Caithness.org News Index

Front Page Archives

TALL SHIP ADVENTURE FOR MODERN APPRENTICES

Three young Modern Apprentices men have just returned from the adventure of a lifetime on the high seas.

Gordon Mackay (Watten), Liam More (Wick) and James MacDonald (Kinlochbervie) were fortunate enough to secure the three berths funded by Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE) in the latest of the Tall Ships Adventure 2003. They are all engineering Modern Apprentices, employed by UKAEA, Subsea 7 and Alstom Power UK Ltd respectively.

After flying out to join their shipmates in Travemunde, Germany, they set sail on the 'Prince William' bound for Aberdeen, via the ports of Friedrichschafen and Copenhagen.

Lynne Johnstone, Skills Development Manager at CASE said, “Offering an opportunity to take part in the Tall Ships Adventure gives young people a chance to build on their personal skills such as leadership, communication and confidence. It gives young people an experience of a lifetime which, when they go back to their respective companies, helps them to progress in their chosen careers. It also gives those taking part their 'Competent Crew' certificate and they can return in future years as a member of volunteer crews.”

Prior to heading off, all three boys raised sponsorship monies that will shortly be given to charities of their choice.

According to Gordon, “The ports we stopped in were amazing and the locals were very friendly. I don’t know if I will ever see such a spectacular sight as the Tall Ships lined up in the dark with their lights on at Travemunde.”

The Tall Ships Adventure is organised by the Sail Training Association (STA), a registered charity dedicated to the personal development of young people through the sail training experience on Tall Ships. To date, over 60,000 young people have sailed with the STA.