About Alanna 

Raised in Galway, Ireland, the sea has always been an important part of my life whether I am kayaking, swimming or fishing. My home is a place rich in arts and culture which led to my involvement in drama groups and volunteering. I have always loved being outside and a good adventure.

I spent the last season volunteering on the tall ship Maybe, hoping to find a way to work in sail training. SHTP was the perfect opportunity to learn the necessary skills to maintain historic vessels and gain more sailing experience. While new to sailing, I have always had an interest in history and loved meeting new people. Sailing is a wonderful combination of working with others in an interesting and exciting environment.

I hope to learn everything this course has to offer, to be able to serve and care for historic vessels. Heritage is vital to our culture and is worth every bit of effort and dedication required to keep it alive. I am grateful to be a part of Shipshape and look forward to the future it will bring.

 

Read more about the Pioneer Sailing Trust and the opportunities available as part of the SHTP 2 project.

Latest blogs

UPDATE MARCH 2021 - My final month on the Shipshape traineeship has been a busy one. The whole team has been working hard to get Pioneer ready for what will hopefully be a busy season... Read more

and see Alanna pitching the deck of Pioneer in this video

UPDATE FEBRUARY 2021 - Alanna returns to Pioneer after the Winter break, getting stuck in with refit and building new housing for some vents on deck.... Read more

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2020 - This month I was working in the boatshed fitting out a rowing gig. The trust makes 5 man (including a cox) fibreglass rowing gigs that are beautifully fitted out with iroko...Read more

UPDATE JULY 2020 - I have just had the most wonderful month. I spent the first week and a half getting the last few bits organised to bring Pioneer out sailing...Read more

UPDATE JUNE 2020I found some old wooden planes at Pioneer that were a bit worse for the wear so I restored them by getting rid of the rust, sanding back and oiling them....

UPDATE MAY 2020 - During the first half of this month, the boatshed was still in lockdown. So to pass the time masterclasses via zoom were organised for us trainees....Read more

UPDATE APRIL 2020 - It was a strange transition to working outside with a large group of people to working alone at home...

UPDATE MARCH 2020 - It has been all go at Pioneer this month. I’ve been stripping back, painting and varnishing the oars and mizzen spars - they look lovely now that they are all smart and shiny....Read more

UPDATE FEBRUARY BLOG 2020 - This month kicked off with a sail making, repair and rigging course...Read More

UPDATE JANUARY BLOG 2020 - After Christmas, I was well rested and excited to begin again at the International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC)...Read more

UPDATE -DECEMBER 2019 - Riggers Mallet - It was a lot of fun planning this out, making it, using new tools and problem solving along the way. It was a great way to learn and to make the most of my time in college...Read more

UPDATE - NOVEMBER 2019 - With little to no knowledge of boat building and repair, I was eager to learn lots of new skills. I have always loved creating things and am quite practical but I’ve never had an opportunity to develop it...Read more

UPDATED OCTOBER 2019 - The first month of the programme was invaluable. I gained more confidence in my own abilities and really got to know the other trainees...Read more

Alanna