Tall Ships at Half Mast

The flags arc in the strong northerlies

A lament

Bressay lost behind masts

78 metres long

Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham at Victoria Pier

Victoria Pier, Lerwick

The Tall Ship Race was in Lerwick for four days and the organisation of events, music and display of local produce was tremendous as was the French cheese stall. I had returned to Lerwick to complete some work but also to observe yet another of Shetland's remarkable set of events. Strong northerly winds have sprung up and the event organisers have postponed the next leg by a day. The shooting tragedy at the youth camp in Norway dominated everybody's thoughts today and, as about a dozen of the Tall Ships are Norwegian and the next stop is Stavanger, there was a sombre mood.  The flag at the Town Hall was at half-mast and the boats did likewise.

Ali Bain and Phil Cunningham were the main act at the Victoria Pier that I attended this evening. They played a Norwegian hymn towards the end of their set. The bond between Shetland and the crews from the predominantly North Sea nations: Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Holland, Poland, France and all parts of the UK was strengthened even further by the sense of loss of so many young people.

Half mast