Tall ship sailing in the Bay of Islands

The R. Tucker Thompson is an iconic gaff rigged tops'l schooner based in the Bay of Islands. Operated as a social enterprise, we run tourism sailings over summer, with profits used to fund youth development voyages over winter. Nau mai, haere mai, welcome on board!

Your tall ship sailing adventure starts here!

There are few places in the world where people can take part in sailing a traditional heritage vessel, and not in a stunning location such as the Bay of Islands.

Join us for a Day Sail

Help as much or as little as you like. Let the crew do the work or help hoist the sails and be in the crew.
Adult: NZ $159 Child: NZ $79.50

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Sundowner Sailing

If you are short on time, or just want a taste of sailing, then our Sundowner sailing is perfect.
Adult: NZ $67.50 Child: NZ $33.75

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3-day Bay of Islands Discovery Voyage

For something more adventurous,  join us for our 3- day Bay of Islands Discovery Voyage. A unique experience to truly discover the Bay.

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Charter the ship

If you want to build your own adventure, then you can charter the ship. Let us create an amazing experience for a few hours, a full day or overnight too. Talk to us about your special request.

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School Experiences

Whether you are a Kura Kaupapa Māori, Primary, Intermediate or Secondary school, we are able to offer an awesome educational experience for your students.

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Youth Development Work

We run 7-day voyages for the young people of Taitokerau Northland over winter. Designed to build confidence, create teamwork and develop leadership, these are life changing experiences.

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Support us

Your donation can help change the life of a young person. Whether you choose to make a one time donation, sponsor a child, or provide an ongoing commitment, every dollar we raise goes directly to our youth development work.

Donate Now

Bay of Islands Sailing

Sailing on the R.Tucker Thompson leaves a lasting impression to be cherished for years. The Bay of Islands is a magical place and to experience a great Tall Ship on your visit will create memories for a lifetime. 

View Experiences

  • star rating  Went with a group of school kids on a outing, great crew, nice lunch and kids loved climbing the rigging and jumping off the boat

    Phil R
    4/04/2021

  • star rating  A lovely day shared with Whanau. Sailing on the beautiful R.Tucker Thompson. Recommend as a must do in Russell. Great food, great crew, beautiful scenery and... read more

    SueW238
    3/12/2021

  • star rating  A day out on the R Tucker Tompson was awesome. The crew, lead by Captain Steve made the day fun and informative. Although I wasn't brave enough to go up... read more

    KevinD2135
    3/01/2021

  • star rating  Everything was great! We considered ourselves fortunate that there were only 13 passengers (4 crew) on our two hour Sundowner sail since that perhaps made it more intimate. The best... read more

    LandC46
    3/01/2021

  • star rating  Fantastic day out with a fun, friendly and informative crew.
    We had a go helping hoist the sails, climb rigging and even took the helm!
    Very much recommend... read more

    Pinotfi
    2/25/2021

  • star rating  I went on this cruise as a single person and enjoyed every minute. Interaction was encouraged but I diidn’t feel I had to . The crew were fantastic - really... read more

    Linda W
    2/21/2021

YTH-2101 Rima Ra

by | April 12, 2021 | Voyage Blogs | 0 Comments

Kia Ora from the R Tucker Thompson Another full on day full of activities and sunshine. Our morning started off with the traditional morning swim, shortly after followed morning duties and breakfast. Straight after dishes we weighed anchor and motored around the...
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YTH-2101 Wha Ra

by | April 11, 2021 | Voyage Blogs | 0 Comments

Kia Ora from the RTT, Nice wake up this morning to a sensationally sunny day. After our morning swim, duties and breakfast, we demolished the dishes and hauled anchor. We set sail, rotating through stations. Noah and Kymani guided us out at the helm. The destination...
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YTH-2101 Toru Ra

by | April 10, 2021 | Voyage Blogs | 0 Comments

Kia Ora from the R Tucker Thompson Today we started with hoisting the anchor as soon as we finished our chilly morning swim. We made our way over to Parekura Bay, where we split into two groups and half of us went up the rig and completed our tucker challenge. The...
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YTH-2101 Rua Ra

by | April 9, 2021 | Voyage Blogs | 0 Comments

Ahoy from the R. Tucker Thompson! We have all turned into salty sailors now, what a busy day! It’s almost hard to remember the beginning, a quick morning swim in beautiful turquoise water framed by the cliffs and sand off Roberton Island. After doing the chores we...
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YTH-2101 Tahi Ra

by | April 8, 2021 | Voyage Blogs | 0 Comments

. Ahoy from the R Tucker Thompson What a great start to the first voyage of the season!! As we departed Opua, we set the Main sail, Fore sail, headsails, topsail and set a course for Roberton island. During our sail we enjoyed some quick activities learning each...
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Voyage Blogs

Check out the latest updates from on board the ship to find out what our young trainees are getting up to. 

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Contact Us

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