Excelsior, a maritime icon of Suffolk, is departing Lowestoft on the 4^th May for her busy 2024 sailing season, heading to Scotland and the Orkneys, Faroes and Shetland to Lithuania, Finland, Scandinavia and Poland.

This year Lowestoft Town Council and the Excelsior Trust are announcing a partnership and collaboration agreement that will see more local young people being given the opportunity to sail a traditional Lowestoft Trawler on short and long trips. The Trust will be encouraging young people to contact them to apply for bursary funding for sailing experiences.

The Council have commissioned a Lowestoft pennant for the vessel to proudly fly in all foreign ports which will be presented to the Excelsior Trust at an official send off event on Thursday 2^nd May.  Excelsior’s far-reaching programme this season will include an artists’ residency from Orkney to the Faroe Islands and Shetland in partnership with the Great Yarmouth-based Utter Nonsense Project.  Following on from that the vessel will be travelling across to the Baltic taking groups of young people aged 15-25 to participate in the full Tall Ships Races 2024 campaign and will be the only UK historic ship present.

Excelsior Trust spokesperson said: “The support of the Council in this exciting year for us is hugely appreciated.  Excelsior will be a roving maritime ambassador for Lowestoft and we are proud to carry the flag of our home port.”

Presenting the pennant to Excelsior skipper Charlotte Hathaway the Town Mayor, Cllr Sonia Barker said: “I am delighted to be able to present this pennant on behalf of the people of Lowestoft as we give an official send off to the Excelsior.  As a recipient of the Freedom of the Town in 2021 and as our international ambassador, I am excited to hear about the experiences that local young people will have the opportunity to participate in thanks to this growing partnership between Lowestoft Town Council and the Excelsior Trust.”

Anyone wishing to follow the progress of Excelsior during the Tall Ships Race (27^th June to 5^th August) can do so here:- Tracker (theexcelsiortrust.co.uk)

To visit this year’s sailing calendar:- 2024 (theexcelsiortrust.co.uk)