Set sail for Scottish Traditional Boat Festival

IT was almost a flat calm sea as we stepped back in time on a 1902 lugger which once held the record catch for the most herring.

Far from 250,000 fish in 223 crans on board – a record set in the 1930s in Shetland – a nice cup of tea and some cheese scones from the Seafront Cafe in Macduff was the only cargo carried on the Reaper from Macduff to Portsoy on Thursday morning.

As the 70ft twin-masted fishing boat made its way carefully out to sea, under the steady hand of skipper Willie Deas, myself and colleague Kyle Ritchie settled in for the short voyage along the coast.

I have never been a fisherman of any sorts, in fact the closest I have been to a haddock or a cod has been at a collection of very nice chip shops countrywide.

So, to learn a little about the history of the Scots fishing culture was fascinating and experience what it must have bee like for fishing crews more than 100 years ago as they battled the natural elements to bring home a rich marine harvest.

OK, the sun was shining, the sea was calm, there was little wind, we had tea and scones and a very relaxing journey, so we didn’t exactly recreate early 20th century fishing conditions, but you get my meaning.

The short hop took just under two hours as the gentle breeze of 5-10 knots was not enough to really put the wind in our sails – literally.

The vessel had been in Macduff for more than a week, allowing local school children and residents to visit the living museum vessel and go below deck.

Visitors to this weekend’s Glenglassaugh Scottish Traditional Boat Festival will also get the chance to go on board.

The Reaper was built in 1902 by J&C Forbes in Sandhaven, Fraserburgh.

Used for drift line and great net fishing, she is now owned by the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther, Fife and is one of only a handful of historic vessels in a seaworthy condition.

This was skipper Deas first trip in charge, although he has been connected to the fisheries museum for many years, although he has lived in Amble in Northumberland for many years after plying his trade from there, having followed his father to sea at the age of 15.

You can watch a video interview with Willie here.

Stewart Buchanan, global brand ambassador for Glenglassaugh Distillery, which is a few miles from Portsoy, accompanied us in the journey as he and his team get ready for a busy weekend of promoting their fine single malt whisky and sharing in the heritage of the coastal community.

He said that the distillery, which was reopened in 2008 after being mothballed for more than 25 years, is a perfect fit for the traditional boat festival and the unique design on their environmentally-friendly bottles reflects the ripples in the sand on nearby Sandend beach.

Stewart has travelled all over the world promoting the whisky and he was revelling in being at sea, viewing Glenglassaugh’s home environment on such an iconic boat and in such beautiful surroundings.

I chatted to Stewart about the brand and the boat festival and you can watch what he had to say below.

It was a fabulous couple of hours in good company and at one with nature.

The museum volunteers have done a great job in preserving this iconic living and breathing piece of fishing heritage, which is still sailing the seas 122 years after she was built and took her maiden trip.

Make it top of your list of ‘must-sees’ at the Glenglassaugh Scottish Traditional Boat Festival at Portsoy on June 22-23.

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