Steve and Cathy's Blog

We are now at 60.15 degrees north latitude. As we travel, this number will increase, and the significance of our mentioning this will become apparent as we head north. Oceania calls this cruise Northern Regala – and northernis the operative word. Our home in Wallingford, Connecticut is at 41.45 degrees. The Arctic Circle is at 66.56 degrees, and at or above this line the sun does not set for 56 days beginning in late June. To see the Midnight Sun is one of the reasons we chose this particular journey.

We arrive at Lerwick, Shetland Islands (part of Scotland) at 8:00am, and the temperature is in the 40s, with a high of 51 degrees F. forecast. Not surprising, since we are 123 miles north of the northern tip of “mainland” Scotland and 222 statute miles from Bergen, Norway. It is a charming town of 7,000, and serves as the capital of the Shetland Islands, which has a total population of 23,000. There are 100 islands, only 16 of which are inhabited. 

The climate is amazingly mild given its location. That is a result of the Gulf Stream meeting the Labrador Current, which then forms the North Atlantic Drift. This current keeps the Shetland Islands quite mild in winter. The “average night-time low temperatures a little above 1 °C (34 °F) in January and February and average daytime high temperatures of near 14 °C (57 °F) in July and August. The highest temperature on record was 23.4 °C (74.1 °F) in July 1991 and the lowest −8.9 °C (16.0 °F) in the Januaries of 1952 and 1959.” (Wikipedia)

The economy was fishing and agriculture throughout its history, and fishing still is an important component. However, after oil and gas were discovered both east and west of the Shetland Islands, the economy added that industry. In 1978, one of Europe’s largest oil terminals began operation in the Sullom Voe area of the largest island (that carries the name Mainland!). The popularity of cruising has since made tourism another important industry.

Cathy and I have breakfast in the GDR (which shall be our shorthand for Grand Dining Room). We have no excursions planned. Lerwick is such a small town that we want to explore it on foot. A representative from the local tourist bureau is on board, from whom we secure a very good map, and plan our day. Cathy comes up with an inspired idea: because it’s Sunday, let’s go to church. We google a couple of alternatives and settle on St. Columba’s, a church within the Church of Scotland. 

We leave the ship at 9:30am for an 11:15am service. This gives us lots of time to walk through part of this fairly hilly community. The map shows us several walking routes, one of which will take us pretty close to the location of the church. It’s Sunday, so few stores or restaurants are open, and it’s cloudy and sometimes misty. It very much reminds us of the weather on Cliff Island, Maine. 

We cruise passengers are pretty much the only visitors today. Many others arrive by air, and a few by Northland ferry from Aberdeen, Scotland, but perhaps not today.  We spend some time picking up sea glass on Bain’s Beach, a 40-yard wide strip of sand right between two buildings, an idea we got from watching two of our shipmates. There are tons of it! It’s a fun, Cliff Island-type of activity. 

We continue our walk up the hill into the neighborhood near the church. The houses are all neat and clean with beautiful gardens. It’s v-e-r-y quiet and relaxing, and gives us a reminder of why we enjoy visiting islands so much.

We arrive at the church around 10:50 for the 11:15 service. As soon as we open the door, we are warmly welcomed. As if we needed to, we explain that we are from the cruise ship. I mean, this is a small town and we aren’t exactly dressed for church, so we are kind of obvious. We walk into the beautiful sanctuary and sit toward the rear. Within five minutes, a couple comes in and sits next to us, welcoming us to their island and church. Alma and David. Within minutes, we are friends. What lovely people.

Alma explains that David is the retired Harbormaster, a position of great responsibility in such a remote community with large fishing and oil rig servicing fleets, having given up his position twenty-two years ago. They now have a small apartment in Edinburgh where one of their sons live, and they travel frequently, having last been to New Hampshire on their last visit to the US. A delightful couple that reflect the hospitality and friendliness of the Shetland Islands.

The service begins promptly at 11:15 and ends about an hour later. It’s conducted by a lay minister, as the church shares a minister with two other churches. We join the members for coffee and tea after the service at the rear of the sanctuary. Cathy and I end up in different conversations.  I am engaged in a long, interesting conversation with a person named Arthur, and he and I compare notes on the state of churches in Scotland and the United States. Our challenges are identical, and many of our solutions are as well. It is fascinating to hear about how a small community such as the Shetland Islands is dealing with declining participation, aging membership and the like. Cathy and I will be bringing back an experience that certainly will be interesting to the members of our church.

Arthur also tells me about the arrival of the oil and gas industry in the Shetlands in the early 1970s. As you might expect in a remote island community whose way of life had become the stuff of legend (i.e., Shetland sweaters, Shetland wool, Shetland ponies), the local people were leery of the potential devastation to their unique culture that the arrival of this industry might create.

Fortunately, the Shetland Islands Council was populated with common sense leadership at the time. Not wanting to turn their backs on the potentially immense windfall while at the same time protecting their heritage, the local government, with the help of Parliament, negotiated a very carefully written deal with the oil industry. From what we learned, the Shetland Islands would receive approximately 300 million pounds, would remain in charge of how and when that money was spent, was able to dictate where oil terminals would be located on their islands, where the roads would be, and other terms that left the locals in charge of their destiny. 

Cathy has been talking to a man named John, and mentions that we are going to visit the Shetland Museum and Archives. He graciously offers to drive us there, and give us a quick tour of the city on the way. It is a beautiful little town, as neat and clean as can be. He drives here and there pointing out landmarks, eventually reaching the museum. 

The Shetland Museum and Archives appears to be almost brand new, and the exhibits are excellent. By now we are starving, but only pastries and coffee/soft drinks are available at the little café on Sunday. We recharge with what’s available and begin our tour. It’s exhibits go from the earliest geological history of the islands up to the present, and we could have spent hours there, but hunger got the better of us after about ninety minutes, so we began our one mile walk back to the ship. On the way, we stopped at a small market for … a salt grinder. In the GDR, the salt shakers just don’t work well in the ocean humidity, so Cathy carries her own. The weather is c-c-c-cold and a stiff wind is blowing in our face. We are glad to get back.

Sail away takes place promptly at 5:00pm for the 186 nautical-mile, virtually due east trip to Bergen, Norway. We had a wonderful day and promise each other we will return some day. There’s something about islands ….