Cullen skiff build is a 'nae bad' job!
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THE life and legacy of the late Prince Philip was celebrated when a skiff built in his memory was launched in Cullen on Saturday.
A large crowd gathered at Cullen Sea School to witness the St Ayles skiff – loving built by the charity's team of expert boatbuilders – formally named the Kittiwake by Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Banffshire Patricia Seligman before being pushed to the harbour by a team of rowers led by a lone piper Hamish Addison.
Once at the harbour, the vessel took to the water for her maiden trip.
Cullen Sea School chair Prof Ashley Mowat paid tribute to the support rendered by Mrs Seligman and the Lord Lieutenancy for the project.
He continued: "Today is really about the boatbuilders.
"We're not given to exaggeration in this part of the world, and there's an expression 'nae bad'.
"Now, the meaning of this expression is totally dependent on the intonation, from the grudgingly 'nae bad' – which means 'just passable' – to 'nae bad' which means 'very good'. This is number of seven of the skiffs the guys have built here so they're getting very close to being 'nae bad'.
"For me it's a great honour to be associated with this [skiff building] and I've learned a lot _ and hopefully I'm still learning – and I get jobbies beyond sweeping the floor now."
Prof Mowat also paid tribute to the sea school's development officer David McCubbin.
Mrs Seligman said: "The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme encourages people to acquire new skills, helps to build confidence and to experience different activities.
"His Royal Highness the late Duke of Edinburgh was particularly interested in young people and wanted them to have all sorts of opportunities to enrich their lives.
"With all this in mind the Banffshire Lieutenancy wanted to find a way to continue the legacy and so we asked Cullen Sea School if we could commission a skiff. We're so fortunate here in Cullen that we have the sea school [with] experienced and talented shipwrights able to carry out this expert work."
She went on to voice her gratitude to all those involved in the construction of the skiff.
The skiff was built in-house by the Cullen Sea School boatbuilder team, which is made up of Bert Reid, Willie Henderson, Ashley Mowat and Malcolm Hope. In addition, and with thanks to MERI funding, the sea school has employed three trainee boat builders – Luke Middleton, Connor Lee and Ryan Kemp – who have worked on the boat as they begin to learn the skills and knowledge of traditional wooden boat building.
Work began on the skiff in late May and was completed in mid-October.
With a length of 22ft, a beam of 5ft 8in and weighing in at 155kg, the skiff is constructed from clinker plywood from a kit.
Also being named during the ceremony was the sea school's latest mirror dinghy, which is used for sailing lessons. Built by Mr Hope, the vessel was named Elfin by his wife, Marilyn, the original ceremony having been delayed due to the pandemic.
Prince Philip passed away last April aged 99 and left behind him a very strong seafaring legacy which had its foundation in his education in north-east Scotland at Gordonstoun School. To mark this proud tradition, the volunteer boat-builders at the sea school were asked by the Banffshire Lieutenancy to build a St Ayles skiff as a suitable commemoration of the Prince's life.
The project was promoted by the Lieutenancy and other sponsors and provided an opportunity for local schools and those involved in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme to get involved in the boat's construction which, now completed, will be based at the sea school for community use.
