It has been a challenging year for sail training in Ireland, with 2020’s slate of tall ships voyages cancelled due to the pandemic and this summer’s schedule also looking unlikely.
But as chief executive Daragh Sheridan acknowledges in the Sail Training Ireland Annual Report 2020, which has just been published, the charity has been weathering the storm thanks to the support of its funders, and the dedication of its own team and vessel operators alike.
“With the mass vaccination being rolled out we look forward to 2022 with great optimism,” he writes. “We will be aiming to bounce back strongly, thanks to commitments from funders and new sources of funds which will see several new projects running alongside all our usual voyages.”
The report, which can be downloaded HERE, also details the experiences of some of these who were able to set sail on one of the few excursions that took place last summer — the Darwin200 voyage around the UK in preparation for the upcoming round-the-world trip following Charles Darwin’s journey on HMS Beagle.