MORE than 50 able and disabled people have set sail from Southampton, bound for France aboard the largest wooden boat built in this country since 1900 - The Tenacious.

The voyage has been organised as a joint venture between the city-based Jubilee Sailing Trust, a charity that offers disabled people the chance to sail the seas, and prominent businesses across the city as a community building exercise.

The three businesses involved, Southampton International Airport, The Outer Shirley Regeneration Board and Southampton University, all had to pay a share of the ship's costs in return for a place for two of their workers.

Tenacious is a purpose-built tall ship designed to carry people of all abilities, and can accommodate 20 able-bodied and 20 disabled voyagers, including eight wheelchair-bound.

The ship was built in Southampton by local craftsman and 1,500 volun-teers of differing abilities, and cost £14m to finish.

She was named by a mysterious benefactor who donated £1.25m to the cost of completing the build.

The Jubilee Sailing Trust that commissioned her, and which also owns her sister vessel, The Lord Nelson, were simply unable to cope with the amount of requests for places they were getting with just the one ship.

The Southampton-based charity was started in 1978 and has so far given more than 15,000 disabled people the opportunity to sail the Atlantic.

For more information on the work of the Jubilee Sailing Trust, contact 023 8044 9108 or visit www.jst.org.uk