Swan Blog!
Posted: Friday, 24 February 2006 |
Well, it is inevitable that this blog is here. Herman fae Orkney will have been expecting it for long.
This is the Swan blog.
To explain, the Swan is a Shetland herring boat, a Fifie, built in Lerwick over 100 years ago, now restored and used as a sail training vessel. I have been many trips on the Swan, and have helped to organise two previous Swan trips to Norway for young people. My first was with the Scalloway youth club in Shetland, the second with the St Andrews youth club (a parish in Orkney, not to be confused with the Fife St Andrews).
This summer we're doing a trip for nine young people from Unst.
We have now raised enough funds to pay for the voyage, both by applying for some grants, and also by sheer hard slog. The bairns themselves have done a lot of work for this; mostly bag packing at the checkout in the Co-Op in Lerwick, then there was a barbeque at the Uyeasoond regatta, the chip suppers, the bottle stalls…….. the list goes on. It’s good to see them working for this.
The photos in this blog are from my previous trip with the St Andrew youth club in Orkney, and they were taken mostly by Andrew Halcrow, the skipper at the time, and one or two by myself. There are many more on the Swan website!
It’s hard to say why sail training is so special, but it is. Anyone that has been voyage crew on the Swan, or any of the thousands of other sail training vessels around will say the same. You come back a different person.
This is the Swan blog.
To explain, the Swan is a Shetland herring boat, a Fifie, built in Lerwick over 100 years ago, now restored and used as a sail training vessel. I have been many trips on the Swan, and have helped to organise two previous Swan trips to Norway for young people. My first was with the Scalloway youth club in Shetland, the second with the St Andrews youth club (a parish in Orkney, not to be confused with the Fife St Andrews).
This summer we're doing a trip for nine young people from Unst.
We have now raised enough funds to pay for the voyage, both by applying for some grants, and also by sheer hard slog. The bairns themselves have done a lot of work for this; mostly bag packing at the checkout in the Co-Op in Lerwick, then there was a barbeque at the Uyeasoond regatta, the chip suppers, the bottle stalls…….. the list goes on. It’s good to see them working for this.
The photos in this blog are from my previous trip with the St Andrew youth club in Orkney, and they were taken mostly by Andrew Halcrow, the skipper at the time, and one or two by myself. There are many more on the Swan website!
It’s hard to say why sail training is so special, but it is. Anyone that has been voyage crew on the Swan, or any of the thousands of other sail training vessels around will say the same. You come back a different person.
Comments
Whatever happened to the compliments/ comments I made in the previous incarnation of this blog? The slate has been wiped clean. One acerbic (doubtless) contribution is still somewhere in Glasgow [Graham, don't tell me you don't work 24/7?]. I think I have figured out who the mystery sailor is: of course, the green has been washed off! Thanks for sharing. Hope the seas treat all of you nicely this summer as well.
mjc from NM, USA
Image 7. Who is that? Doesn't look fit to be aboard such a beautiful vessel!
Herman from Orkney
Hi sis - in your case you came back a better person. All of that sea air ironed out your head! Very proud of you. Love you loads, R.
Rachondarox from Lancs
Like the pictures, espicially the one in your lovely overalls nice choice of colours totally suits your hair now! (only jokin) Hope this trip will be as fun as your last!
evil twinny from unstie
mjc - sorry, I lost your comments when I re-dated the blog!
Ruthodanort from Unst
Image 7. Nice outfit, intelligent face: what are you talking about Herman from Orkney? You should confine yourself to twitching for robins.
mjc from NM,USA
Ruthodanort is a better person as she's in Unst (& she met a pile of like minded folk). Is it always sunny on Swan Trips? Woof!
Herman from Orkney
the cliff picture on number 6 makes me feel queasy just looking at it, and i'm not bothered by heights usually.
isles pictures from grimsay
Judging by her many/manic activities, she might end up giving soothmoothers a good name. Most recently at the RAF revue she was "on the door" - which I understand to mean she was manning the toll booth, threatening the would be sneaks with bops on the head with a Safeway vegetarian haggis. In the US, we call soothmoothers, ferryloupers, loganairhoppers by one name: carpetbaggers. We don't (these days) take this name calling seriously though: it's sort of tongue in cheek. How you folks allowed R. to leave Orkney, I don't understand. How is the oven by the way?
mjc from NM,USA
Its my oven & at the moment it seems fine. The Orcadian Response team is coming soon for a (liquid) fee. My oven is less of a priority than Ruthodanort's pewter. I can live without my oven, but she can't live without her blogs.
Herman from Orkney
I knew it was your oven, Herman from Orkney. I thought a query on one blog site was as good as any other, eh? Hope you all bloggers in the Northern Isles have a wonderful weekend. Don't hurt your backs shoveling the snow. Herman, hope your Vindaloo fix this weekend in town is satisfying and without later repercussions.
mjc from NM,USA
How wide is the body of water between Hoy and the Mainland? We all know what Bergen stands for, but what's the story behind the name Kyber Pass in Stromness: the appearance of the road sign is both so unexpected and so romantic at the same time ...
mjc from NM,USA
What a cool load o folk in photo four. Oh the coolness!!!!!! xxxx
Caroline from Westray
joost like tae point oot that Caroline fae Westray is featured in photos 4, 9 & 10.
Ruthodanort from Unst
Blogs fae a thirty-something mum of 4 born in Fife, brought up in Orkney, and living in Unst.
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