Trinity House

By partnering with Trinity House, we want to support young people in developing nautical skills.

Trinity House is a charity dedicated to safeguarding shipping and seafarers, providing education, support and welfare to the seafaring community with a statutory duty as a General Lighthouse Authority to deliver a reliable, efficient and cost-effective aids to navigation service for the benefit and safety of all mariners.

Their mission is to promote maritime safety and education and, with their support, we have been able to develop high-quality activities for the Nautical Skills Staged Activity Badge, Sailing Staged Activity Badge and Paddle Sports Staged Activity Badge.

These fun and engaging activities will educate more young about water safety, maritime traditions and how to safely take part in activities on the water. They help young people take an active role in all facets of being on the water, and do so in a safe and responsible manner where risk is managed; building all the skills necessary to also obtain RYA qualifications with a view to encouraging young people to consider maritime careers.

The safety of shipping and the well-being of seafarers have been the prime concerns of Trinity House since being incorporated by Royal Charter in 1514.

Find out more about Trinity House

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Activities

Mooring merchants

Master some nautical knots and learn about international trade as we become meeting place merchants.

Ages: 10½ to 14 | Takes: 45 minutes

Try Mooring merchants

Do moor, be more

See how less can be moor and which knots not to knot in this boat-parking practice run.

Ages: 8 to 14 | Takes: 25 minutes

Try mooring a boat

Seafaring scenes

Create nautical narratives from your aquatic adventure kit as we learn how to be safe at sea!

Ages: 8 to 14 | Takes: 45 minutes

Try Seafaring scenes

Buoyancy aid relays

Get ready for water activities by practising buoyancy aid skills.

Ages: 6 to 10½ | Takes: 10 minutes

Try Buoyancy aid relays

Throw bag grab

Show a person in need that you’ve got this one in the bag, by mastering this crucial rescue technique on land.

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 15 minutes

Try Throw bag grab

Whistle while you work

Pipe out instructions with a boatswain’s whistle as we learn how sailors at sea share nautical messages.

Ages: 8 to 14 | Takes: 25 minutes

Try Whistle while you work

Whipping into shape

Look after your rope and it’ll look after you. Learn how to care for the ends of rope with whippings and splices.

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 45 minutes

Try Whipping into shape

Pin the propeller on the powerboat

Learn what goes where on watercraft in this take on the classic party game.

Ages: 8 to 14 | Takes: 15 minutes

Try Pin the propeller on the powerboat

Port pilots

Use sound to get around, as we look at the nautical navigation of tricky tides, coursing currents and packed ports.

Ages: 8 to 14 | Takes: 30 minutes

Try Port pilots

Fly the flag

Develop that nautical knot knowledge and practise pioneering as we make flagpoles to hoist the colours.

Ages: 8 to 18 | Takes: 45 minutes

Try Fly the flag

Fashion a fender

Braid some brilliant boat bumpers from the right sort of rope as we whip up some fancy fenders.

Ages: 8 to 18 | Takes: 45 minutes

Try Fashion a fender

Hoist the colours

Whether you’re opening a Sea Scout meeting or leading a ceremony, have a go at hoisting the colours to say hello.

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 5 minutes

Try Hoist the colours

Wild wind

Find out how to tell a fresh breeze from a near gale in this game about the Beaufort scale.

Ages: 10½ to 14 | Takes: 30 minutes

Try Wild wind

When tides collide

Find out what makes the highest high and the lowest low in this game of tidal flow.

Ages: 10½ to 14 | Takes: 30 minutes

Try When tides collide

Rules of the nautical road

Find out who has right of way on the waves and learn about the International Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea.

Ages: 10½ to 14 | Takes: 1 hour

Try Rules of the nautical road

Flare fact finders

Learn about marine distress signals and VHF radio from an expert and discover if anyone has a flair for flares!

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 4 hours

Try Flare fact finders

Ship shape

Make sure your water activity prep is watertight by mastering watercraft maintenance and how to spot what to fix.

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 6 hours

Try Ship shape

Build a bottle boat

Learn some basic sailing terminology in this bottle-based, boat building bonanza.

Ages: 10½ to 14 | Takes: 45 minutes

Build a bottle boat

Prepare to paddle

Start your paddle sport journey with your first taster session.

Ages: 8 to 18 | Takes: 4 hour

Try Prepare to paddle

Either oar

Continue learning and developing your paddle sports skills with the next step in your journey.

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 4 hours

Try Either oar

For river and beyond

Take control of your paddle sports experience. Plan everything you need and learn as you go.

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 4 hours

Try For river and beyond

Advanced paddle sports

Take your paddling skills to the next level, choose which path to go down and paddle your way there.

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 6 hours

Try Advanced paddle sports

Mariners’ maps and mishaps

Tell stories from the high seas and learn to plot voyages on nautical charts.

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 1 hour 30 minutes

Try Mariners’ maps and mishaps

Moving with the tides

Learn the basics of nautical navigation and design active games to put your knowledge to the test.

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 1 hour

Try Moving with the tides

Nautical navigator

Keep track of your position out at sea by obtaining a fix and using a dead reckoning.

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 4 hours

Try Nautical navigator

Tie the tarp

Practise your knot-tying skills and prepare for water activities with this fast-paced team game.

Ages: 8 to 14 | Takes: 25 minutes

Try Tie the tarp

Person overboard

Feel confident about capsize and person overboard drills with these dry land dramas.

Ages: 6 to 10½ | Takes: 30 minutes

Try Person overboard

Water you taking?

Decide what equipment you’d take out on the water, and dash between ‘take’ and ‘leave’ to get it there.

Ages: 6 to 10½ | Takes: 10 minutes

Try Water you taking?

Paddle power

An active game that gets everyone warming up the muscles used when paddling.

Ages: 6 to 10½ | Takes: 10 minutes

Try Paddle power

Captain’s coming

Warm up for a day on the water and learn some sailing terminology in this energising game.

Ages: 6 to 14 | Takes: 10 minutes

Try Captain’s coming

Team kit review

Learn about the equipment you need for a water activity and build team togetherness.

Ages: 8 to 10½ | Takes: 20 minutes

Try Team kit review

Paddle pile-up

Can you choose the right items for canoeing or kayaking in different types of weather?

Ages: 6 to 10½ | Takes: 25 minutes

Try Paddle pile-up

Which craft?

Learn about different types of watercraft by working together to sort images into different categories.

Ages: 6 to 10½ | Takes: 30 minutes

Try Which craft?

Ship-tac-toe

Learn about water safety with this special game of noughts and crosses.

Ages: 8 to 14 | Takes: 20 minutes

Try Ship-tac-toe

Get afloat

Build a boat and find the perfect place to sail it.

Ages: 6 to 10½ | Takes: 40 minutes

Try Get afloat