Tall ships trainees’ fantastic adventure
THE FIRST leg of this year’s Tall Ships Races ended in Måløy last weekend with five young Shetlanders aboard the first-placed Class A ship Christian Radich.
Ian Adamson, Hannah Mary Goodlad, Josh Sansom, Magnus Stout and Shona Williamson, all 18, spent two weeks as sail trainees on the Norwegian fully-rigged ship on what they have described as a “fantastic adventure”.
All the arriving crews were treated to hot sunny weather in Måløy and enjoyed the crew parade on Friday evening, as well as sports and cultural events laid on, including a trip into the surrounding mountains to view a spectacular glacier.
The five Shetland trainees spent the week in Måløy before heading south to Bergen last Sunday night and returning to Shetland early on Tuesday morning.
Reflecting on the two-week trip, Hannah Mary summed up the teamwork involved. She said: “Taking part in the Tall Ships Races has been a fantastic adventure. It was great to meet so many other trainees and to form such close friendships on board. We were all very proud of our efforts, working together to achieve first place in our class.”
The Shetland trainees’ involvement in this year’s races was the result of a joint project funded by Lerwick Port Authority; Shetland Islands Council; BP on behalf of the owners of Sullom Voe Terminal; and the Shetland-Vågsøy Twinning Association. The project was also supported by The Swan Trust and NorthLink Ferries kindly provided sponsorship of ferry travel to Aberdeen.
Lerwick is a host port for the 2011 Tall Ships Races and it is expected that similar opportunities to promote sail training for young adults will be offered in the coming years, as part of the build-up to that event.
