Young Orcadians Complete Transformative Sailing Voyage
Ten young people from Orkney gained sailing skills and personal development during a week-long Ocean Youth Trust Scotland voyage.
By Kirsty Lennox
••2 min read
AI
A sailing boat on the water.
Ten young people from Orkney have successfully completed a week-long sailing voyage aboard the Alba Venturer, organised by the Council’s Youth Services.
A group of ten young people from Orkney has concluded a week-long sailing adventure from Greenock to Orkney aboard the 70-foot ketch, Alba Venturer. The voyage, which took place between 5 and 10 October, was facilitated by Youth Services, part of the Council’s Community Learning, Development and Employability service, with officers Richard Smith and Kat Beaver providing support.
The Ocean Youth Trust Scotland, a national youth work and sail training charity with origins dating back to 1960, aims to foster personal development in young people from diverse backgrounds. Since its formation in 1999, the Trust has supported over 16,000 individuals.
Prior to the voyage, the participants engaged in team-building activities, including outdoor pursuits in Dounby with the Council’s Outdoor Education team, and assisted with a Halloween window display at the Blue Door in Kirkwall.
During the voyage, the young crew members learned essential sailing skills, such as taking the helm, managing sails, and standing watch, under the expert guidance of the skipper and crew.
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"This was a fantastic opportunity for our young people, and we are very grateful to the Trust and its crew for making it happen, and to our staff team who accompanied the group. It’s been great to see them try new things, work as a team and give something back to the community along the way."
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"They came onboard shy, maybe nervous, but they’re really growing up during the week. It’s really nice when you see the shyest person taking control and leading the watch. It’s a good way of meeting new people, making good friends. One week on a boat is worth a year on land."
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"It’s a lot more fun than you’d expect it to be. It’s not as stressful as I thought it was... I’m definitely going to take up a yachting career after this!"
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"Really for us I think all we want them to do is have a good experience and enjoy it. Other things come naturally - the increase in confidence, the increase in resilience, the increase in working with each other, problem-solving skills, all this stuff comes naturally just through the work that we do. The long-term impacts of these programmes don’t happen on the five days, they happen five, ten, fifteen years later."
