On 25th September, Ocean Youth Trust Scotland welcomed aboard 10 young people from Midlothian as they took part in a five day sailing voyage. Sailing on the 70ft yacht Alba Venturer, the young people sailed 136 nautical miles, setting off from Greenock and making their way to Rhu, Portavadie and Holy Loch, before arriving back in Greenock.
Despite facing some strong winds, the first-time sailors took on all the challenges of sailing Alba Venturer. They learned to navigate and steer the boat, hoist and drop the sails, tie knots and cook for the whole crew. Stephen Din, one of the group leaders said of the voyage, “I enjoyed the whole experience, the sailing, the banter and the scenery encountered, the OYTS couldn’t do any more for us… I would definitely recommend getting involved with OYTS as they involve you and keep you safe as well as having fun along the way”.
Over the past 18 years, OYT Scotland has grown to become one of the leading sail training charities in the world. With two sail training vessels, Alba Explorer and Alba Venturer, OYT Scotland completed 55 voyages with 552 young people in 2016.
For more information about OYT Scotland go to www.oytscotland.org.uk/main-site/
For more information on the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities scheme go to www.cashbackforcommunities.org