Published on 27 July 2011

How one teenage Shetlander joined the crew of the world's oldest full-rigged sailing ship

By Sam Thom

Nineteen-year-old fiddler Maggie Adamson had more to look forward to than most during the Lerwick stop for the Tall Ships Races 2011. As one of 18 lucky Shetlanders she won a place as a sail trainee on the second race of the event between Lerwick and Stavanger, aboard the Norwegian vessel Sørlandet – the world's oldest, full-rigged sailing ship.

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Maggie's Tall Ships trip

Fiddler and classical violinist Maggie Adamson returns home to Shetland to perform at The Tall Ships Races.

Maggie is a Shetlander, and she's proud of it. She lives and studies classical violin in Glasgow, but left behind her cosmopolitan life in Scotland's biggest city to spend nearly three months back home in the old Norse village of Fladdabister and to play a gig in Lerwick, during the Tall Ships celebrations.

The streets of Lerwick

The Tall Ships event has been a highlight of her visit. It drew together the most distinctive parts both of the Shetland experience and of Maggie’s life: seafaring, music and a passion for the land itself.

Shetland’s population of 22,000 almost doubled during the event over the weekend of 21 to 24 July. With so many visitors, it’s the perfect opportunity to showcase the natural landscape, heritage and culture of the islands.