ships as accessible as possible.
  4. To promote London and the Thames – particularly the Pool of London, the stretch of river from London Bridge to below Limehouse navigable by tall ships. Our intention is that the building of the ships will become an attraction in itself, and that, once launched, these ships will be a major attraction and educational resource for decades to come.
  5. To rediscover our maritime history. London became the world’s foremost financial centre through maritime trade, and piracy played a significant role in that. Buildings still stand in Greenwich today that were built with money seized from Captain Kidd. Our long-term plans include establishing a new naval theme park near Deptford, where the original Adventure Galley was built. Other initiatives initiative could include a theatrical re-enactment of the trial of Captain Kidd, or an alternative Oxford/Cambridge rowing race between the two London-based ships.
  6. To promote a sustainable future. Traditional sailing ships offer an eco-friendly means of transport, whether of people or cargo. We will be building our ships using traditional and natural materials and methods as much as possible

For more details, please contact us