Summer has come

After the quietness of the winter waters, it's a shock to have to share again

- Marsali Taylor

The long summer days have arrived in Shetland at last. The elegant fork-tailed Arctic of scolding, sweeping down the voe in a squabbling group, then separating out to their nesting sites. Gradually the light’s crept back, light after tea, light for evening work at the marina and now the ‘simmer dims’ are here, those beautiful long days which dim to twilight at 2330, and brighten to daylight at one. It’s a pleasure to wake at 0400 to the start of a bright new day naturally include taking the boat out. Everyone has that same idea. Suddenly the voe’s lled with vessels – though I know that’s relative. My former helm and good friend Colin Sinclair took me out on the Hamble once, and that was terrifying; boats everywhere, from busy ferries to a sudden eet of racing boats appearing under the jib.