Voyage of discovery

AT THE HELM... Finlay Hayes and Eleanor Davies from Saddleworth School set their sights on the high seas.

A PAIR of intrepid Saddleworth teenagers have set sail on an epic mission.

Saddleworth School students Finlay Hayes and Eleanor Davies, both 16, cast off from Newcastle-on-Tyne on Monday to start a 10-night voyage.

The pair will be part of a crew of 48 students from UK schools manning a 200ft sailing ship.

The Tall Ships Youth Trust Voyage will see the ship sail up the coast to Montrose in Scotland before crossing the North Sea to Holland before heading back to journey’s end at Tower Bridge in London.

Tim Law, the trust’s operations director, said: “For many this voyage will be a life-changing experience.

“A tall-ship voyage takes people out of their comfort zone and they will find things within themselves they didn’t realise were there.”

Finlay and Eleanor will rise at 4am for night-watch duties, climb the masts and navigate the high seas.

Funded by HSBC, over 500 teens have taken part in the past 11 years.