Ten more young Shetlanders set sail with The Tall Ships Races 2011

As Race One of The Tall Ships Races comes to a close, a further ten budding sailors have departed on the NorthLink Ferry from Lerwick to start their trip to Greenock, where they will join their respective ships to take part in the Cruise in Company element of The Tall Ships Races 2011 – Lerwick.

Over 40 young people from all over Shetland will taste life on the ocean wave this summer as they take part in the sail training experience with placements on seven Tall Ships during The Tall Ships Races 2011, presented by Szczecin, organised by Sail Training International.

This year, the trainees will also have the opportunity to record their efforts and experiences on The Tall Ships Races 2011 – Lerwick blog which is located on the website www.tallshipsraceslerwick.co.uk.  Populated in a diary style, the trainees will be blogging about their daily tasks and trials together with photographs of the ports they visit and images of their crew members.

Six trainees of the trainees were recruited and sponsored by Sail Training Shetland, with The Swan Trust providing funding for the other four would-be sailors to take part in the Races.

Peter Malcolmson, chairman of Sail Training Shetland, said:  “We’re delighted to be able to offer these young people the opportunity to participate in the Cruise in Company element of the Races.  They will have a wonderful experience and make some great new friends on their voyage, and will no doubt be great ambassadors for Shetland as they travel up the West Coast towards Lerwick.”

Peter Campbell, secretary of the Swan Trust, said "We are delighted to sponsor four Shetland trainees taking part in The Tall Ships Races - Cruise in Company and look forward to a fantastic opportunity to sail in Scottish waters and represent Shetland during our voyage up to Lerwick"
 
The four trainees sponsored by The Swan Trust are Rachel Sansom (16 from Walls), Tom Henderson (16 from Lerwick), Ryan Leask (15 from South Whiteness) and Heather Gray (18 from Unst).  They will join the Sail Training Shetland sponsored trainees Robert Gray (15 from Unst), Douglas Glavin Stevenson (15 from Whalsay), Declan Mark Turner (15 from Brae) and Drew Manson (15 from Brae) on Swan as she cruises around Scotland’s West Coast.  A further two trainees, Michael Thomson (19 from Unst) and Paul Gaffney (21 from Lerwick), will join Wylde Swan, a Class A sail training vessel from the Netherlands.

The Tall Ships Races, presented by Szczecin, organised by Sail Training International - a charity with a purpose in the development and education of young people, regardless of nationality, culture, religion, gender or social background, takes place in European waters every year, where the Ships’ either race or cruise in company between ports.

This sociable Cruise in Company voyage between Greenock and Lerwick will see 49 Tall Ships sail along Scotland’s west coast stopping off at guest harbours en-route. In addition to Campbeltown, Islay and Oban, the guest harbours on this leg also include Ullapool, Stornoway, Stromness, Kirkwall, Fair Isle, Scalloway, Whalsay, Cullivoe and Unst.