Our Ships – The Adventure Galley

The original Adventure Galley was Captain Kidd’s main ship during his years as a pirate. It was a square-rigged sailing ship some 124 feet long on the keel (about 38 metres) and overall about 150 feet (about 45 metres). You can read more about Captain Kidd’s voyages here

The ship weighed over 284 tonnes, a crew of around 150, and had three ship-rigged masts and two banks of oars. This combination of sails and oars was unusual for the time, but the oars meant it was extra manoeuvrable in adverse conditions. The Adventure Galley was also well armed, with 32 cannons.

Our aim is to make the modern-day Adventure Galley as close to the original as possible, with the same complement of masts, sails, oars and, yes, even guns. (However, the cannon will be capable of firing blanks only!).

The new Adventure Galley will be built alongside her two sister ships on the banks of the Thames, somewhere downstream of Greenwich.

They will be the first major ships to be built on the Thames for over 150 years, and we will be reviving the historic arts of building and equipping major wooden sailing ships. You can find out more about that by going to Shipbuilding Skills

 The building of the ships will be major events and attractions in themselves. There will be opportunities for participation in the building, rigging and equipping of the ships, either as long-term apprenticeships, or at special courses and open days. The sites will also be open to the public for viewing.

Join us as we sail across the world

The plan is to retrace the voyages of Captain Kidd. We would set sail from London, heading first across the Atlantic to New York. From there, we would set off on an adventure that would take in three oceans and no fewer than five continents. All the places we visit would be those which Captain Kidd is known or have reputed to visit.

They would include: The West Indies, Madeira, Cape Verde, the Cape of Good Hope (the tip of South Africa) Madagascar, the Comoros Islands, the Malabar Coast of India, the Mandeb Strait (connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden), Thailand and Vietnam.

Each leg of the voyage would take anything from a week to a month, depending on the conditions and the distances involved.  You would be able to book your passage on one or more legs of the voyage.

The plan is for the new Adventure Galley to keep sailing for forty years or more, so there will be plenty of opportunity to join her. But as you can imagine, her maiden voyage across the world will be a unique and amazing event.

Become a full crew member and learn traditional maritime skills

When joining us, there would be plenty of time to sit back and enjoy the unique experience of travelling in a traditional tall ship. But you would also be a full member of the crew, working alongside the various professional sailors, Sea Cadets and other participants.

You would learn traditional seamanship, square rigging, navigation and much else – and have a great time along the way! It’s perfect for individuals, couples, families with older children or friends to discover traditional skills – and themselves. We are also planning to include small corporate groups as a unique team-building exercise. 

Register your interest now

All of this is currently some time away. But we are keen to hear from both individuals and businesses that would like to get involved. There will be spaces for around 100 people at any one time on each voyage, as well as our professional crew, and you will be able to join us for periods of around one week to one month.

So that we can keep you up to date with events, please get in touch now