Three Tiree Maritime Boat Builder courses were successfully completed on Tiree during the winter of 2009/2010 and two traditional Tiree boats were renovated and a new boat was started.
The Maritime Trusts aims to preserve Tiree’s maritime heritage and part of this is to provide training in traditional boat building skills.
The recent courses were led by Adam Way of A R Way Boatbuilding in Lochgilphead and his cheerful assistants. The project was funded by the Heritage Lottery fund, Leader, Tiree Regatta Club and Tiree Maritime Trust. Each course ran for two weeks and took place in the auction ring area at the mart – many hours of hammering and sanding were to be heard throughout the Rural Centre and hard working participants turned up day after day to learn new skills and work on the boats.
The two boats which were worked on, Morag-Anne and Daisy, are now fully renovated and measurements have been taken from the two boats and a new copy of Morag-Anne has been started. The boats are currently being painted and the boat builders will return in the spring to attach all the fittings.
These courses were just the beginning of recapturing these traditional skills on Tiree. It is intended to build upon the success of these first courses in order to keep skills and knowledge up-dated and to add new interest and maintain capacity. Tiree Maritime Trust is also working on a long-term project to build a Maritime Heritage Centre –‘The Boatshed’, at Gott Pier Head. Planning consent has been granted by Argyll & Bute Council and a funding application is being assessed by SRDP.
It is hoped that the new boat will be completed in the new Boat Shed next winter. On behalf of the Tiree Maritime Trust thank you to all of the community for supporting this project, to the participants for their hard work, to the Boat Builders for their expertise and encouragement, to TRD for a great venue and to Leader and Heritage Lottery Fund for the funds.
