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On Tuesday the 20th of April I was lucky to be part of the crew on the "Spirit of Fairbridge" which is a replica of an 1850's Pilot schooner. She's a beautiful boat and is owned by the "Fairbridge" organisation. We set sail from Greenock docks and sailed overnight round the Kintyre Peninsula to check out the surf potential on Islay and other islands. |
| The ship is crewed by young people from the various Fairbridge centres that are dotted around the country, 15 centers in total. These guys have come through the mentoring system that Fairbridge provide< to help them came to terms with a multitude of social and domestic challenges that they face in ordinary life. |  |
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We sailed into Port Ellen the next Morning feeling tired but happy and as we cruised into the bay we were greeted by a small pod of dolphins and a beautiful sparkling morning. Unloading the boards for a surf posed a few logistical problems but after a while the job was done and we could set off on our Surf Adventure. |
| Heres some of the crew and young people ready for some surf action. Small clean surf for our 3 days on the island gave everyone the opportunity to catch some prime first time waves and the whole group were stoked on the experience. The last day in particular saw glassy 2/3 foot conditions that were ideal. |  |
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That's me at the helm trying to steer a steady cource with a force 6 south easterly and a reasonable wee swell running us up towards the Isle of Mull. At one point we managed to set nearly all the sails and it felt like flying! That's Captain Vince instructing me in the fine art of sailing. Thanks go to all the Fairbridge staff and of course the young people who crewed the ship and made it happen. Fairbridge are an amazing Charitable organisation that do countless deeds for thousands of disadvantaged young people throughout the country. Any donations no matter how small will always be gratefully accepted. Fairbridge Reg. Charity No. CS021126 |