Hello from The Shetland Isles

[Roy Hansen]

Greetings all.
My total 'Merchant Navy' career was 2 years spent as a Survey Engineer aboard a number of Research vessels searching for oil and gas in the North Sea and cable laying research in the Med!
My ancestors, however, were from Norway, Sweden and Denmark and worked for the British Merchant Navy so I am hoping to pick a few brains

Once I have navigated this site a bit more I will start hounding people

[Ron B Manderson]

welcome to the site Roy.
Enjoy as we do.
Ron the batcave

[Captain Kong]

Hi Roy, had a good time in Lerwick on the "Up Helly Aa day" the last Tuesday in January every year.
I watch the Viking ship burn then a Viking stuck a bottle of whisky in my hand and we charged around town stopping at various halls with drinking and dancing. I ended up with a Vikings helmet on and a battle axe. All day and all night and on the Wednesday as well which is supposed to be a day for recovery.
I lost my jacket and it was snowing heavily and I was frozen, I could not find my hotel I forgot where I was staying and wandered around knocking on doors to see where I was staying.
I got to the Queens hotel and the girl in Reception said she knew me and said `You are Dying, I will take you to your room ," She got me undressed and stood me in the shower with hot water over me, I was suffering from Hypothermia, I stayed there for half an hour.to thaw out.
It was one of the best times ever, running with the Vikings and bottles of whisky appearing .
I will always remember Shetland.
Cheers
Brian.

[Roy Hansen]

Captain Kong said:

".... the Wednesday as well which is supposed to be a day for recovery"



I think you mean
"The week following Wednesday was the start of the recovery"

I live on Yell, the next Island up and I am a member of a 'UHA Squad' and the excessive drinking usually stops mid March!!!

It's Hell - Or as they say up here: 'Yell is Hell, but Hell ain't a bad place to be'

(Hope you like this little video I put together a couple of weeks ago)



Thanks for the welcome.

Roy

[Captain Kong]

Hi Roy , I wish our roads were as quiet as that,
I had to fly out of Sumburgh for Rotterdam , I had been working on the Brent Spa, the following day as the parties carried on, great time, OK once I had thawed out, I always wanted to go back for UHAa. Best event in the world.
This was in January 1984 or 5, The wind was blowing over 100 Plus knots, it dropped to 70 knots and we took off, the plane did sommersaults over the rocks, I wet my knickers then. We had four attempts to land in Aberdeen before dumping fuel in the North Sea then made it bouncing like a tennis ball. I thought I had got to the bar first but the Pilot was already in there with a large glass of whisky in his hand, I said "You were quick off the plane` he said "your lucky , I have to take it back to Sumburgh.` gulping down the whisky.
It does blow a little wild up there in January.
Cheers
Brian.

[Kevin Mercer]

Welcome to the site Roy, that's a great biker's road you were on! You didn't do much scratching but I guessed you were on a quad!
Kevin

[Richard Quartermaine]

Fantastic video Roy.

Helped pay off the Turriff Taylor crew at the Flotta oil terminal in Scappa Flow, Orkney at Christmas 1975. Was interested to see all the Norwegian goods in the shops at Kirkwall.

Richard

[happy daze john in oz]

Only five cars and a lady with a pusher. Why do you need so much road???

[happy daze john in oz]

[QUOTE. I ended up with a Vikings helmet on and a battle axe. All day and all night and on the Wednesday as well which is supposed to be a day for recovery.

A battle axe Brian, I thought you said she divorced you ar was that the mother in law?

[Roy Hansen]

Welcome to the site Roy, that's a great biker's road you were on! You didn't do much scratching but I guessed you were on a quad!
Kevin

Yes a quad. One of my 'other bikes' is a Harley. I took it off the road 18 months ago when it took me 40 minutes to get home in the wind and snow. I can walk it in 45 minutes! Hope to be back on it this year - if this wind ever calms down I can't even get out of the Voe on my boat as it only has a 25hp outboard.

The thing about living on an island with only 900 people is that everyone knows you, including everyone in the video and we need so much road for the sheep to lick the salt off. Plus of course to get from home to Mary's shop for my rum ration (although I have had it delivered once or twice!).