Trainees look forward to Baltic adventure
Sail Training Shetland’s (STS) 2024 scheme will soon culminate in six trainees participating in Race 3 of Sail Training International’s Tall Ships Races, between Mariehamn, Åland Islands and Szczecin, Poland.
The charity’s activities kicked off in April by offering four sail training taster day sails for young people aboard Shetland’s own Tall Ship, Swan LK243. These were incredibly successful, with overwhelmingly positive feedback from all applicants and crew.
From this experience, trainees were then selected to go onto stage two of the scheme, to take part in the Tall Ships Races 2024 (TSR2024) aboard the A Class tall ship Roald Amundsen. This Class A Brig, which homeports in Eckernförde, Germany, was built in 1952 as a tank logger for the former GDR’s National People’s Army and converted for sail training in 1993. She is a regular participant in The Tall Ships Races.
The six trainees taking part are: Emma Sandison, Jasmin Chapman, Iona Nicol, Calum Mackay, Caitlin Spence and Alannah Thompson. All trainees are now preparing for their trip and have met with their sponsors to receive briefing packs with all the travel documents and information they need for their voyages. This is the furthest voyage into the Baltic Sea that STS has sent trainees on.
Jasmin Chapman said: “Sail Training Shetland’s scheme is such a great opportunity. It is an honour to be chosen to represent Shetland at the Tall Ships Races. I am incredibly grateful to Sail Training Shetland and its sponsors. It was good to meet the other trainees, committee members and Arven Offshore Wind Farm to thank them in person. Now I have my trainee pack, the excitement is really building and I can’t wait to get going!”
The trainees will head off on NorthLink Ferries from Shetland on Wednesday 24 July, and will travel to join the Roald Amundsen in Mariehamn, where they can get to know their fellow crew mates with some host port activities before the spectacular parade of sail on 27 July.
During the race to Szczecin the international team of 31 sail trainees and 17 permanent crew will need to work together in all aspects of operating the ship, working in 12-hour watches, and looking to make the best of the winds to beat their fellow competitors.
Once in Szczecin they will enjoy a range of host port activities and celebrations, allowing participants from across the world to form friendships and lifelong memories. Folk will be able to follow the trainees’ adventures through the Sail Training Shetland Facebook and Instagram pages.
Melanie Henderson, Chair of Sail Training Shetland, said: “We were delighted to work with the Swan Trust again in delivering the sail training taster days to select our trainees for this year’s placements. Seeing how the trainees engaged with the vessel, crew and each other was really inspiring.
Excitement is now building for those joining Roald Amundsen for the Tall Ships Races 2024, and we cannot wait to hear about their adventures. As we have seen time and again, sail training really is a life changing experience that inspires us as a volunteer committee to dedicate our time to providing annual opportunities for young people.”
Aaron Priest, Stakeholder Manager for Arven Offshore Windfarm, the main sponsor of the STS scheme said: “Supporting local skills development and creating long-term job opportunities for Shetland is central to our vision for Arven. We wanted to support Sail Training Shetland because we could see the strong link between our vision and the work the charity does to help prepare young people for their future careers with life-changing experiences.
“We were grateful to have the opportunity to meet the young people selected for the Tall Ships Race before they headed off on their trip. Seeing their palpable excitement and hearing about the positive impact the experience has already had through training days, and will continue to have when they take part in the race, reinforced all the reasons why we decided to support Sail Training Shetland.
“We’d like to wish the group safe travels and the very best of luck for what we’re sure will be an unforgettable experience. We look forward to hearing about their adventures when they return.”
Sail Training Shetland would like to thank all its supporters, including the main sponsor for this year’s scheme Arven Offshore Windfarm.
If you would like to sponsor our annual programme, check out our sponsors page
Anyone can help support Sail Training Shetland by making a donation online via our Local Giving page
Excitement is building for sail trainees setting off to the Tall Ships Races 2024; from left to right are: Ailish Goodlad (STS Voyage Coordinator), Jasmin Chapman, Calum Mackay, Aaron Priest (Arven), Caitlin Spence, Iona Nicol and Amber Johnson (STS Committee Member). Missing from the photo are Emma Sandison and Alannah Thompson. Photo by Dave Donaldson.
