Turn to Starboard.
I was honoured to be invited as the photographer aboard the Irene — a 19th-century West Country trading ketch — as she journeyed from Gloucester to Falmouth via the Isles of Scilly. This voyage was not just a passage through some of Britain’s most storied waters, but a living, breathing mission carried by the veterans’ charity Turn to Starboard, which empowers military veterans through sail training and maritime adventure.
My role was to quietly observe and document — to capture the raw salt of the sea, the silent camaraderie between shipmates, the weathered beauty of traditional sail, and the resilience of those aboard. Sailing with veterans who have navigated complex journeys of their own gave this project a depth beyond the horizon — it was a meditation on healing, connection, and the sea as both metaphor and refuge.
The Irene herself, with her timeworn timbers and graceful lines, became a character in the story. Each image seeks to preserve not only the romance of traditional seamanship but also the personal narratives unfolding on deck — moments of solitude, laughter, labour, and reflection.
This body of work serves as both a visual logbook and a tribute — to the enduring spirit of veterans, the legacy of working sail, and the transformational power of wind and water.