The Lord Mayor of Kingston upon Hull, Councillor Anita Harrison, held a special reception in her parlour at the Guild Hall in Hull for local apprentices following their recent adventure on the tall ship “Bessie Ellen”.
Kyle Beacock and Scotty Boothby from Hull were among 300 apprentices from Britain, Ireland, France and the Netherlands who took place in the Apprentice Ship Cup which was arranged by Merseyside Adventure Sailing Trust (MAST).
Kyle and Scott who work as apprentices at Riverside’s in-house responsive repairs and planned maintenance works supplier Evolve sailed on the last leg which left Glasgow on 11th June and returned into Liverpool on 26th June.
During their time on the high seas the apprentices learnt how to sail the vessel, navigate their route, operate masts and took turns in night watches on the boat.
Kyle Beacock said “This was an experience of a lifetime and something that I would recommend to anyone. I was a little scared at the beginning as I didn’t know what I was doing, but by the end of the journey we had got everything down to a fine art and had a laugh along the way”.
The Lord Mayor welcomed the apprentices as well as representatives from Riverside and Associated British Ports (ABP) whose apprentices also took part in the race to a special lunch in her parlour.
She said “I am so proud of Kyle and Scott and really glad that they have been able to take part in this once in a life time experience. The training of our future workforce is of paramount importance particularly now when there are a number of skill shortages.
“I hope that by taking part in the Apprentice Ship Cup, Scott, Kyle and all of the other apprentices will go on to bigger and better things and I wish them both every success for the future.”
Steve Ward, Director, Riverside said “This is such an amazing opportunity for our apprentices and we would hope that we will be able to take part again in the future. It’s a brilliant opportunity for our young people to be able to learn valuable life skills and I am sure it has been an experience they will never forget.”