Sharon Swan was intrigued when she saw a Bermuda Sailors’ Home advertisement for crew.

The newspaper notice did not say for what vessel, or when the voyage would be, but she immediately went to its office on Richmond Road.

“I was only around the corner anyway,” the 72-year-old said.

She was told that the advertisement was for Tenacious, a 23-year-old sail training vessel, which is one of the largest wooden ships built in Britain in more than 100 years.

The tall ship, run by the Jubilee Sailing Trust in Southampton, England, was outfitted to accommodate people who were able-bodied and those with physical, mental or cognitive challenges.

Ms Swan, who retired as matron of Westmeath Residential and Nursing Home in 2018, volunteered herself and her nursing skills.

The vessel did not require any previous sailing experience, which was lucky because she had none to speak of.

“I had never been sailing,” she said. “But I come from a seafaring background. My grandfather, John William DeShield, was taken up to Dockyard when he was 17 and signed up with the British Navy. I knew I had it in me.”

Her application to the programme was accepted and she sailed through the Caribbean on Tenacious in February 2020 with three other Bermudians.

“We returned right before Covid-19 hit,” she said.

As much as she wanted to go a second time, she focused on recruiting Bermudians as crew. Although there is a fee attached, bursaries are in place to make the voyages accessible. Last week the Bermuda Sailors’ Home presented JST with a $20,000 donation to help.

“It is a wonderful opportunity,” she said. “This year two other Bermudians were supposed to go. Then at the last minute one became ill and the other could not get their passport on time. I thought someone from Bermuda should go. Me going was kind of last minute.”

She sailed from Falmouth Harbour in Antigua on March 11.

“With the first trip, we left Antigua and stopped at other islands,” she said. “We got off and did some sightseeing. With this voyage we just sailed straight to Bermuda.”

The Warwick resident was one of 35 volunteers aiding nine permanent crew members. She was the oldest woman on board, but not the oldest person. There was also an 83-year-old retired sailor from England. The youngest person was 22.

The trip was demanding. Everyone had to learn ship safety: what to do if it caught fire or if someone went overboard.

They were assembled in groups for watches at night; to navigate, to handle the sails, to keep things clean and help with meal preparation.

There was no training ahead of time. They learnt as they went, leaning on the permanent crew for guidance.

Putting up and taking down the sails was challenging.

“You have to pull the rope together, as a group, to get the sails up,” she said. “Someone would be behind you and they would shout, ‘Two, six, heave!’”

Ms Swan, who describes herself as “not super fit”, eventually got into the swing of it.

Once the sails were unfurled they were a sight to behold.

“The ship has 21 sails,” she said. “Once we had 17 sails unfurled. It was beautiful, beautiful. It felt very good to know that you were a part of all those sails being up.”

Putting the sails away was just as difficult as getting them up because it required knot tying.

“In the Girl Guides, they always taught us that once you know your knots you never forget. Maybe I just wasn’t paying attention enough in Girl Guides,” she laughed.

The entire vessel is equipped for people with physical, visual, auditory or cognitive challenges. For example, there are grooves in the deck to lock a wheelchair into place; the sinks in the bathroom go up and down.

“There is even a hoist to lift a wheelchair up the mast,” Ms Swan said.

She volunteered to climb the mast on both voyages.

“They have to first certify that you are able to do it,” she said. “It was high. I did not feel scared, because they guide you along in such a way that you feel so comfortable.”

She had a great time socialising with the rest of the crew. One lady was writing a book, another person was a geologist. Ms Swan was fascinated by his sextant, a historical navigation instrument that sailors used to determine the angle between the horizon and a celestial body such as the Moon or Sun.

Although the voyage was a little choppy when they left Antigua she got her “sea legs after a day or two”.

Tenacious arrived in Bermuda on March 25, a day earlier than expected.

“It was thrilling to see Bermuda again,” Ms Swan said. “A local pilot got on board off St David’s Head. We sailed up past Fort St Catherine’s. My uncle lives above Tobacco Bay. I called him and said, ‘Come out and see me sailing by.’”

She is not sure if she will do it again but would love to see other Bermudians take part.

“JST has voyages all around the world,” Ms Swan said. “They also have day sails for people to get a taste of it.”

Tenacious left the island yesterday with Bermudian Brenden Fox. It is sailing on a 25-day voyage to Dorset in England, via the Azores.

The cost of travelling with Tenacious varies based on the trip. For more information, visit jst.org.uk or www.bermudasailorshome.com