| 05 July 2006 - School Aboard – 22 years of ‘educational cruising’ |
| Voyages of Discovery celebrated twenty-two years of ‘educational cruising’ in 2005; the following extract has been written by David A Baskott who has been with the company from the very beginning. Historically, Educational cruising was introduced in 1932 when a Government troopship was used to carry a ship full of Scottish schoolboys for a two weeks cruise from Leith to Scandinavia. The following cruise that summer holiday was for a ship full of English schoolboys from Middlesbrough. The Second World War put an end to school cruising, and it was not until 1962 that British India Steam Navigation, a division of P&O Cruises, converted two troopships, Dunera and Devonia, to school cruising. A few years later a third ship was converted, and Nevasa joined the operation. These three ships carried thousands of British and Canadian students on cruises from British ports to Scandinavia, the Canaries and the Mediterranean. When the Suez Canal was blocked and the East African nation of Rhodesia declared UDI another BI vessel became available for school cruising! In 1968 Uganda replaced the old troopers, Dunera and Devonia. Fly cruising was introduced, replacing the challenge of 'train-ing' students to Genoa and Venice. By 1975 only Uganda continued Educational Cruising in a year-round programme. In 1982 Uganda was requisitioned by H.M.Government as the Hospital ship for the Task Force to the South Atlantic Ocean to evict the Argentineans who had occupied the Falkland Islands. Uganda briefly returned to school cruising, but she was finally withdrawn from school cruising at the end of the 1982 season when the government again called upon her services, this time as a ‘troopship-cum-ferry’ to operate between the Falklands and Ascension Island. In 1984 Schools Abroad, which had specialised in skiing, foreign exchange, Geographical field tours overseas and similar activities took up the programme of school cruising. The Sussex-based schools’ tour operator chartered (or cruised on) the following vessels: Neptunia, Castalia, Jupiter, Orient Express, World Renaissance, Betsy Ross, Odysseus, Triton, Canberra, Romantica, Baltica (later renamed Princess Danae), Arcadia, Olympic (which was renamed The Topaz in 1998), Aegean Dolphin (later renamed Aegean I), Ocean Majesty, Aegean Spirit, Arion, Funchal and Ocean Monarch. In 2006 we charter ms Sapphire. We commenced adult educational cruises in the autumn of 1988 aboard the Jupiter. Two years ago we embarked on a charter of mv Discovery and in May 2005, to our great satisfaction, we complete the purchase of this vessel. In twenty-two eventful and thoroughly enjoyable years, we have come a long way from a converted Irish Sea ferry! For a time we were “Schools Abroad” based in Haywards Heath; later we traded for a year as “Quest” in Brighton. Then we became “Discovery Cruises” and moved to St John’s Wood, London. Since late March 1995 we have been “VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY”. In December 1999 we combined with “Pavilion Tours” from Brighton and “Sports-time Events” and moved the group to a new office in Burgess Hill. A part of the group is based at London Bridge “Discover Egypt”. Our parent company is called “All Leisure Group plc” based in Burgess Hill. Voyages of Discovery, Lynnem House, 1 Victoria Way, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9NF Tel: 0844 822 0838 ATOL 3897 Air Travel Organiser’s Licence Fax: 0844 822 0800 ABTA WO302 Association of British Travel Agents Email: schools@voyagesofdiscovery.com Passenger Shipping Association Member website: www.schoolcruises.com AITO Association of Independent Tour Operators |
