Solo sailors finish well ahead of opposition
Rosalind Griffiths
The first yacht in the Bergen-Shetland race to reach Lerwick was the Solo, which crossed the finishing line at 11.43am today, 23 hours 43 minutes after the start.
In an amazing sail by skipper Rune Aasberg and Simen Løvgren, Solo arrived in Lerwick 80 nautical miles ahead of the next yacht.
A combination of good tactics and a fast yacht meant they were first to reach the stronger north-easterly winds, which allowed them to make very good speed through the night.
The next yachts were around 10 to 12 hours behind Solo, with a few breaking away from the pack. It may be a long night for the timekeepers on the finishing line at Lerwick Boating Club with many of the competitors likely to finish overnight.
A couple of yachts are not expected to finish until later tomorrow. Slack winds off the Norwegian coast have meant slow progress until reaching the stronger north-easterly winds midway across the North Sea.
Forty four yachts set off, but two have returned to Bergen.
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