Want to get involved in sail training boat trips in Shetland? There are a number of different ways you can volunteer.
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*We are not currently taking payments for any trip but please contact us on info@swantrust.com to make a reservation*
Join us for a guided tour of Lerwick Harbour to discover more about the growth of Lerwick from a small collection of trading booths and huts to the bustling commercial capital we see today.
We are delighted to be working with experienced local guide Laurie Goodlad to offer this new half day trip for 2021, which will let you see Lerwick as you’ve never seen it before!
Lerwick grew with the arrival of Dutch fishermen from the 1600s. Their arrival every June meant that locals flocked to Bressay Sound to trade with these foreign visitors. Laurie will introduce you to Lerwick at this time, and describe its continued growth, which saw it overtake Scalloway, Shetland's ancient capital, in size and influence by 1838. She will detail the second herring boom of the 19th century, which saw boats like Swan take to the water in their hundreds to execute the summer fishery, and bring you up to date with our current fishing industry, which is still the mainstay industry here in the islands.
Laurie will also tell tales of the ‘smugglers’ who built the town’s foundations and point out Jimmy Perez’s house from the sea on this leisurely tour of the picturesque Lerwick Harbour.
There are two tours available: 9.00am – 12.30pm and 5.30 – 9.00pm.
To reserve your place please e-mail us on info@swantrust.com.
Your trip will begin with a safety briefing including how to work the lines on deck and set the sails. We will then put this into practice, while we delve into Shetland’s past and explore the Lerwick waterfront.
Included in voyage
Want to get involved in sail training boat trips in Shetland? There are a number of different ways you can volunteer.
Learn more
Last year the Swan Trust identified an urgent need to replace three of Swan’s five sails – the Jib, Staysail and Mainsail. With all of these sails in use for many years, time and UV exposure had taken its toll. To date they have raised funds to replace the Jib and Mainsail from a variety of sources, including Historic Environment Scotland, Scottish Fishermen's Trust, The Shetland Fishing Fleet, Grieg Seafood and People's Postcode Lottery. They have also secured partial funding for the Staysail, and are looking to fund the balance.
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Continuing our What Swan Means to Me features, we hear from Ewan Hutcheson and Liam Slater, two teenagers with a passion for boats, music and The Swan, and some of the Swan Trust’s youngest volunteers. As accomplished musicians, their volunteering has included playing aboard the Swan for visitors to the boat.
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