North Sea racers arrive in Lerwick
JUST four minutes separated the Bergen registered yacht Serenity and second-placed Scirocco III in the first leg of this year’s Shetland Race.
Serenity took just under 33 hours to complete the challenging course across the northern North Sea.
Skippered by Fridtjov Bergmann, she now proudly flies the Bergen-Shetland blue ribbon before setting off on the second part of the race back to Bergen on Sunday morning.
Thirty yachts with 167 crew on board are participating in this year’s race, which has been an annual feature since the mid 1980s.
Lerwick Port Authority chief executive Sandra Laurenson said the event was a great start to the port’s summer sailing season.
The visitors will be treated to a series of social events between now and Sunday morning, including the prize giving in Lerwick town hall on Friday evening.
Totalling 388 nautical miles, the annual race was first held in 1986 and is organised by Hordaland Sailing Association in Norway, in association with Lerwick Boating Club.
Keep Shetland’s news open to everyone
Your membership helps us report the stories that matter to Shetland — and keep them free for everyone to read.