Fowey

Fowey, Cornwall. Our home

Morvargh Sailing Project is rooted in Fowey. This is where our vessel is moored, where most of our voyages begin and end, and where our relationship with the sea is lived day to day. Fowey is not just a location; it’s part of who we are. We moved the Project and Helen Mary R to Fowey during 2020. Nestled within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Fowey Harbour offers sheltered deep water, strong maritime heritage, and a living connection between commercial shipping, leisure sailing, and community life. It is an exceptional place to run a Sail Training organisation.

There is a real and pressing need for Sail Training in Cornwall. Despite its coastline, many young people grow up with limited access to the sea, outdoor challenges, or residential experiences that build confidence and aspiration. Cornwall remains one of the most economically challenged regions in England. Many communities face lower incomes, seasonal employment, and reduced access to enrichment opportunities. For some young people, the sea is visible but unreachable.

Sail Training helps bridge that gap. By offering structured, supported access to the maritime environment, we provide young people with experiences that expand horizons, raise ambition, and build belief in what is possible.

We are proud to be based in Fowey Harbour, a busy, professionally run port that welcomes thousands of visiting vessels each year alongside commercial shipping. The harbour team plays a vital role in maintaining safe, accessible waters for all users.

Their support and belief in the Project have been instrumental in establishing Morvargh in Fowey.

The experiences that Morvargh provides offer an opportunity for young people from all backgrounds to experience sailing and the health and well-being benefits that being ‘on the water’ provides. We hope that it helps to nurture the next generation of leisure and competitive sailors in our community and maybe even some that go on to choose a career in the maritime sector.

Captain Paul Thomas, Fowey Harbour Master

Since 2017, Helen Mary R has served as the committee boat for the Fowey Royal Regatta, working alongside the Port of Fowey Race Organising Committee. This role reflects our commitment to supporting grassroots sailing and contributing to the life of the port.

Each year, the regatta includes a Sail Training Class, created to give young people the opportunity to take part in yacht racing as part of the regatta programme. The Port of Fowey Race Organising Committee sponsors Morvargh to take a group of Cornish young people to sea for this race, sailing offshore to Falmouth and back alongside other Sail Training vessels.

The race brings together young sailors from Morvargh and other UK Sail Training organisations in a supportive and celebratory environment, offering many participants their first experience of offshore sailing and yacht racing. In 2026, we mark our tenth year serving as the regatta’s committee boat and the third year of the Sail Training Class race. This year, seven vessels and more than fifty young people will take part, reflecting the growing enthusiasm for Sail Training within the regatta and the wider maritime community.

Fowey’s ability to bring together volunteers, clubs, and harbour users is one of its great strengths; it mirrors the values we aim to instil aboard.

While Fowey is our home, our work extends across Cornwall and the wider South West. We regularly sail to and work with ports such as Falmouth, Plymouth, the Isles of Scilly, and beyond. This wider network allows young people to experience different ports, cultures, and maritime settings. It also connects Morvargh into a broader ecosystem of Sail Training, seamanship, and opportunity, while remaining firmly grounded in our Cornish identity.

Supported by our local maritime community

Morvargh does not operate in isolation. We work within a network of local organisations, clubs, and skilled individuals who share our belief in Sail Training and in the value of keeping maritime knowledge alive.

Our two sailing clubs in particular play a vital role in the life of the port and in supporting our work: Royal Fowey Yacht Club and Fowey Gallants Sailing Club. Through their members, volunteers, and shared commitment to getting people afloat, these clubs help create a welcoming and active sailing culture in which Morvargh is proud to play a part.

Their support, practical, personal, and ongoing, strengthens the sense that Sail Training in Fowey is something owned by the community, not delivered to it. 

Where specialist support is needed, we make a conscious effort to work with local maritime businesses and craftspeople. This approach keeps knowledge, skills, and investment within the Cornish maritime economy and ensures that Helen Mary R is cared for by people who understand both the vessel and the waters she sails in.

Our vessel engineering and technical support is provided by ADR Marine, led by Adam, whose expertise and calm professionalism underpin the boat's reliability and safety.

Our sails are designed, built, maintained, and supported by Sail Shape, with Alan’s experience ensuring the rig works as it should for Sail Training. These relationships matter. They ensure that work is done to a high standard, knowledge is shared, problems are solved collaboratively, and the vessel remains fit for purpose as a Sail Training platform.

Keeping a 57-foot Sail Training vessel operating safely and responsibly is not a small task. It relies on trust, professionalism, and long-term relationships. By working with local clubs, volunteers, and businesses, we ensure Morvargh remains rooted in its community and resilient for the future.

For young people, this offers an additional lesson: that strong communities are built through cooperation, shared responsibility, and pride in local skills. As a volunteer-led organisation, Morvargh Sailing Project depends on the goodwill, time, and belief of many people, both afloat and ashore. The support we receive in and around Fowey has been generous, practical, and heartfelt. This sense of shared ownership matters. It allows us to offer young people experiences that are challenging, joyful, and genuinely life-changing.

We can't thank the Fowey community enough for their continued belief and support.