Two young Caithness men are getting used to life on land again after a 10-day adventure on the high seas.

Fresh from their passage from Dundee to Denmark and back to Aberdeen, Jamie Mackay and David Kelly both say they thoroughly enjoyed their time on board the tall ship, Prince William as part of Tall Ships Adventures 2002. The pair, both Modern Apprentices employed by Alstec and Rolls Royce respectively, were fortunate enough to secure the two places on board the Prince William funded by Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE).

According to Lynne Johnstone, a training manager with CASE: " We were delighted to be able to offer this opportunity to two of our Modern Apprentices. I am sure Jamie and David will have gained a lot from the experience, meeting lots of new people in a working environment so different to those they are normally in.

"Working as part of a crew on a tall ship must be one of the ultimate ways of demonstrating the benefits of good team work and a real character building experience."

Tall Ships Adventures is organised through the Sail Training Association (STA), a registered charity dedicated to the personal development of young people through the sail training experience on tall ships. To date, some 60,000 young people have sailed with the STA.

The overall experience is aimed at giving young people the chance to develop their personal skills, including learning to take responsibility for themselves and others, developing their self confidence, learning to make choices and influence decisions, and form positive relationships with fellow crew members.