Two students from the Portsoy Boatshed’s home education project, Quinlan Whitby (17) and Max Hellyer (16), have been selected to join the crew of two prestigious Tall Ships taking part in the Tall Ships Race which will arrive in Aberdeen from 19-22 July 2025.
Quinlan will take a twenty-one-hour coach trip from his home in Huntly to Dunkirk, where he will meet the crew of Valbourg, a Ketch rigged Finnish ship, built in 1948, which sails in Class B of the Tall Ships Race. Quinlan will then sail to Aberdeen as part of this leg of the race.
Max will join the crew of the Excelsior, which is a Lowestoft registered Fishing Smack, built in 1921, which also sails in Class B. Max will set sail from Aberdeen to Kristiansand in the Norway leg of the race.
This will be a once in a lifetime adventure for Max and Quinlan, who have been training hard, and literally learning the ropes of how to sail, under the expert guidance of boatbuilder and tutor from the Portsoy Boatshed, James Crombie. Located on the Old Harbour, Portsoy Boatshed is a fully equipped workshop with a mix of traditional tools and machinery for woodworking
James commented: “For nearly two years, Max and Quinlan have been part of a group of Aberdeenshire students learning traditional woodworking methods, boat building and life skills here at Portsoy Boatshed. During this time, they have successfully built toolboxes, a wooden trebuchet, and their biggest challenge – their own dinghy. The students created a 3.5metre Norwegian design pram dinghy, which they launched and sailed around the Old Harbour in Portsoy. This was the culmination of several weeks of hard work, with a great result.
“Max and Quinlan have not only gained woodworking and teamworking skills, but they have also learned practical problem solving and perseverance, which will be exceptionally valuable for them as they join the crew of the Tall Ships. It will give them a real insight into what life is like at sea and put into practice the knowledge and skills they have learned in the Boatshed.”
In 2004, the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival Trust started a policy of working with children to teach and revive the basic principles of boat building. Working with primary school children, 60 dinghies were successfully built and launched, and several small boats including curraghs, a North Sea faering and a St Ayles skiff were created by local secondary school pupils.
The success of these programmes facilitated a need for a permanent premises, and Portsoy Maritime Heritage gifted the derelict buildings by the Old Harbour, to Portsoy Community Enterprise (PCE). These were transformed into the Boatshed, one of the leading Scottish boat building schools.
Richard Thorne, development manager of PCE said: “Max and Quinlan have worked exceptionally hard in the Boatshed and learned some really valuable skills during their time. We are very proud of their achievements, and everyone in Portsoy Boatshed and PCE wish them a very happy and exhilarating adventure on the high seas, as part of this internationally renowned event.”
Portsoy Community Enterprise is a social enterprise driven by a passionate and committed team of volunteers. It brings together an array of assets, events and offerings to keep alive the ingrained heritage and cultures of the north east of Scotland. The organisation was established following the creation of the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival. Intended to be a one-off event to celebrate the 300th year of Portsoy’s harbour in 1993, it has now become one of the leading events on Scotland’s summer calendar and welcomes thousands of visitors to celebrate the region’s rich cultural heritage. PCE comprises of the Portsoy Salmon Bothy, the Boatshed, Portsoy Links Caravan Park and the Sail Loft. Working collaboratively, the whole organisation aims to provide economic benefit from tourism for the town of Portsoy and the surrounding area, with all of PCE’s assets belonging to the community. For further information visit www.portsoy.org.
