Following our nomination, OYT Scotland Cadet Oliver Bowden has been selected to represent ASTO and STI with a fully funded opportunity to sail on a 4 week voyage on the Shabab Oman 2, the Royal Navy of Oman’s brand new 85m sail training ship. Find out more about the ship here.
Thanks to the generosity of the Royal Navy of Oman, Ollie will be part of a truly international crew of 30 trainees from Oman, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other countries around the world including from as far away as Australia, Uruguay and Canada. The voyage will start in Muscat, Oman and will visit a number of countries in the Arabian Gulf including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE before ending up back in Muscat. Following this, there will be a short programme based in Muscat which will include some cultural and general interest visits and activities, possibly a day sailing trip on board a traditional vessel (dhow) and also hopefully the chance to go into the desert on an expedition for a night or two.
Ollie comments: “I’m so thrilled to have been chosen to take part in this amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity! I have never been outside of Europe, so I am extremely excited to get a flavour of some different cultures and exploring new amazing places. I can’t wait to get to know new people too and am chuffed to bits to represent OYT Scotland, ASTO and STI. Thank you once again for the chance to step aboard and join the team on the Shabab Oman!” .