BENWICK BOY IN TALL SHIPS RACE Philip Taylor, aged 18, an Explorer Scout living in Benwick, took part recently in the International Tall Ships Race from Turku, Finland to Klaipeda, Lithuania on the Class C Yacht, Offshore Scout. The yacht, which had two other members of Philip’s Explorer Scout Unit, 2nd Wisbech, on board, achieved a 20th place in the 'C' Class and 39th out of 103 entrants overall. This is the best performance by Offshore Scout in any Tall Ships Race and the crew were clapped and cheered as they moored up in Lithuania. Offshore Scout is operated by Adventures Offshore, a Sail Training organisation aimed primarily at young people and part of the Scout Association. The Tall Ships Races are organised by Sail Training International and offer young people a unique opportunity to experience a long sea passage, travel abroad and meet thousands of like-minded young people on other vessels from around the world. Races are held every summer in European waters. Each year the event plays host to between 80 and 100+ vessels from up to Philip at the helm with some crew mates 30 countries, crewed by some 6-8,000 trainees from up to 50 countries, 3-4 million visitors and 300-400 media representatives in the four host ports. During the race series the young crews get the chance to gain experience by sailing with their contemporaries from other countries while facing the physical and emotional challenges that only the ocean can provide. Sounds like this could be an expensive hobby and not oen to all young people but this is not the case. Wisbech Scouts received £1,000 sponsorship for the experience from Norfolk Boats who want to offer ocean sailing experiences to as many young people as possible. For Philip, this was a fantastic adventure: "If had to pick one thing it would be sitting on the front of the boat as we were finding our place to moor up in Klaipeda, Lithuania and the people lining the bank, clapping and cheering for us. It was a fantastic welcome and it gave me a great sense of achievement. The greatest challenge for me was navigating past all the tiny islands and privately owned boats between Turku and anchorage near the start of the race in Noto, Finland. I am most proud of is how well we worked as a team and how well we did in the race, the Skipper said that it was the best the boat had ever done in a Tall Ship Race, which meant we were doing something good to get those positions. I have improved my sailing technique, learning how to tell when the sails need adjusting, how to tack and change sails efficiently. Above all the Tall Ships experience has taught me that I can do anything I put my mind to. "
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