Reawick and District Boating Club’s 78th Regatta got off to a good start last Thursday night with the eela competition. As the boats set off to fish the sun was still shining, and the fish seemed to be patchy and quite sparse with some very light baskets weighing in.

Among all the festivities in Unst, the Baltasound regatta was sailed last Saturday in a strong force 5-6 southerly wind. A course within the voe involved tacking from pier to Ordale and from Hamar to Skeotaing three times around the figure of eight course.

Three weeks after her family hosted one of the crews in the Shetland Round Britain and Ireland Yacht race, young Lerwick Boating Club sailor Kirsten Napier found herself following their route south to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, venue for the sailing events in the London 2012 Olympics.

Lerwick Harbour became a hive of activity this week as yachts competing in the Shetland Round Britain and Ireland race began arriving in the isles – the halfway mark in the most challenging of events.

Tradition was broken for the first time ever at the weekend when the Sandwick regatta was held at Aith Voe Pier in Cunningsburgh due to the anticipated restoration of the historic stone pier at Sandsayre.

Local sailor John Manson has just returned from competing at the Fireball World Championship in Bridgetown, Barbados.

With his normal crew unavailable, John teamed up with Steven Leask, son of Lerwick lifeboat coxswain Bruce Leask, who currently lives and works in Bahrain.

When Leslie Irvine takes part in the Shetland Round Britain and Ireland Race this summer he will end up circumnavigating the country not once, but twice.

Local sailor Maggie Adamson has qualified for this year’s Laser Radial Youth World Championships as part of the British team.

Local sailing enthusiast Ewan Stir­ling will be putting his experience to the test later this month when he takes part in the first of a series of qualifying races in France in prep­aration for a renowned international race.

Fifty yachts have entered this year’s Shetland Round Britain & Ireland Race, sponsored by Shetland Islands Council, one of the largest fleets for many years.

A former Lerwick optician is suing his estranged wife and erstwhile business partner for more than £800,000, claiming that her actions after they went their separate ways six years ago effectively left him out of work.

New SIC chief executive Alistair Buchan came face to face with all councillors this week for the first time since taking up the post for what he described as “very positive” initial discussions about how to react to major criticisms in the Accounts Commission’s recent report on the local authority.

Multiple Grammy winner Steve Earle, the outspoken singer-song­writer responsible for a host of classic Americana songs including Copperhead Road, Guitar Town and Galway Girl, will be stopping off in Lerwick next Thursday for a re-arranged show at Clickimin.