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Meet the Fair Isle Clipper knitter aboard a 70ft boat in Oban Bay

Shetlander Vicki joined the Perseverance crew in Oban Bay for a half-day sail around Kerrera.

Vickie Leslie from Shetland who has completed the complete circumnavigation with Skipper Ineke Van Der Weijden.
Sandy McCook/DC Thomson
Vickie Leslie from Shetland who has completed the complete circumnavigation with Skipper Ineke Van Der Weijden. Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

As life on the ocean waves go, Shetlander Vicki Leslie has done something a little more unusual than most – she has knitted 11 ‘clipper hats’.

Vicki is one of fewer than 100 people who have traversed the planet on the Clipper Round the World 2023/24 race.

To keep her “busy” she took Jamiesons of Shetland two-ply wool to knit hats, she is now auctioning for UNICEF.

The Clippers sailed into Oban on Friday night, and will be here until Sunday morning when they head off on the last lap to Portsmouth.

Vicki even got her mum Lisbeth to bring extra supplies of two-ply wool out to Seattle so she could complete her challenge.

Action on the Clipper. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

Vicki, a boat chef in “real” life, knows the seas, but describes the Clipper Round the World race as a “trip of a lifetime”.

She took up the challenge of knitting 11 Fair Isle hats in the colours of the flags and hulls of the boats she sailed alongside.

Clipper boats in Oban

The Press and Journal met Vicki aboard the 70ft long Perseverance in Oban Bay for a half-day sail around Kerrera.

Perseverance skipper Ineke Van Der Weijden welcomed a small press team on board and, literally, showed us the ropes.

The Perseverance: Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

‘We come from Shetland so the sea is a huge part of our lives’

Vicki, who has circumnavigated the planet on the Clipper Ha Long Bay Viet Nam, is originally from Toab near Sumburgh.

She now has a home in Dunrossness – but is often in the Firth of Lorne sailing out of Oban, as she cooks aboard the St Hilda cruise ship.

For a time she also worked at the Northern Lighthouse Board on the Pharos, working as a chef.

Asked if seafaring was in her blood, she joked: “My mum Lisbeth is very seasick almost every time she sails, so not really.

“But my brother Stuart is a senior barge master in floating production storage and offloading (FPSO), he lives in Aviemore now.

Vicki onboard the Perseverance. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

“We come from Shetland so the sea is a huge part of our lives.”

Circumnavigating the world is not cheap, to take part in the Clipper experience it costs between £50, 000 and £60,000 for the full journey, and around £6 -7,000 for each leg.

But as Vicki says: “It is worth every penny for the experience.”

So having wool from Shetland on board was a big thing, but Vicki used her time wisely the 11 hats are finished and plans to auction them off.

Jamiesons of Shetland wool has also been used to “wool the kites”, moving away from synthetic materials for environmental reasons.

The Clipper Round the World Race is currently berthed in Oban ahead of its final stage. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson.

Jamieson’s Shetland wool is holding the kites

She said: “Synthetic fabrics would last much longer, but Jamiesons of Shetland wool can withstand a few months at a time, and is more sustainable.”

Vicki said conditions on the clipper can be “challenging”, she said: “It is not the sailing, it is the heat. When you are in hotter climates the temperature can get up to 42C below deck and there is nowhere to escape to as it is just as hot on deck.

“I prefer the cold, as at least you can put on more layers and be really cosy.”

Asked about her experience of Oban, she said: “I have been here before and I love it. The scenery is amongst the best in the world.

“In fact, many of the other crews have not been to Oban before and they are already talking about coming back. It is beautiful here.”

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