Tall Ships Lerwick - reflections on a spectacular Shetland celebration

The Tall Ships Races visit to Shetland in 2023 was an undeniable success. Dozens of beautiful vessels arrived in Lerwick Harbour under sail, with hundreds of crew enjoying the adventure of a lifetime.

They were welcomed by a proud and friendly community, prompting a week of high-energy celebrations around Shetland. The festivities included a spectacular crew parade, incredible music, harbourside entertainment, and an overriding sense of community and fellowship.

There’s little wonder that the event will live long in the memory of those who were there.

It’s no exaggeration to say that project manager Emma Miller played an integral role in making the event so successful.

Perhaps that’s why that week in July 2023 remains a blur for Emma – she was frantically working to ensure everything went to plan. There was a standout moment for her, though on day two of the event – one of those glorious Shetland days when it is difficult to imagine anywhere better.

Emma recalls she’d been working flat out for weeks but managed to find a moment to take it all in. “The Thursday was a really sunny day, it was beautiful. For some reason, I ended up with a bit of time on the pier when I wasn’t needed in four different places at once!

“I made a point of just walking around and taking in the moment and watching everyone enjoying themselves. It was buzzing, the stalls were all busy, and someone started playing music on one of the ships. It was just special and sums up what the event meant."

Following years of Covid uncertainty and enforced social distancing it felt like a line in the sand – and a poignant celebration of the return to ‘normality’.

“It was such an amazing atmosphere, there was excitement in the air and people were just happy to see everybody they hadn’t seen for ages. Everyone was out and engaging with stuff whether that was the bairns’ activities, free entertainment or the headline concerts. Folk just enjoyed it.”

In many ways, the event was more than just a memorable summer occasion, not least because of the timing and how it reminded everyone what it means to celebrate collectively. And it proved again, how adept Shetland is at hosting, organising and delivering memorable international events.

Another of those involved in preparing for the event’s return was Shetland Tall Ships Lerwick chairman, Malcolm Bell. His unique involvement highlights the islands’ readiness to deliver, and he said the successful event was the “culmination of a condensed but intensive period of planning”.

“When we started in early 2021, the world was only beginning to emerge from the Covid pandemic and no one knew what the future held. That was the context in which we had to make plans.

“At that time, whilst we didn’t know how the event might look, or even if it would happen, the prospect of the Tall Ships returning was something we felt the whole community could look forward to and come together for.

“In the end, the event was a spectacular success and no one who experienced it will ever forget the buzz and excitement around our islands.”

That's why the summer of 2023 will be written into the history books as one of the occasions – along with previous Tall Ships Races in 1999 and 2011, and as hosts of the International Island Games in 2005.– when Shetland came together and welcomed the world.

At the first anniversary of Tall Ships Lerwick 2023, those memories are still very much to the fore of all those lucky enough to be there as participants, volunteers or one of the thousands enjoying the event.

That’s not lost on Emma.

“It’s really nice that even now when I see people who I’ve not seen for a while they’ll say, ‘Wasn’t Tall Ships really great?’. So many come up to me and say it was the best thing that happened for so many years.”

That was a combination of the spectacular sight of seeing Lerwick Harbour full of beautifully impressive sailing boats, international visitors, a packed calendar of events, and musicians.

On a personal level, that means a lot to Emma, but the impact and legacy of the races run much deeper.

That was always the plan when Shetland Islands Council and partners including Lerwick Port Authority committed to hosting the races.

It is only now that the long-lasting benefits are starting to be felt.

One conspicuous example is the emergence of a new music festival in Shetland, celebrating the diverse range of exceptional talent in the islands. The inaugural Rising North Festival will be staged in August 2024, with organisers answering the public call to keep large rock music events on the Shetland social calendar.

You can read more about the first Rising North, and how Tall Ships spurred on the organisers here.

As well as giving impetus to an emerging music event, the benefits go beyond the introduction of what is hoped to be a recurring festival. Indeed, if that happens Rising North’s organisers are one of the groups that stand to benefit from proposed investment in training local security staff.

As with any event, public safety is paramount supported by SIA trained security staff. One legacy of the Tall Ships are moves to recruit and train more staff in Shetland, paving the way for more large events in Shetland.

Reflecting on this demand, Malcolm Bell, says, “Of course, we all want to see a tangible event legacy for the future. One of the areas we had difficulty when planning the Tall Ships visit, was in sourcing trained SIA security personnel and we had to rely on bringing in security staff from the mainland.

“Looking to the future, it would be great to have a cadre of trained staff in Shetland who could serve at future public events. This is something STSL is currently trying to ensure. We hope to use unspent funding from Event Scotland supplemented by the council to provide training and qualification opportunities here in Shetland for security personnel. I think that would be a fitting legacy for the Tall Ships Visit in 2023.”

Another impact of the Tall Ships visit to Lerwick is the ongoing support for new sail training opportunities for another generation of young Shetlanders.

Since 2009, Sail Training Shetland has provided annual sail training experiences for young people aged 15-25 in the Tall Ships Races and other maritime events. The charity has to date supported almost 500 sail training placements, on Shetland’s Tall Ship, Swan, and larger vessels in the Tall Ships fleet. The organisation worked closely with the organising company Shetland Tall Ships Limited to recruit, place and coordinate voyages for 100 trainees so they could take part in The Tall Ships Races 2023.

The charity has received funding and sponsorship as a legacy from the 2023 event to support future placements. This support will ensure young Shetlanders will get to take part in sail training for years to come, having many more adventures at sea, learning new skills, and seamanship and experiencing the international friendship and fun of participating in future Tall Ships Races.

Melanie Henderson, Sail Training Shetland’s Chair said “We are very grateful to have the backing of funders and sponsors who see the huge benefits in supporting sail training. The 2023 tall ships event at Lerwick was a true highlight in the sheer number of trainees supported and funding achieved. We are excited to be supporting sail trainee voyages in the Baltic for The Tall Ships Races 2024.

“Our trainees will never forget their incredible time sailing on these magnificent ships, making friends with people from around the world and experiencing the festival atmosphere in their Host Ports.

"We will keep offering new placements each year, for more young people to have life-changing adventures at sea.”