Shetland Boat Week Launched Today

A new and exciting event is planned for Shetland this summer. The first Shetland Boat Week will take place between 8th and 14th August. The week-long family friendly event is inspired by Shetland’s rich maritime heritage, while also being inclusive of more contemporary methods and materials.

A wide range of activities are planned during the week, which will include demonstrations of traditional skills, talks, boat trips and tours of vessels and venues not normally open to the public. The keynote speaker for the inaugural event will be Dr Kevin Fewster, Director of the National Maritime Museum. Dr Fewster will deliver a lecture on Thursday 11th August, and an informal Q&A session on Friday 12th.

Shetland Boat Week has benefitted from generous sponsorship funding from local marine engineering company, Ocean Kinetics, and Grant Aid funding from Shetland Amenity Trust. The Trust is leading co-ordination of the event along with Shetland Museum and Archives. Valuable support has also been received from Serco NorthLink Ferries, Lerwick Port Authority, and Unst Heritage Centre and Boat Haven, with other local companies and groups also getting involved.

Organising team, Brian Wishart,
Emma Miller, John Henderson
and Ian Tait.
Missing from photo: Davy Cooper.

Emma Miller, event co-ordinator said “Many generations of Shetlanders have made their living on or around the sea and the links with maritime and related marine industries are as important today as they always have been. Shetland Boat Week is an excellent opportunity to get more people involved with boats and the sea and pass on knowledge and experience. This is going to be a great event for local folk and visitors. Everyone I’ve spoken to about it so far is really enthusiastic and it’s clear to see that it’s going to be a very sociable affair!”

Community groups and maritime related groups or businesses are encouraged to take part in Shetland Boat Week by providing tours of their premises, delivering talks, slideshows or other events to share knowledge and experiences. Anyone who would like to submit an event for free promotion in the programme should contact Emma Miller, event co-ordinator, on 01595 694688 or email emma@shetlandamenity.org.

A printed programme of events will be available shortly. All confirmed event listings are available now at www.shetlandboatweek.com/events and tickets are available to book online at www.thelittleboxoffice.com/smaa. New events will be added in the coming weeks and the website and Facebook page will both be kept updated with developments.

Related Posts

Research project commissioned to encourage locals to grow more aets!

Shetland Amenity Trust has commissioned a research project with two local straw makers to understand more about the growing of ...

Read more

‘Logical Confusion’, a retrospective exhibition of Mike McDonnell opens at the Shetland Museum

An ambitious new exhibition dedicated to the artistry of well-known local artist Mike McDonnell opened this weekend at the Shetland ...

Read more

New poetry book - ‘Love in Human Herts’

‘Love in Human Herts’, a new publication celebrating Vagaland’s finest poetry has been launched today by the Shetland Amenity ...

Read more

Film celebrating the achievements of Johnnie Notions launched by Shetland Museum and Archives

A new film which brings to life the incredible story of 18th century inoculation pioneer and Shetland crofter Johnnie Notions has been ...

Read more

Keep a look out for Skeklers this Halloween

We had a great time at our recent Skeklers Hat workshop with local artist Eve Eunson in preparation for Halloween.

Read more

Pre-school Activity Mornings

Bring your little explorers to the Shetland Museum & Archives for our heritage-filled fun sessions, designed especially for under 5's ...

Read more

National Poetry Day

To celebrate National Poetry Day we asked assistant archivist (and poet) Mark Smith to uncover a hidden gem from the archives. This ...

Read more

October Holiday Workshops

Join us this October Holidays for heritage inspired workshops and some spooky Halloween fun! From witchcraft to skeklers and faas ...

Read more

Treasure Trove Comes to Shetland

Members of the public are invited to come along with their ‘treasures’ and meet experts from Scotland’s Treasure Trove Unit ...

Read more

Bold exhibition featuring photography by legendary Diane Arbus opens at Shetland Museum and Archives

A new display of powerful and iconic photographs by Diane Arbus, one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, opened ...

Read more

Shetland Museum and Archives Launches New Online Archive Catalogue

A new online Archives catalogue has been launched today (Tuesday 8 August) at the Shetland Museum and Archives.

Read more

CLOSED: Friday 12 noon - Sunday 12 noon

Shetland Museum and Archives will be closed from 12 noon on Friday 21 July until 12 noon on Sunday 23 July, due to a private ...

Read more

A celebration of Shetland’s maritime heritage at the museum

Shetland’s maritime heritage will be at the heart of Shetland Museum and Archives’ summer programme, with a series of themed ...

Read more

Preparing for the herring – photos from the archives

George Gen and Sarah Mackintosh, members of our Visitor Experience team have pulled together a selection of photos from our online ...

Read more

Online Survey: Have your say on our learning and outreach activities

From exhibitions and workshops to family activities and evening talk, we would love to hear your thoughts on our current offering and ...

Read more