Week 1 – 6th – 13th June 2026, Mallaig – Stornoway, £895
Week 2 – 15th – 21st August 2026, Mallaig – Oban, £895
Counterpart to the Life of Islands, the Wild Islands residency is an opportunity to explore how we define ‘wild places’, our preconceptions of seemingly remote landscapes, and how we as humans fit into these stories. We’ll be investigating these ideas in the context of the Hebrides through the local folklore, geography and history, whilst considering what this all means in the larger story of the global climate crisis.
Our routes for the two weeks this year from Mallaig to Stornoway and Mallaig to Oban will allow us to visit some of the ‘wilder’ places on the west coast of Scotland, many of which are inaccessible except by boat.
The residency will give artists a space to explore notions of remoteness and ecology with a strong connection to nature.
Throughout the week we will sail to the edge places, exploring the theme of wilderness – away from civilisation and seemingly untouched, yet always we can find traces of human interaction with the land, culminating in an evening sharing our thoughts and personal responses to our week at sea.
The Wild Islands Residency is led by Phoebe Jones and Lily Garget.
Phoebe is an illustrator based in the Highlands of Scotland. Her work encompasses recollections of childhood and the rich culture and history of the North of Scotland where she grew up. Through visual storytelling she uses varied processes including print-making, drawing, collage, digital work and ceramics to reflect sensitively on her relationship with time, memory, and place.
Lily’s practice takes inspiration from her surroundings in Angus, her work is a translation of landscape using processes led by natural materials. She creates spaces where ephemeral atmospheres are translated into physical artworks. Lily has twice taken part in the Wild Islands as a resident artist.
This trip will be an opportunity to experience the ocean first hand in a very intimate way. Travelling under sail is a slow form of transport which allows an appreciation of distance, separation and the elements. It also brings people together as a crew to explore collaboratively, and to develop and exchange ideas. In addition to some wonderful exploring under sail, we aim to go ashore each evening to bridge the littoral zone between land and sea and have space to develop our personal connections to the landscape.
No prior sailing experience is necessary and we’ll get everyone involved in the running of the boat, however due to the remote places we’ll be visiting, a sense of adventure is an advantage!
There are 11 places for this residency across the two weeks.
Applicants should have an interest in working within a strong team environment in collaboration with other artists, including a willingness to discuss and share ideas, and to work together as a crew to sail the ship. The resident artists should bring any materials or equipment required for their research, but please be aware space onboard is very limited and emphasis on packing light is strongly encouraged!
Application Process:
We ask applicants to submit a brief introduction to their work and their motivation for applying for the residency, including relevant themes in their work and how taking part will be beneficial for their practice. This should be no more than one page of A4 of text, with additionally up to 5 images or other supporting documentation such as video, sound, links etc. as an emailed PDF. This is so that we can learn a bit about you, and to ensure that applicants will get as much as possible out of the programme.
Applications should be sent to info@sailbritain.org, subject – ‘Wild Islands Residency Application + [your name]’
The deadline for applications is Saturday 31st January 2026, but applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Funding
This is a self-funded residency, as Sail Britain has no external support, but we have a good record of applicants making successful external funding applications to support their places, and we are very happy to write in support of these once we have received your application. Please let us know if this would be helpful, and see this page for suggestions on funding your place
Practical information:
Week 1 will start at Mallaig marina at 6pm on Saturday 6th June, and finish in Stornoway at 9am on Saturday 13th June
Week 2 will start at Mallaig marina at 6pm on Saturday 15th August, and finish in Oban at 12 noon on Friday 21st Aug
What’s included:
- Fully equipped yacht and professional crew
- 6 nights accommodation onboard
- All meals for the week
- All safety equipment and training
What’s not included
- Your travel to and from the start/end points of the voyage
- Travel insurance
- Any expenses ashore, although these tend to be very limited out in the wilds!
- Materials for your practice / research
For more info have a look at our FAQs page for an insight into life onboard.
Please see this page for suggestions on funding your place.
For any questions about the programme, please send us an email – info@sailbritain.org