For generations, Norwegian sailors have crossed over to the Shetland Islands. As Vikings, resistance fighters during the war, businessmen with an eye for fishing and oil profits, and adventurous sailors, we have set sail toward a new coast. Now we no longer do it to save our lives or for income, but for the joy of sailing across an ocean to a friendly land.
The islands in the west have their own attraction for me. It’s not just the people, the sheep, the harsh nature, a new coast in the distance, or the whiff of deep-fried food that tugs at my moorings. Nor that Shetland was once a part of Norway. It is the feeling of coming home for a sailor who sees land rising from the grey-blue North Sea horizon in the form of Shetland.
Fourteen times I have sailed from Norway and back in the summer – and experienced everything from glassy to raging seas. It has given me offshore sailing knowledge and a desire for more. I have dreamed of sailing across the North Sea at the beginning of the year, when the days are at their shortest, the low pressure at its densest, and maybe even to see Shetland dressed in snow. Last year I finally got my wish.
