Students find their sea legs on historic Shetland ship

 The Shetland-born former herring boat was given new life in the 1990s as a sail training and charter vessel.

Over the past week, the Swan offered sail training days for students in Sanday, Westray, Ullapool and Stornoway.

Skipper Maggie Adamson said that she gets a thrill out of seeing young people band together on board.

And the students who set sail–even those who turned a bit green–revelled in the chance to learn the ropes on a living piece of Scottish sailing history.

Today, the Swan is one of only two fifies left of its size.

Skipper Maggie Adamson is also from Shetland. She started sailing on the Swan in 2016 and she loves sail training with kids.

She said: “It’s always great when the kids come on board. It doesn’t really matter what age, whether it’s primary school age or up to teenagers.”

She said there’s a noticeable difference between when the kids first set foot on board and when they disembark after a hard day’s work.

Maggie said that sail training on the Swan builds fast friendships.

“Teamwork’s the most important one in a lot of ways. When you come on a boat you have to work together to make it work.

“It’s a mini family in a way. You’ve got to look out for each other as well. If someone’s not feeling right or seasick, you’ll notice some of the other kids stepping up and helping out and that’s really great to see.”