Last boats... for Last Launch...

The last boats made it into port today to join the fleet for the Last Launch.

This is the biggest of the boats from the Islay High School flotilla, all of which were created by S1 in their Technology class.

The pupils made boats big and small, working together as an exercise in creativity and team work.

Several of them knew about George Wyllie because family members had told them about his Truce Goose which he created on Islay in 1993 and installed on a lochan, the very scul?ture which we blipped about on Thursday as having inspired the pupils at Rosshall Academy in Glasgow. Small world Scotland.

As well as the 'Big Islay Boat' for the Boat Shed, seen here after it was delivered to the exhibition this morning, the pupils also made individual boats for the Last Launch and one pupil created a whole set of Russian-inspired boats, housed one inside the other, from the biggest to the smallest. Matryoshka dolls are often designed around a particular theme, often girls in traditional Russian costumes, but the theme can be anything and the Matryoshka paper boats from Islay were the last boats to dock at the Mitchell, a nice touch.

You can see the Islay S1 pupils working on their flotilla, here, just before it set off for Glasgow.

(Big thanks to their teacher who delivered them to the Mitchell this morning, having brought them safely on the ferry last night on his way home for Christmas.)

All boats now safely in port!