The Changing Tides Initiative
The Changing Tides Initiative is based in Oban, where sea, culture, and community meet. Whether you’re passionate about preserving classic boats, inspired by maritime heritage, or keen to support environmental stewardship through the arts, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch to find out how you can get involved—through volunteering, partnerships, or creative collaboration—to help us protect our coastal environment and celebrate Scotland’s rich maritime legacy.
About us
Our mission is to create a unique heritage hub that connects community groups and other third-sector organisations. Through this hub, we provide opportunities to engage with maritime heritage, the environment, and the arts, fostering greater environmental awareness and promoting sustainable practices for our coastal communities.
Preserve and restore historic boats
Safeguard the integrity of historic boats, ensuring their survival for future generations through conservation, repair, and restoration efforts forming a cultural hub.
Foster connections to the environment to develop environmental Awareness
Use the boats themselves as a symbol of environmental stewardship, showcasing the importance of preserving our coastal environments.
Inspire art through maritime heritage and the environment
Connect and engage artists to interpret maritime history and the environment through various artistic mediums such as painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media related to a range of environmental themes.
Create community engagement through a floating hub
Host events, workshops, and exhibitions that encourage communities to engage with maritime heritage, environmental awareness, and the artistic activities.
Engage with organisations to provide a facility for education and engagement activities
Provide hub or awareness raising, experiential learning and practices using the boats to stimulate and encourage community discussion and action to support.
Honouring our maritime past, safeguarding our coastal future.
Connecting communities on the water.
Inspired by the sea, dedicated to its stewardship.
Volharding - our Dutch Sailing 'Tjalk'
Volharding is a fully restored 120-year-old, 85-foot, ketch-rigged Dutch sailing barge based in Oban, Scotland. Offering opportunities for people from all walks of life to experience adventures on the beautiful waters of the West Coast of Scotland.
Originally built in 1890 Volharding is a historic Dutch sailing ‘Tjalk’ she was designed originally as a cargo-carrying vessel plying the waters of the shallow Zuyder Zee and the waterways of the Netherlands before being converted into a more comfortable leisure vessel in the 20th century.
She is a traditional seagoing barge with a shallow draught perfect for shallow inland and coastal waters and leeboards, serving as keels found on modern sailing vessels. She carries two masts and a bowsprit for ample sail area and is a capable cruising vessel under sail power alone.
Her days as a cargo-carrying vessel are now long behind her and she is now used as a platform to help others experience the joy of sailing, seamanship, and life on the water.
We’re The Changing Tides Initiative, based in Oban — bringing people together through classic boats, creativity, and care for our coastal environment. Want to get involved? Whether it’s volunteering, sharing your skills, or just popping along to say hello, we’d love to hear from you!