Sailing Projects

Ian has been going out in angling boats since he was eleven years of age and took to sailing when he was a student. His first boat was basic plywood catamaran and he worked his way through traditional lug-rigged boats, dinghies and yachts while employed by the Coastguard Service, in Stornoway, latterly serving as as a Senior Watch Officer. He gained his RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore certificate of competence in 2003. Ian has also successfully completed a Cruising Instructor's assessment and the Ocean Youth Trust's mates and skippers course.

The Shiant Islands (taken from Elinca) and used as the basis for a photo-polymer print by Emmanuelle Waeckerlé where the image is recomposed in Ian's text of the Aleinn Duinn story, which relates to this setting.

Commercial sailing tasks have included working as mate on the 67ft BT challenge yacht Elinca and delivery of a 53 ft Hallberg Rassey yacht from Norway to Stornoway. He has made many successful delivery trips of small yachts in the west coast of Scotland area.

"No passage even for boats" - a gap between Boreray, St Kilda and an outlying stac from Elinca.   Ian's image of a charted route in the Sound of Soay and a Gaelic version of a St Kildan story have also been used as the basis for a text drawing by Emmanuelle, printed by John McNaught at Highland Print Studio.

As a volunteer skipper with an Sulaire Trust and with Falmadair (North Lewis Maritime Trust) he takes out many groups to allow them to experience traditional North Lewis lugsail vessels. He managed the renovations of Jubilee and Broad Bay as part of the Sail Loft project in 2006.

two-twenty from Ian Stephen on Vimeo.

In 2008, he managed the preparation of the 33ft an Sulaire for open water sailing and skippered on her passage from Stornoway, round the top of Scotland, to join the Moray Firth Flotilla. in 2010 he skippered on voyages to celebrate Jubilee's 75th birthday. She was returned to her home Port of Ness.

artwork reclaimed from Ian Stephen on Vimeo.

As the last sailing sgoth Niseach to visit the island of Suile Sgeir, she was sailed back to that Island, with the writer Robert Macfarlane aboard. After returning to Ness, she was sailed on to Stromness, Orkney to make links with the Orkney Yole Association before a return voyage to Stornoway in October.

Westray to Fair Isle, June 2010 - Ian's image from a voyage crewing on the 28ft Hereshoff design "Spriit of Rema" for Edward Anker. Ian joined Ed in Stornoway and helped take the small yacht on to cruise Shetland. Their route included Baltasound and Outskerries. Ed went on to take his vessel single-handed to Norway and back. The voyage is one of many which will feed into ian's work in progress - a book which alternates the retelling of traditional stories with a log of navigating their settings.

 Ian's own sloop, El Vigo, a 33ft Robert Clark design, has taken part in many arts projects. Her own voyages have included a transit of Limfjord in Denmark and a non-stop north Sea crossing from Thyboren to Stornoway via the Pentland Firth.