News / Yachts get ready
LERWICK Harbour will be lined with yachts next week as the latest Bergen to Shetland race gets underway.
At least 30 competitors will make the 388 nautical mile journey across the North Sea, leaving Norway on Wednesday.
They are due to reach Lerwick the next day and the first crew that lands in the Lerwick capital will receive a trophy.
The boats will spend the weekend in Shetland before departing on the return leg to Bergen on Sunday morning (28 June).
Lerwick Port Authority chief Sandra Laurenson said that the race, which launched in 1986, has become a major part of Lerwick’s summer season.
“We will be delighted to again welcome competitors in the race which has become a popular fixture in the Shetland calendar and brings so much colour to the harbour,” she said.
“It also highlights the port as an international destination for yacht crews, with access to the islands’ many attractions.”
The Bergen to Lerwick race is organised by Norway’s Hordaland Sailing Association in conjunction with Lerwick Boating Club.
The event meanwhile will coincide with the release of a new beer created by Lerwick Brewery and the University of the Highlands and Islands’ Centre for Nordic Studies.
The golden lager Kjøl will be available in Shetland during the race as the isles’ links with Norway are celebrated.
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