Experience a summer day sail or evening cruise in the Bay of Islands on the iconic R. Tucker Thompson, a traditional gaff-rigged schooner with a unique history. Make it an active adventure – help hoist the sails and climb the rigging – or relax with a cold drink and feel the breeze on your skin. It’s a trip for the memory bank! Book now.
Summer sailing 5 December 2024 – 21 April 2025
When we’re not offering day sails and sundowners to visitors to the Bay of Islands we are busy delivering Northland’s only multi-day youth development programme. We provide life-changing experiences to 14-18 year olds during our 7-day youth voyages.
Any surplus from our tourism activities supports young people to participate in these voyages. So you can sail away knowing your day out is supporting us to change lives.
The best way to discover the Bay of Islands
A day sail on the iconic R. Tucker Thompson is one of the few opportunities to go sailing on a working tall ship, in one of the most spectacularly beautiful parts of New Zealand, the Bay of Islands.
“Sailing on the R. Tucker Thompson was the best day of our holiday!”
With the wind behind us, this is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to see the Bay; you can be sure your carbon footprint is minimal. Our day sails operate from December until April, after which time we revert to our youth development voyages.
Day Sail includes:
If you are visiting the Bay of Islands for the day on a cruise ship, we would love for you to experience a day out sailing in the Bay on the R. Tucker Thompson. Check if your cruise ship has organised a charter with us otherwise you need to make your own transfer arrangements.
See more information here.
Adult – NZ $179
Child – NZ $89
Includes morning tea, lunch and ferry transfers from Paihia. Infants under 5 go free (no meals included).
Our 2024 Day Sails resume on 3 December and continue to 21 April 2025.
The ship is available for charter or school sailings throughout the year subject to availability.
Adult (16+ yrs)
Child (5-15yrs)
Infant (0-4yrs)
Departs
9:30 am Paihia (via passenger ferry)
10:00 am Russell Wharf
Returns
3:30 pm Russell Wharf
4:00 pm Paihia (via passenger ferry)
NB: Times shown are latest departure times. Ferry tickets are transferable so that earlier and later ferries can be taken if required.
A perfect way to end the day!
This short Sundowner sail on board the tall ship R. Tucker Thompson is perfect if you don’t have time for a full day in the Bay but still want a unique tall ship experience. Departing from Russell wharf at 4.00pm, the trip is a relaxing sail through the Inner Bay around the area of Paihia, Waitangi and the Black Rocks.
You can head over to Russell earlier in the day to explore this historic village before boarding the ship at 4.00 pm. After the sailing, you can choose to dine at one of the restaurants in Russell before heading home.
Scheduled trips are offered on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, until the end of April.
A Sundowner Sail includes:
Adult – NZ $99
Child – NZ $49
Includes your return ferry transfer from Paihia if required and shared antipasto platter; infants under 5 go free (no food included).
Scheduled Sundowner sailings are on Fridays, Sundays, and Wednesdays.
Our 2024 Day Sails resume on 3 December 2024 and continue to 21 April 2025.
Adult (16+ yrs)
Child (5-15 yrs)
Infant (0-4 yrs)
Departs
3:30 pm Paihia (via passenger ferry)
4:00 pm Russell Wharf
Returns
5:45 pm Russell Wharf
6:00 pm Paihia (via passenger ferry)
NB: Times shown are latest departure times. Ferry tickets are transferable so that earlier and later ferries can be taken if required.
Discover the Bay, discover yourself!
Sail and explore the world-famous Bay of Islands for 3 days and 2 nights on board the iconic R. Tucker Thompson tall ship.
Now is your chance to stay overnight on this beautiful tall ship and experience the Bay of Islands through a different lens. You’ll get to explore the amazing history and stunning scenery of this beautiful part of Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Learn about tall ship sailing, the history of the bay and this special vessel. Wake up and enjoy a morning swim and spend your days exploring, diving, and if you are lucky enjoying some fresh seafood, along with the beautiful sunsets and clear waters. The 3-day voyage includes all meals, bunk style accommodation and shared facilities. Bring your friends and have an adventure you will remember forever! We can take a maximum of 10 people.
Surplus income from our summer sailing goes towards funding places for young Northlanders on a 7-day youth development voyage.
From $1825 per person
By charter only
These sailings are currently only available via private charter, contact us at info@tucker.co.nz to enquire about dates and prices.
You don’t need to be super fit to enjoy yourself but a reasonable degree of mobility is required to get below decks and in and out of the tender. The walks on the islands would be classified as low to medium grade difficulty, generally no more than a couple of hours. Our goal is to make the ship accessible, and we have taken people with minimal vision, limited hearing and physical disabilities before. Ask us if you have any concerns.
This is not a cruise, it’s a tall ship experience. You’ll be sleeping in bunk beds in a shared space, which are more comfortable than hammocks but definitely more on the glamping scale. If you’ve slept in a marae, you’ll know what that’s like! We do recommend that you bring ear plugs in case other passengers snore.
You can see a full interactive scan of the ship here.
Your Discovery Voyage will be based on our successful Youth Development Voyage format although morning swims will be subject to agreement from the group. We’ll be keeping the sailing, navigation, history and environmental modules from our programme, which will form the basis of your voyage.
