Young sailors recommend life on the high seas aboard tall ships

THREE young sailors who were aboard tall ships as trainees this summer have given the experience a “thumbs-up” and encouraged others to sign up for next year.

With fewer than nine months to go until Waterford hosts the Tall Ships Races 2011, preparations are in hand for dozens of Irish people aged from 16 to 25 to sail from Waterford to Scotland in early July.

Gavin Roche, age 19, from Cork Road in Waterford spent 11 days in the summer on board Dutch sail training vessel Eendracht, including a five-day sail from Kristiansand, Norway to Hartlepool, England.