RainbowChaser
Member
For the third year running www.sailonline.org (SOL) is running a virtual race from Aberdeen, round the Shetland Isles to finish in Lerwick in time for the annual fire festival (this year on 29 January).
'Tis a bit of fun and a great way to find out about SOL during the dark winter months when there's not a huge amount of sailing taking place around the British Isles as a whole!!
Hope to see some of you at race start!!
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BACKGROUND AND LINKS
The Shetland Isles are a group of about 100 islands off the NE coast of the British mainland, as close to Norway as they are to Aberdeen in Scotland. They have been inhabited for about 5000 years and have to this day retained many of the traditions and customs of those who lived there. Little is known about the original Pictish people as they appear to have been displaced when the Vikings arrived in the 700s. Over many years the Viking and Scandinavian influence was strengthened and it was only in the 15th century that rule over the islands was handed to Scotland by the King of Norway as part of his daughter's dowry.
The modern fire festivals are intended to recapture a little of that Viking influence but are actually a relatively new tradition, first being celebrated in Lerwick in the 19th century. These days Up Helly Aa is a fairly riotous and colourful fire festival and the streets of Lerwick fill with "guizers" - groups of people in themed disguise - and the Jarl Squad (the Vikings)!!
So starting from Aberdeen on Friday, 25 January @2000utc and routing via the Moray Firth, SOLers will race past and around several of the Shetland Islands with the intention of arriving in Lerwick for 29 January where a warm and fire-y Shetland welcome awaits us!
SOL is delighted to once again be informally buddied with www.shetland.org for this event! There will apparently be a live webcast of the events on the day here: http://www.shetland.org/uha/index.php.