Crewman’s crown for teen sailor
Perthshire’s Peter Threipland is logging up an impressive CV out on the water.
The 16-year-old got his hands on the Torbay Cup at the weekend, an award presented annually to a young person who has demonstrated outstanding individual achievement and personal effort in the Tall Ships Races.
The race from Antwerp to Lisbon and Cadiz meant navigating the daunting waters of the Bay of Biscay.
And on the voyage, Peter, who was introduced to the sport at Perth Sailing Club, was voted outstanding trainee by watchleaders and officers on board, beating off competition from the entire fleet of 29 ships.
Commodore of Perth Sailing Bob Watson said: “Peter was only eight or nine when he first came to the club when he gained his RYA certificates.
“It’s a great honour and privilege to be allowed to present this cup on behalf of Sail Training International to Peter for his tremendous achievement in the Tall Ships Race through the Bay of Biscay on the Lord Nelson.
“We are so pleased to see that he has continued with his sailing and through his endeavours has brought the cup to Scotland for the first time in its 10-year history.
“On behalf of the club we wish Peter fair winds and all the best for his future voyages.”
By the time he was 10 Peter knew how to rig and manage a dinghy, how to race under sail and how to right a capsized boat.
His latest adventure was on the Lord Nelson, a ship owned by the Jubilee Sailing Trust
“We joined the Lord Nelson in Antwerp and then sailed down the North Sea to Torbay, where the Tall Ships Race started,” Peter explained.
Bob Watson presents Peter with the Torbay Cup
“It was horribly rough for the first few days and lots of people were very sea-sick. I was unwell too and it was all very different and peculiar: new routines, new people, new jobs to be learned.
“I loved climbing the mast and steering the boat and there were some merchant marine cadets on board, who were the same age as me and knew their way around the ship and showed me how to fill in the log every hour.
“The Bay of Biscay was flat calm in spite of its reputation for stormy weather. There was no wind at all and, with the sails flapping and the weather getting warm and then very hot, we sailed slowly south to Lisbon and then on to Cadiz.
“I took my turn helping to wash up and prepare the food every few days and we scrubbed the decks every day and braced the yards round to make the boat sail as fast as she would in calm conditions.
“It was all good fun, a memorable experience in many different ways.
“I am thrilled to be given the Torbay Cup and cannot believe that I will have the opportunity of doing it all again, thanks to the generous bursary.
“I think I might try sailing somewhere much warmer and windier, if possible.”
The Torbay Cup comes with a bursary of 500 euros, which can go towards any sail training voyage.
Peter at the top of the mast