by rtuckert | Mar 21, 2017 | Media, Miscellaneous, Special Interest, Trust
It's not every year that a ship wins the sailor of the year, but then the R. Tucker Thompson is no ordinary ship! In March the Trust and Trustees were awarded the Northland Regional Council's Sailor of the Year award by Council Chair Bill Shepherd. Accepting it on...
by rtuckert | Mar 21, 2017 | Environment, Media, Miscellaneous
The R. Tucker Thompson has been assessed by Qualmark under the new, more stringent criteria and has been awarded Qualmark Gold for their organisation. Since being wholly owned by Tourism New Zealand, the Qualmark criteria have undergone a major overhaul. Previously...
by rtuckert | Dec 18, 2012 | Miscellaneous, Tall Ship information, Trust
We had a special family reunion on board today! Tucker Thompson's two daughters Kelly and Karuna, along with Karuna's husband and children, came sailing with us. It's been over 12 years since they stepped on board the ship that bears their father's name and they were...
by rtuckert | Sep 20, 2012 | Miscellaneous, Special Interest, Tall Ship information
Our new Mains'l arrived a couple of weeks ago, but rather than put it on straight away, we wanted to getting the blacking of the standing rig to dry properly to prevent tar getting on the new canvas and well as replace some of the leather chafe gear to protect the...
by rtuckert | Aug 16, 2012 | Miscellaneous, Special Interest, Tall Ship information
While the storm raged last weekend, something exciting was happening inside the Emirates Team New Zealand sail loft down in Viaduct Basin. The Tucker's new mains'l was being cut and stitched. This unusual turn of events was thanks to Ross Blackman, who is not only...
by rtuckert | Aug 11, 2012 | Miscellaneous, Tall Ship information
We half way through maintenance and it would be fair to say that the weather has not been kind! Yesterday was the first day in recent memory that we had blue skies and sun all day. It gave our crew member Marsha Baker the chance to some work in the rigging. Otherwise...
Deckhand
Executive Trustee
If you have secured your funding, please download the full application form
We work hard to get funding assistance to help young people to take part in our youth development voyages and encourage sponsorship for students. We are able to offer a payment plan with weekly or fortnightly payments of as little as $20. We also recommend you contact your nearest Lions Club, Rotary Club or Freemasons in your local community. The Fletcher Building Employee Educational Fund also offers their employees’ dependants funding for voyages (please apply direct). Thanks to the generous support of donations received, business sponsors, community groups such as Lions, Zonta and funding organisations such as Lotteries and Gaming Trusts we also have grants available and are able to reduce the cost of the voyages from $1,450 per child to between $200-$500 and in some instances at no fee, although a koha is expected.
If you wish to apply for a grant or sponsorship from the R. Tucker Thompson, please download the Grant Application form.
PDF form also available here
Youth Coordinator
Pauline job shares the youth programmes role with Sophie, responsible for liaising with schools and community groups explaining how our youth development voyages help students to make positive changes in their lives. She’s had wide and varied career in a number of roles but is above all an educator. She has taught Outdoor Education, Tourism and been Project Island Song’s Educator on their Floating Classroom. She’s also worked with the Department of Conservation in a number of community liaison roles as well as run her own adventure kayaking business. Pauline is also a very experienced sailor having spent three years sailing from Borneo to the Caribbean via Cape of Good Hope on board the junk rigged yacht, Zebedee.
Cadet
Zeran is a keen young sailor whose background in sailing started through his experiences of Waka Hourua (a traditional Polynesian sailing catamaran). Zeran has also been aboard the “Tucker” for two youth voyages and is currently undertaking the role of cadet where he will complete his training to acquire his STCW certificate.
Zeran is a driven young Māori tāne who is passionate about learning tikanga and kaupapa Māori as well as embracing the ways of his tūpuna ancestors.
Bosun/Senior Master
Ben came to us from across the ditch (Australia). He arrived in New Zealand with his young family to buy a cruising yacht with the goal to experience the world with his wife and 2 daughters. Now with borders closed, he is happily living aboard here and spending time with his NZ family.
Ben has 25 years of tall ship experience, having sailed across 3 oceans and to many countries on square riggers. He sailed on 6 square riggers and was master on 2 and mate on the others. He also worked on 3 gaff tops’l schooners and sailed around the SW Pacific and coastal NZ and Australia on a gaff tops’l cutter that he and his wife owned. We welcome his experience that many thousands of sea miles on similar ships gains.
Trustee
Trustee
Trustee
Trustee
Trustee
Trustee
Chair
Relief Deckhand
Relief Deckhand
Relief Master
Cadet
Deckhand
Jess hails from Canada, a French Canadian fluent in both French and English. She owns a sea kayak company in the Yukon Territory, Canada, and has guided groups on overnight wilderness experiences making sure that they were operated in a safe environment. In addition, she has formal qualifications in Special Education and has a background of working with young people including teenagers with behavioural disorders. Jessica has also spent time sailing in the Carribean. She brings her positive nature and cheerful enthusiasm to every voyage to ensure that all our trainees have an amazing experiences on board.
Master
Sales & Operations Manager
Youth Coordinator
Deckhand
As a child, Chynna was very adventurous – she spent many days at the beach. She was very in tune with the ocean and grew up doing surf lifesaving club, adventure racing, and many other sports. She even had Moko the dolphin as a swimming companion for many years. He was a huge influence on her career path. In 2014, Chynna took an 8-week trip to Australia, volunteering at the dolphin centre in Bunbury Perth. In 2016 she completed a Marine and Eco-tourism course through Northtec, Kerikeri – this course taught her a lot, including how to sail.
In February 2017, she became one of the core crew aboard the R Tucker Thompson. With the knowledge she has accumulated and her training on the R Tucker Thompson, she and her fiancé have recently purchased a 33 foot yacht in the hopes of one day sailing it offshore.