Yell Sound is the strait running between

Yell A yell is a loud vocalization; see screaming. Yell may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Yell, Shetland, one of the North Isles of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland * Yell Sound, Shetland, Scotland United States * Yell, Tennessee, an un ...

and

Mainland, Shetland The Mainland is the main island of Shetland, Scotland. The island contains Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick, and is the centre of Shetland's ferry and air connections. Geography It has an area of , making it the third-largest Scottish island ...

, Scotland. It is the boundary between the Mainland and the North Isles and it contains many small islands.

Sullom Voe Sullom Voe is an inlet of the North Sea between the parishes of Delting and Northmavine in Shetland, Scotland. It is a location of the Sullom Voe oil terminal and Shetland Gas Plant. The word Voe is from the Old Norse ' and denotes a small b ...

, on the shores of which is a substantial oil terminal, is an arm of Yell Sound. The ferry to the North Isles crosses the sound, which can experience strong tides and adverse weather conditions. There are numerous shipwreck sites and several

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses m ...

s to guide shipping. Yell Sound is mentioned briefly in the medieval ''Orkneyinga saga'' and during the 19th century there was a short flourishing of the

kelp Kelps are large brown algae seaweeds that make up the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera. Despite its appearance, kelp is not a plant - it is a heterokont, a completely unrelated group of organisms. Kelp grows in "underwa ...

industry.

Commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must oft ...

has long been a mainstay of the local economy and part of the sound is as

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

set up to protect the local wildlife.

Early history

The

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...

name was ''Alasund'' although the original meaning of the name is not clear.Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) ''Orkneyinga Saga''. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). Yell Sound is mentioned briefly in the '' Orkneyinga saga'': :"''Earl Rögnvald... and the chiefs Sölmond and Jón with him... had a fine body of troops, thought not too numerous, and five or six ships. They arrived at Hjaltland (Shetland) about the middle of Summer, but heard nothing of Frákork. Strong and contrary winds sprung up, and they brought their ships to Alasund (Yell Sound), and went a-feasting over the country.''"

Islands

The north western approaches to the sound are guarded by a series of small islands north of the Point of Fethland, which is the northernmost land of

Northmavine Northmavine or Northmaven ( non, Norðan Mæfeið, meaning ‘the land north of the Mavis Grind’) is a peninsula in northwest Mainland Shetland in Scotland. The peninsula has historically formed the civil parish Northmavine. The modern North ...

on the

Shetland Mainland The Mainland is the main island of Shetland, Scotland. The island contains Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick, and is the centre of Shetland's ferry and air connections. Geography It has an area of , making it the third-largest Scottish island ...

. The largest of these islands is Gruney and a small archipelago of reefs and skerries lies north of there known as the

Ramna Stacks The Ramna Stacks are a group of skerries in the Shetland islands. They are north of the northern tip of Mainland, and along with nearby Gruney they are a special protection area on account of their birdlife. From north to south they consist of: ...

including (from north to south) Gaut Skerries, Outer Stack, Scordar, Turla, Hyter, Ofoora, Fladda, Flae-ass, and Barlcudda. Samphrey From The Air

Yell itself lies east of the sound. South of the headland of Nev of Stuis on Yell there are various islands in the sound including Sweinna Stack, Holm of West Sandwick, Muckle Holm, and Little Holm. Yell Sound narrows between Mio Ness on the Mainland and south Yell. The islands of Bigga, Brother Isle, Lamba, Orfasay,

Little Roe Little Roe is an island in Yell Sound in the Shetland Islands History The island's name is Norse in origin, from , meaning "small red island" in contradistinction to Muckle Roe, which is ''not'' nearby, but in St Magnus Bay. In 1841, eleven peo ...

Samphrey Samphrey ( sco, Samphrey; non, Sandfriðarey) is an uninhabited island in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. One of Fair Isle's old names is "Friðarey" which is of similar origin. It is situated in the southern end of Yell Sound, between the M ...

and Uynarey lie in this part of the channel. South of Firth Ness the sound widens and

Fish Holm Fish Holm is a small island, east of Mainland, Shetland. It is near the village of Mossbank. It is at its highest point, and a mile south of Samphrey in Yell Sound Yell Sound is the strait running between Yell and Mainland, Shetland, Sco ...

Linga A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional ...

, Setter Holm, Sinna Skerry, and Wether Holm are found here. The eastern approaches lie between Heoga Ness on Yell and Lunna Ness on the Mainland. Gold Skerry, Green Holm and Neapback Skerries lie off the former and

Lunna Holm Lunna Holm is a small island near Lunna Ness (Mainland, Shetland), in the Shetland Islands. It is at its highest point. Lighthouse Lunna Holm Lighthouse is an active lighthouse located on Lunna Holm at the east entrance of Yell Sound. It was ...

and Sand Skerry north of the latter.

Inlets

There are also numerous large bays and inlets that lead off Yell Sound. The long Whale Firth on Yell enters the sound at Nev of Stuis. Southladie Voe is some miles south on the western Yell shore to the south of West Sandwick. The large bay of Hamna Voe is at the south end of Yell north of Orfasay island. The much smaller

Burra Voe Burra Voe ( non, Borgavagr, Broch Bay) is sheltered bay (voe) at the southeast corner of the island of Yell. The village of Burravoe Burravoe is a community on the north shore of Burra Voe, in the south-east part of the island of Yell in th ...

lies just to the east near the village of Burravoe. The village of

North Roe North Roe is a village, and protected area at the northern tip in the large Northmavine peninsula of the Mainland of Shetland, Scotland. It is a small village, with a school with less than a dozen pupils in 2011. The moorland plateau to the ...

is on the shores of a second Burra Voe on the north Mainland side of the sound. South of there is the larger Colla Firth, separated from Quey Firth by Ness of Queyfirth. Next are Ollaberry Bay, Gluss Voe and

, which is a major inlet and at the longest of Shetland's many voes (Old Norse: "bay"). It contains the Sullom Voe Terminal operated by BP plc and itself has numerous bays and inlets. Sullom Voe terminates at the extraordinary Mavis Grind, a narrow isthmus separating the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...

from the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. Further south are Orka Voe, Tofts Voe, Firths Voe, Swinister Voe, Dales Voe, a second Colla Firth, Swining Voe, Lumna Voe and a second and smaller Hamna Voe with an inner bay called Boatsroom Voe.

Ferries

The ferry from the Mainland to Yell (and then overland on to ferries for Unst and Fetlar) operates between Toft on the Mainland, and Ulsta on Yell, the route being between the island of Samphrey to the east and Bigga to the north. ''Daggri'' and ''Dagalien'' are roll-on-roll-off ferries that have been operated since 2004 by Shetland Islands Council. Built in

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

, they are each long, and are capable of carrying up to 95 passengers and 31 cars or 4 trucks. These boats have a registered tonnage in excess of six times that of the ships they replaced on the route and their increased size has significantly improved transport to the northern isles. The crossing takes about 20 minutes and the services operate at half-hourly intervals. The first regular ferry to the North Isles was the ''Janet'', which began operating from

Lerwick Lerwick (; non, Leirvik; nrn, Larvik) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. Centred off the north coast of the Scottish mainland ...

in 1839. The steamer ''Chieftain's Bride'' was introduced to this route in 1868 and the SS ''Lady Ambrosine'' in 1876. The ''Earl of Zetland'', an iron screw steamer of 253 tons, began a twice weekly Lerwick to Unst service with weekly visits to Out Skerries and the ports of Yell Sound. Originally the service called at numerous small villages in the sound, but after 1932 the stopping-off points were reduced in number due to competition. The ferry twice survived attacks by enemy aircraft during World War 2. A second and larger ''Earl of Zetland'' was brought into service after 1945. Weighing 548 tons and with a length of , the ship was popular with summer visitors but cargo was handled by a single derrick and a government subsidy of £100,000 per annum was required to support the operation.

Shipwrecks

In addition to the weather conditions, sailing vessels have to contend with strong currents and numerous shipwrecks and hazardous incidents have occurred in and around the sound. In 1832 a fishing boat from Samphrey was caught out in a storm and blown all the way to Norway. The crew returned safely to Shetland the following spring to the relief of their families, who had presumed them drowned. The 18 ton wooden fishing smack ''Ellen'' was wrecked on the Rumble Rock, (between Samphrey and Orfasay) on 27 April 1896. In March 1904 the trawler ''Ibis'' was wrecked at the same location during a snowstorm, the crew being rescued by the trawler ''Sunbeam''. In June 1914 the steamer '' Robert Lea'' was grounded on Stoura Baa at the north end of Brother Isle en route from Colla Firth to Liverpool also without loss of life. In 1992 the wreck was located in of water. The fishing boat ''Morning Star'' sank approximately north west of Muckle Holm lighthouse whilst under tow after a fire broke out in the engine room. In 1983, the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

cleared ordnance from Little Holm, and their bomb disposal team discovered an unrecorded shipwreck nearby. Its identity is still unknown. There are no protected shipwrecks in the sound.

Lighthouses

There are several lights operated by the

Northern Lighthouse Board The Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) is the general lighthouse authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is a non-departmental public body responsible for marine navigation aids around coastal areas. History The NLB was formed by Act of P ...

guiding shipping in the sound. To the north Bagi Stack Lighthouse on Yell to the east, and Gruney and Point of Fethaland to the west are the outer lights. To the south, the outermost light is at Lunna Holm Lighthouse. Within the sound from north to south the lights are Muckle Holm Lighthouse, Little Holm Lighthouse, Lamba South Lighthouse, Outer Skerry Lighthouse, Brother Isle Lighthouse, Ness of Sound Lighthouse, Rumble Rock Lighthouse (since 2001) and on the Mainland.

Commercial activities

The northern part of the sound provides fishing grounds for haddock,

herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean ...

and crabs. The inner sound has commercial

scallop Scallop () is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related families ...

beds and various fish and shellfish farms. The profusion of seaweeds including wrack (''Fucus serratus'') and tangle (''Laminaria digitata'') was briefly exploited for commercial purposes. Between 1870 and the end of the nineteenth century several hundred tons of kelp used in the production of

iodine Iodine is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , ...

and

bromine Bromine is a chemical element with the symbol Br and atomic number 35. It is the third-lightest element in group 17 of the periodic table ( halogens) and is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a simi ...

were exported annually from Unst, Yell and the mainland shores of Yell Sound. The many small fires burning along the shores apparently made a lasting impression on visitors. Away from the beaches, Yell Sound is little used for recreational purposes, possibly due to the relatively high volume of tonnage accessing Sullom Voe. As a primary navigation channel, the entire sound is under the control of Shetland Islands Council's Ports and Harbours Operations authority and has been identified as a body of water "At Risk" of not meeting the EU Water Framework Directive.

Wildlife

Part of the sound is as

(SAC), in part due to the high concentration of

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes we ...

s. The Shetland populations are possibly the densest in Europe and up to 2% of the British population may live in the site. The low-lying

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and ...

y coastlines provide easy access to fresh water, extensive algal beds in the marine environment and large numbers of otter holts. There is also a significant population of the common seal with the local colony representing over 1% of the UK population. Sullom Voe is a separate SAC, qualifying due to the numerous large shallow inlets and bays, coastal reefs and lagoons. There are horse mussel (''Modiolus modiolus'') beds both within Sullom Voe and on the mainland coast near Colla Firth. Ceteceans are regularly sited in the inner sound, especially harbour porpoise, minke whale and

killer whale The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white pat ...

and there are a wide variety of breeding seabirds, divers and ducks including eider.NAFC (2008) Maps 20, 22-24.

Notes

References

* * Nicolson, James R. (1972) ''Shetland''. Newton Abbott. David & Charles. * NAFC Marine Centr
"A Marine Spatial Plan for the Shetland Islands. Part 2: Marine Atlas. Consultative Draft"
(pdf) (2008) Scalloway. SSMEI. Retrieved 23 January 2009. {{Lighthouses of the Northern Lighthouse Board Landforms of Shetland Yell, Shetland Northmavine Straits of Scotland