Really interesting , exciting , challenging and memorable

An amazing opportunity to sail on a 125 year old Shetland fishing boat! What a great way to see the Shetland coast and islands, plus get a very different view of seabirds such as Puffins, Gannets and Fulmars. Sail experience isn’t required although a certain degree of physical strength and agility is needed if you want to contribute to helping crew the boat. The regular crew (Eli, Scott and Shona) were brilliant and made the weekend a memorable experience.

Three days, two nights aboard Swan. A fantastic way for anyone, with any level of experience, wanting to sail and learn more about old boats. Well organised, crew were just great, food was varied and plentiful, accommodation is as you would expect on a sail training vessel. I was fortunate that we four guests were all women and no-one snored excessively in a shared space! We had a mix of weather and visited two islands, one of which I would not have had the opportunity to visit except by private boat. I appreciated being loaned good quality wet weather gear, had there been more guests on board this may not have necessarily been available for everyone. The crew - Elie, the Skipper, has good communication skills, very knowledgeable and is a great leader. Scott has worked on Swan for many years and in addition to being a good cook in all weather conditions, is a powerhouse of strength and knowledge. Shona completes the team ably. One suggestion for consideration: Sailing decisions are sometimes made quickly, particularly in challenging weather conditions and communication can be difficult. But to get the best out of a small team (crew and guests combined) it is important to ensure that everyone understands a plan to keep everyone working as a cohesive team. I recommend a trip on Swan. Good value for money. Suitable for all ages as long as you are reasonably fit and able. A good experience in working and developing as a team, learning new skills and hard physical work combined with a lot of fun. Thank you.

This was a wonderful trip aboard converted 67 ft fishing vessel Swan around the west coast of Shetland. We had an afternoon on Vaila, including a visit to the castle and watch tower there, a sail around the rugged coast of Papa Stour and then returned to Scalloway. The crew were professional but friendly, and there was a lot of laughter (don't ask the skipper for cheesy jokes!) We all joined in the work of the ship, including sail handling and helming. The food was good and plentiful, and the berths comfortable. We were lucky with the weather, so had some great sailing, and saw many seabirds, including gannets, puffins and Arctic skuas.

The Swan works her magic again! Take a disparate group of individuals, add some foul and lots of fine weather, mix with good food and craic in Swan. After a week you have a coherent crew who can carry out most boat handling with the minimum of supervision! Can’t wait for the next one!