About Us

This initiative follows on from the success of various sail training schemes since 2006 and builds on the successful placement of trainees during The Tall Ships Races event hosted in Shetland during 2011.

We provide annual sail training opportunities to young people aged between 15 and 25 years from all over Shetland, using our partnerships with tall ship operators to provide sail training on a variety of different ships. Our objectives are:

• To provide opportunities for the development and education of young people from Shetland and elsewhere (aged 15 to 25 years) inspiring positive change through the adventure, challenge and experience of Sail Training.

• To provide, in the interests of education, citizenship and community development, sail training opportunities and other leisure time occupation available to young people with a view to improving and advancing their life skills, knowledge and personal development.

• To promote, establish and operate sail training schemes of a charitable nature for the benefit of the community.

• To promote education and to provide, or assist in the provision of, facilities and opportunities for outdoor education, recreation or other leisure-time occupation in the interests of social welfare for young people with the main object of increasing their prospects of obtaining paid employment, of improving their conditions of life and helping develop their physical and mental capacities so that they may grow to full maturity as individuals and members of society.

The current Committee Members of Sail Training Shetland are:-

Having been with Sail Training Shetland since it started in 2009, I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the team creating exciting sail training adventures every year. Meeting the young folk and preparing them for their trips, then seeing the transformation when they return is amazing!

As a founding member and treasurer of Sail Training Shetland since 2009, and having previously been involved with part-time youth work, it is always so positive to see the visible benefits that our young people take away from participating in the adventures that we arrange. Witnessing the change in our trainees when they return with all their great stories is so rewarding!

I joined the committee in 2018, a few years after having taken part in life-changing voyages through Sail Training Shetland. I wanted to contribute to organising these incredible experiences for other young people as a token of my gratitude and passion for sail training. It is the most rewarding journey, especially knowing how much fun the young folk are going to have! I can’t say I don’t occasionally long to join them at sea again, but hearing all about their experiences when they return each year gives me so much more joy!

As a former sail trainee (2006 on the majestic Bark Europa), I have personal experience on the immense value and growth such a trip can offer, and it is a pleasure to be able to help facilitate this experience for the younger members of our community.

I first became involved in sailing and Tall Ships races in the early 1990s, leading to participating in the Swan Trust and crewing on Swan LK243, including taking part in Tall Ships Races, Small Ships Races and Nordisk Seilas. When Sail Training Shetland was established in 2009, I was appointed secretary and then became Chair in 2011-2023. Having had a career as a former headteacher and SIC councillor, I am committed to providing opportunities to enable young people to develop their potential through sail training.

I became involved with Sail Training Shetland to keep a tradition alive and let the younger generation share in that experience.

As a previous Sail Training Shetland sail trainee, in 2018 I decided to get involved in the committee as I wanted to give the next generation the opportunity to have some of the life-changing experiences that I was fortunate enough to be involved in. Since being a trainee I gained the confidence from my voyages to travel to over 40 countries and had a career at sea.

I joined the Sail Training Shetland Committee as I was a sail trainee myself in 2011 and absolutely loved the experience! I feel very strongly that a sail training experience can be pivotal in a young person’s life and I wanted to be involved in helping that happen!

My previous trips as a former sail trainee with Sail Training Shetland have been a huge motivation in my decision to join the committee. Seeing first-hand the positive experiences and perspective sail training can provide to young people - I wanted to get involved with the work STS does to provide young people with these amazing opportunities to get out on the water.

I am a former sail trainee through Sail Training Shetland having sailed on the Tall Ship Christian Radich from Kristiansand to Hartlepool back in 2010. I loved the experience and joined the Sail Training Shetland committee not long after. I believe that Sail Training Shetland provides the most unique and worthwhile experiences for young people. The benefits to the sail trainees of these voyages (including myself) can be life-changing.