Tall Ship Docked for Repairs

 

The Stavros S Niarchos has arrived at the Garvel Clyde site, which is owned by Aberdeen-based Dales Marine Services, after a Liverpool to Glasgow youth voyage by the Tall Ships Trust.

 

The sail training vessel, which has an 18th Century-designed brig with 18 sails on two masts and was commissioned in 2000, had a youth voyage on board for the journey and will have adults on the return leg. 

 

The Stavros S Niarchos tall ship can reach speeds of 13-plus knots under sail and has a crew of 69 and Michael Milne, general manager and director of Dales Marine Services, said she was one of the most unusual vessels the company has had in the Greenock dry dock: “Our staff normally work repairing ferries or oil supply vessels from the North Sea so have a sailing ship in is something very special indeed.”

 

“Luckily, our staff are extremely adaptable, so a tall ship doesn’t faze them at all. The type of work we carry out which includes welding and fabrication, repairs and painting are all needed to ensure this type of boat is kept in good shape for her time on the sea,” Milne continued.

 

The Stavros was built in Appledore in 2000 and has specially-built masts which are based on an 18th century design. Featuring a traditional 18th century-style rig built on a modern hull, she is a 200ft Brig (a ship with two square-rigged masts) designed to sail anywhere in the world including the Caribbean, Canaries and Baltic.

 

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has appointed Stavros as an auxiliary coastguard vessel afloat in recognition of her safety features, equipment carried and level of training the crew receive.

 

Dales Group, which provides ship repair for clients around the world and fabrication for the oil and gas and energy industries along with quality service, fast turnaround, precision engineering, has about 220 employees with 40 of those at Garvel increasing to about 80 when the yard is busy. The group operates six dry docks, six repair and conversion yards, and one wet dock, at six key locations around Scotland’s coastlines including Garvel Clyde.

 

Stavros S Niarchos spent her winter in Liverpool alongside in the Albert Dock and made her way to Greenock with a youth voyage on board. She will be dry docked at Garvel Clyde for maintenance until mid-March.

 

Following the dry docking, which is carried out every two and a half years, there will be an adult Taster voyage taking place from Greenock to Greenock / Glasgow before the ship is due to head back to Liverpool with four schools from the Isle of Man on board as a youth voyage. 

 

The Stavros S Niarchos is due to be at the Garvel Clyde dry dock until March 15, and she will sail from Greenock to Glasgow from March 16 to March 21.

 

More than 3,000 people sail with The Tall Ships Youth Trust every year. A total of 100,000 trainees have sailed 1.8 million nautical miles on the Trust’s fleet of seven vessels including Stavros S Niarchos, four 72ft challenger yachts, a 62ft catamaran, and the newest addition to the fleet Tenacity of Bolton, a 60ft Ketch.

 

The Tall Ships Youth Trust, formerly The Sail Training Association, is a registered charity founded in 1956 which is dedicated to the personal development of young people through the crewing of ocean going sail training vessels. It is the UK’s oldest and largest sail training charity for young people aged 12-25. The Trust takes more than 3,000 individuals to sea a year and 70% of young people are disadvantaged and disabled.