Playmobil pirate ship heads for Caribbean in new transatlantic adventure
The boat has already travelled to Denmark, Sweden and Norway after being launched from Aberdeenshire in May.
Two brothers whose toy pirate ship sailed from Scotland to Scandinavia are hoping it will reach the Caribbean after being launched off Africa with the help of a tall ship.
The Playmobil boat travelled to Denmark, Sweden and Norway after being launched by Ollie Ferguson, eight, and his brother, Harry, five, from Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, at the end of May.
It has now been transported more than 3,000 miles (4,828km) south to the Atlantic by Christian Radich, a Norwegian full-rigged ship, who offered to help the toy ship on its journey.
The family are now hoping it may cross the Atlantic to enjoy its own “Pirates of the Caribbean” adventure.
The boys’ father, MacNeill Ferguson, said: “The Christian Radich have been amazing, they have been sending us regular photos with our boat on their ship and they have been really getting into the spirit of the whole adventure.
“They took it all the way to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands and then between there and Cape Verde they decided it was the best place to put it in the ocean to give it the best chance of getting to America or the Caribbean.
“The boys love it. When they come home from school they ask is there any news about the ship and having all these photos from the Christian Radich is as close as the boys can get to being on board.”
The team on the Christian Radich did some restoration work on the Adventure before launching it on the next stage of its journey.
One of the crew, who had worked on the restoration of the Cutty Sark, created sails made from real sail cloth, and the team adjusted the toy ship’s balance to ensure it always rights itself.
The Playmobil vessel carries a message asking anyone who finds the boat to send them a picture and launch Adventure back into the sea.
The ship’s journey is now being sponsored by Opex, which is paying for a tracker, made by YB Tracking, that will pinpoint where the vessel is.
A website built by DDK Positioning enables people to follow its journey on www.track-adventure.co.uk.
The boys launched the pirate ship as part of their bucket list of 500 adventures which they are working their way through, with their exploits charted on the Facebook page ”The days are just packed” at https://www.facebook.com/tdajp/.
They have carried out more than 200 so far, with one highlight being sending Lego figures ”into space” with a high-altitude weather balloon which took the characters 20 miles (32km) above the Moray Firth, while they have also been bouldering and made tea from snow.
The boys’ parents, MacNeill and Vicki Ferguson, came up with the bucket list idea to provide the boys with excitement and interesting alternatives to screen time.
The couple, from Turriff, Aberdeenshire, have also set up The Marvellous Adventure Club which provides outdoor learning experiences for adults and children.
