Tenacious, the tall ship that has been designed and built to be manned by a mixed crew of disabled people and able-bodied staff, will definitely partake in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the 3rd June 2012 to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The Jubilee Sailing Trust operates the ship. It will form part of a flotilla of 1,000 vessels – the biggest gathering of boats on the Thames in modern history.

Pleasure boats, rowing boats and working boats of all sizes and shapes, dressed with Union Jacks and streamers, will stretch over a distance of more than 2.5 miles on that glorious day. With a length of 65m, Tenacious will be one of the biggest ships taking part.

As can be expected, everyone involved with the Jubilee Sailing Trust is very excited that their ship has been chosen to partake in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. Alex Lochrane, the Chief Executive, said “Our Trust was founded in 1978 thanks to a grant from the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Fund and so we were keen for Tenacious to represent this legacy and be part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations 34 years later. It means a great deal to us.”

Tenacious and Lord Nelson, the trust’s other ship, are the only two on earth that have been purpose-built for disabled and able-bodied men and woman to sail alongside one another as equals.

Over the past 34 years, the Trust has taken more than 36,000 people to sea, 14,000 of which were disabled – including 5,000 wheelchair users. For many of them it was a life-changing experience.