'One week on a boat is worth a year on land': young Orcadians complete Ocean Youth Trust voyage

Ten young people from Orkney have spent a week living and working aboard the Alba Venturer, a 70-foot ketch operated by Ocean Youth Trust Scotland, sailing from Greenock between 5 and 10 October. The voyage was organised by Youth Services, part of the Council’s Community Learning, Development and Employability service, with officers Richard Smith and Kat Beaver accompanying the group.

Ocean Youth Trust Scotland is a national youth work and sail training charity with roots going back to 1960, when the Ocean Youth Club was founded to offer sailing adventures to young people. Its voyages aim to support the personal development of young people from all backgrounds, and since the Trust was formed in 1999 it has supported over 16,000 young people.

Before setting sail, the group spent a weekend team building in Orkney, taking part in outdoor activities in Dounby with the Council’s Outdoor Education team. They also volunteered in Kirkwall, helping to create a Halloween window display at the Blue Door.

Over the course of the voyage, the young people learned to sail as part of the crew - taking turns at the helm, hoisting and changing sails, and standing watch, all under the guidance of the skipper and crew.

Cheryl Rafferty, Youth Services Team Manager, said: “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.”

David, skipper of the Alba Venturer, said: “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.”

One young person who took part in the voyage, said: “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!”

Conor McNamara, Youth Development Worker at Ocean Youth Trust Scotland, said: “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.”