In May 2023 we went on the Voyage to Recovery on tall ship Faramir with the Cirdan trust charity. We sailed from Anglesey in Wales to Ireland, the Isle of Man and back to Whitehaven in England. This was a life changing experience for the service users and staff that went on the voyage; the extreme physical and environmental challenge was like nothing most of us had experienced before and has so many benefits. All the service users were at different stages in their recovery from psychosis and this trip was like an “accelerated recovery process”. Being immersed in such an experience helped to build self-confidence and overcome social anxiety and low motivation, reduced stigma as we were “all in the same boat!. We all worked towards the same goal of sailing the Irish sea, experienced extreme highs and lows and built real stress resilience. This has a long-lasting impact on all the sailors, and most are now recovered, future focused and involved in study or work.

Quotes from some of those who sailed on the voyage to recovery 2023 and their families:

“It feels as though it has built up muscle memory for both meeting strangers and being in other challenging situations in the future”.

“….transferrable changes, not just on the boat, you can go off and do stuff. I wouldn’t underestimate the impact. Meeting people and sharing experiences was massive”.

“The voyage to recovery was a transformative experience. You have come back with a more ‘can do’ attitude came back taller, looking life in the eye”.