Sailing away at Stonelaw High

A group of Stonelaw High pupils were all at sea recently.

They were joining the Ocean Youth Trust, sailing over 100 miles and going from Greenock to Largs on the 70ft sail training yacht, Alba Venturer.

While on board they learned to navigate, hoist and drop sails, tie knots, and cook for the whole crew aboard, stopping at Holy Loch and Loch Fyne.

The experience helped them make new friends and learn new skills.

Nick Fleming, Chief Executive of OYT Scotland added: “We are excited to have young people from South Lanarkshire as part of the On Course with CashBack programme.

“OYT Scotland voyages offer young people a life changing opportunity, giving them a chance to take part in teamwork and leadership roles.

“These are transferable skills that can be used in other areas of their lives.

“This programme aims to develop young people and the group taking part in this voyage have demonstrated that it has been a success.

“Our highly trained sea-staff, both professionals and volunteers, are able to get the best from each individual.

“The combination of engaged group leaders and focused sea-staff means that these young people can reach goals that they never thought possible, and this can give them a whole new outlook on life.”

The voyage was funded by the Scottish Government’s Cashback for Communities programme.

The pupils who took part were: Beth Roberts, Amy Thompson, Cara McKinnon, Rebecca Bailey, Fraser Gowran, Callum Milne, Andrew Mooney, Douglas McNiven,Lewis Laird and Sudeep Dhakal.