The induction began in the beautiful Southwest of England, where I properly met my fellow SHTP2 trainees.  We started in Falmouth and the first impression I got was that we were at the heart of the industry.  The passion for historical vessels is astonishingly clear, and very inspiring. 

We then moved over to the river Tamar, to live onboard the Lynher Barge for a week.  We sailed the barge on the river past Plymouth, and got some hands-on experience with using charts, planning routes and rope-work on a historical vessel.  This was very valuable in terms of learning team work, and seeing a historic vessel in action.

The next step was to head over to Brixham, it is here we became familiar with Trinity Sailing and their winter re-fit procedures.  During this time we also went out to some day courses such as the Soft Skills day.  It was great to be in the heart of the fishing industry, and meeting people with first-hand experiences.

I spent 6.5 weeks with IBTC in Lowestoft, learning about the properties of different wood types and conditions in relation to boat building.  We also learning some basic joinery skills, with a personal highlight being the steaming and bending of frames to fit into a 9ft dinghy. 

I am currently into my first week of my placement at the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther, and so far it is ticking every box!  I am excited to see what the future holds, and to get stuck into the Historic Vessel Conservation course.

S Chilton