Cruising on Top of Britain

Shetland, Britain′s most northerly area, is something of an undiscovered cruising destination. Yachtsmen are increasingly looking beyond their home waters for interesting sailing challenges, and Shetland offers a cruising ground that is easily accessible from most of north west Europe, but with no need to cross oceans.

Yachting Information

Any well-found yacht that has sailed to the Shetland Islands will be well equipped for cruising in the area, however, it is advisable to carry a heavier anchor, not only for security in heavy weather, but because many anchorages have extensive kelp (seaweed) on the seabed. Read more

Cruising Panel

Visit Shetland has put together a panel of local sailors with a wealth of knowledge and experience to answer your questions.
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Sail to Up Helly Aa - Online

Sailonline.org offers online offshore sailracing as you have never experienced it. With super realistic boat performance, state of the art wind forecasts and realtime chat you will have the ultimate online sailracing experience.

The next race, starting on Friday 27th January, will leave from Aberdeen and routing via the Moray Firth, SOLers will race through several of the Shetland Islands with the intention of arriving in Lerwick for Tuesday 31st January to take in the Up Helly Aa celebrations (which will be broadcast live via our webcam network at www.shetland.org/uha).

To find out more about the race or to register to take part, click here