In the days of sail and wooden ships, Stromness harbour welcomed tall ships from many far places including those bound for the Hudson’s Bay, Greenland whalers and Moravian Mission ships, as well as visitors like Captain Cook’s ships on their return from Hawaii and Sir John Franklin about to commence his search for the Northwest Passage. Stromness-built ships also lay at anchor in the harbour with a few berthed alongside merchants’ piers. Len Wilson, former boatbuilder, tells the story of the tall ships and the men who sailed them while naval architect Dennis Davidson of Murray Cormack Design talks about Stanger’s and Copland’s shipyards in Stromness and some of the ships they built.