Exciting Line-up for Shetland Boat Week
The Shetland Amenity Trust and partners are busy getting organised for Shetland Boat Week 2020 which will take place from Saturday 1st August this year until Sunday 9th August.
2020 is the Year of Coasts and Waters, part of the VisitScotland themed years initiative, and the Trust have been working in collaboration with partners to develop an exciting programme for the event. This year Shetland’s historic tall-ship, the Swan, will be a key part of the event. In collaboration with Sail Training Shetland, she will kick off the Boat Week celebrations offering an “Adventure Sail North” to sail trainees aged 15 -25 years. Starting in Ullapool and ending in Lerwick, there will be a range of ports and exciting activities along the way.
Melanie Henderson at Sail Training Shetland said, “We are delighted to be able to offer such an exciting trip on Swan as part of Shetland Boat Week to celebrate Scotland’s Year of Coast and Waters. Our ambition is to inspire young people to get out on the water to experience the adventure and personal challenge that sail training offers. “Adventure Sail North” is one of our most ambitious projects so far, bringing young people from Shetland and mainland Scotland together to embark on an adventure sail of a lifetime. We will be inviting applications from young people aged 15 – 25 years for the available placements mid-February.”
Following the “Adventure Sail North”, The Swan Trust is working with the Shetland Amenity Trust to offer two themed day sails from Lerwick as part of boat week. These trips will focus on the natural and cultural heritage of Shetland as viewed from the sea.
The programme of events for the rest of the week is now being developed and will include the ever popular Mark Shiner who teaches a range of techniques from rope-making to sail making. The team are also hoping to welcome two Norwegian boat builders who plan to build a boat during the week at the historic Hay’s Dock and to teach a workshop in oar-making. There will be the usual display of historic boats and boat trips during the week and the team are keen to encourage more modern vessels and local businesses to get involved too.
Davy Cooper, Head of Development at Shetland Amenity Trust said, “We are always working hard to keep our events fresh and exciting so we are really pleased to be working with The Swan Trust and Sail Training Shetland this year to be adding something new to the programme. We are also working with Taste of Shetland and hope they will be part of the event again. We are really keen to hear from anyone who would like to get involved in Boat Week this year whether a volunteer, event provider, boat owner or sponsor.”
Event partners were successful in securing funding for some of the additional activity through the Event Scotland Year of Coasts and Waters fund. Funding for the main festival, however, still relies on tickets sales, donations, and the support of key sponsors.