Young people urged to äóìclimb aboardäó for The Tall Ships Races 2011
Pictured: Trainee David Murray
With less than nine months to go to Waterford’ hosting of The Tall Ships Races 2011 – presented by Szczecin and organised by Sail Training International – three Irish young people who were on board Tall Ships as trainees this year have given the experience a huge ‘thumbs up’ and encouraged others to sign up for next year.
Dozens of Irish youths aged 16-25 will sail from Waterford to Greenock, Scotland in early July in the first race in The Tall Ships Races 2011.
Gavin Roche, 19, from Cork Road, Waterford, spent 11 days in the summer on board Dutch sail training vessel Eendracht, including a five-day sail from Kristiansand, Norway to Hartlepool, England.
While his only previous experience on water was travelling by car ferry to the UK, Gavin took the view that he äóìmight as well go for it – see what it’ likeäó. He found the experience hugely positive: äóìIt was great. You get loads of responsibility and the professional crew are very trusting so we even got to steer a ship. Everyone was very welcoming from the first day we went on board in Norway and we were able to enjoy the festivities there and in Hartlepool where we walked in the Crew Parade which was good fun.
äóìDuring the sail from Kristiansand to Hartlepool, everyone got stuck in and we became good friends – I’m still in touch with some of the other trainees on Facebook now. We saw dolphins, whales and North Sea oilfields during the journey. We quickly got used to life at sea! I’d really recommend the experience and I’m already planning how I can go again in 2011.äó
Aoife Ledwidge O’Brien, an 18-year-old UCD engineering student from Bray, Co Wicklow, sailed for 10 days this year on board Lord Nelson from Milford Haven, Wales to Whitehaven, England via Waterford. äóìSailing with Lord Nelson was the first time I’d ever sailed and it was probably the best thing I’ve ever done. From working away in the engine room to climbing the masts; from mess duty in the kitchens to helming; from dolphin-watching to the plentiful food and from exploring ports to tying up and bracing sails, it was tremendous – even the 12midnight-4am watches! It really is very special to me and I can’t wait to be on the deck, up the masts or in the engine rooms again.
äóìI’m going to be going back – I know that and don’t think I could stop myself if I tried. There is maintenance scheduled in Southampton during October and I am going over for a couple of days to help whatever way I can. I really, really hope I can race next year. I’m lucky I discovered it at 18. An extra dimension with Lord Nelson is that it’ fully accessible for people with disabilities. We had a wheelchair user, Nat, on our watch and it was amazing just how accessible the ship was to her and she even went up the masts.äó
David Murray, a business information systems student at UCC and originally from Butlerstown, Waterford, is fast becoming a sail training veteran having first sailed in June 2009 on Tenacious from Waterford to Dublin and Kinsale. Also last year, he sailed on Lord Nelson with his brother Paul around the north coast of Scotland.
In the current year, David, 20, sailed as bosun’ mate on Lord Nelson from Southampton to Glasgow and on Eendracht from Kristiansand to Hartlepool. At Hartlepool, he joined Tenacious as bosun’ mate to sail from Hartlepool to London via Bruges, Belgium. Days later, he rejoined Lord Nelson – again as bosun’ mate – to sail from Falmouth, England to Waterford via Milford Haven, Wales.
Speaking about the experiences which he hopes to build on further in 2011 when The Tall Ships Races commence in his native Waterford, David said: äóìIt’ been a very busy but great couple of summers with Tall Ships and I’m really looking forward to next year
