By Louise ThomasonJanuary 17th 2018

Take part in a virtual race to Shetland with SailOnline and their Up Helly Aa event!

Virtual sail racing platform Sailonline.org is a community owned navsim game which provides a realistic, entertaining and educational platform for those who love the sea and sailing. It has hosted Up Helly Aa races since 2010, making this year's race the 8th in a row.

With features such as realistic boat performance, state of the art wind forecasts and real-time chat, users have the ultimate online sail racing experience.

This year’s Up Helly Aa race starts on Monday 29th Januray, departing Aberdeen at 11am and sailing for the Kinnaird Head light, before on to Moray Firth, Fair Isle and finally Shetland, arriving in time to take part in Up Helly Aa festivities.

It will open before this to allow for registration and a chance to learn how to sail on Sailonline and/or practice the course.

To find out more about Sailonline or to register to take part, in the race, click here.