Of Tall Ships and Sunsets....

Wylde Swan

Today started grey and the air was "heavy". I was trying to get my brain in gear when I received a message from someone in Stromness to look out the window as the "tall ship", the Wylde Swan, was just off Graemsay and about to sail into Stromness harbour.

I dashed outside with my camera as I wanted a picture of the vessel in sail - usually once they get near the harbour they have to drop their sails, otherwise they could sail straight into the harbour without stopping!

I love this photo - the Wylde Swan is a converted herring hunter ship - such a ship would have sailed into Stromness as part of the Herring fleet in the 19th Century. Now it's a training ship and much more luxuriously kitted out judging by the photos on their web site!!

Time to drop the sails now...

Then later this evening the murky weather cleared in time for a fine sunset.......

In other more sombre news on the radio today, four people lost their life in the helicopter crash off Shetland last night. The helicopter was transporting workers from an oil rig to Aberdeen.  The Shetland-Orkney-Aberdeen Ferry was diverted to assist as a communications base. Fourteen people were safely rescued and through the night there was the hope that the remaining four would be found alive. Sadly not. Many people in Orkney and around the UK work in the offshore oil industry in the North Sea.  The tragic loss of life this weekend reminds me that for the convenience of millions of us who use oil to heat our homes and power our cars, many people face danger daily in difficult conditions around our land. My thoughts are with the families of those lost this weekend.