All things nautical were on display at the Orkney Boat Show, in Deerness, on Sunday.

This year's show saw over 60 boats, both old and new on show, as well as a variety of marine equipment, from GPS and satellite systems to fenders and ropes.

A training exercise with the coastguard and Kirkwall lifeboat was also be put on for spectators at 3pm.

Perth based firm I. & H. Brown has successfully completed the acquisition of the Stronsay wind farm from former energy giant TXU Europe for an undisclosed sum.

The purchase of the turbines in Stronsay expands the company's existing diverse portfolio of activities which include civil engineering, land remediation, coal mining, residential development and wind farm development.

Construction of the Rothiesholm wind farm began in 2001.

Archive story: Work on Stronsay wind generator site to begin

A representative from the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department attended the open meeting in the Albert Hotel at 8.15pm, to explain what the strategic review of inshore fisheries policy is all about.

Proposals contained in the review include the establishment of new management committees, which will put fisheries management at a local level.

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A 39-year-old woman has died following a diving incident off Mull Head, Deerness.

The emergency services were alerted to a report of an unconscious diver on board the dive boat Karin around 1.20pm on Thursday afternoon. Kirkwall lifeboat attended with a local doctor but resuscitation attempts failed and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman has been named as Hilary Lyon, an accountant from Bolton, England.

Police inquiries are continuing and a report is being submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

The cruise liner Mona Lisa paid a brief visit to Kirkwall on Friday, before sailing for Iceland at 1pm.

The 201-metre vessel, with a passenger capacity of 678, arrived earlier this morning and lay at anchor in Kirkwall Bay until departure.

Passenger figures at Kirkwall Airport went up last month, with an increase of almost six per cent.

The airport saw 11,073 passengers pass through in June, compared with 10,460 in June 2004.

The Scottish Executive's Biodiversity Action Grants Scheme is intended to encourage a range of projects to protect and enhance Scotland's natural environment.

The £200,000 a year scheme is open to a wide range of public bodies, voluntary bodies and local groups to support projects that benefit biodiversity locally or nationally.

Application forms are available on the Scottish Biodiversity website. The deadline for applications is September 1.

A month after a damning report on Stromness Primary School, a more positive report on the school's nursery class has been published by the HM Inspectorate of Education.

Among the key strengths was the relationship between the children and staff, the available resources and attractiveness of the environment.

The report recommends the development of parental involvement.

Click here to download the report

Orkney's health boss this week admitted that none of the options contained in the NHS Orkney consultation document on future health services will work unless the county's under-pressure transport system is sorted out.

Steve Conway, NHS Orkney's chief executive, was speaking in Sanday on Sunday, as part of a series of public meetings on the document.

"The more we go around from island to island, the more we realise the transport links in existence do not support any of these models in any way." he said.

Mike Craigie (right) receiving the Queen's Award for Enterprise from Orkney's Lord Lieutenant, George Marwick.

Stromness businessman, Mike Craigie, was among the guests at a Buckingham Palace reception on Wednesday night.

Mr Craigie was to meet the Queen and other members of the Royal Family to celebrate CESS's success in the Queen's Awards for Enterprise 2004.

Three members of each winning company, representing both management and staff, have been invited to the reception, which will also be attended by the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

Also attending from CESS are George Meiklejohn and Linda Davidson.

Orkney's new indoor riding school was officially handed over to the equestrian community on Wednesday night.ool.

Members of the local Pony Club, Riding Club, Riding for the Disabled, and Carriage Driving Group, attended the handover of the new £400,000 facility at the Market Stance, St Ola.

The official opening will take place later this year.

The Smithy Heritage Centre opened on Tuesday, but the official opening will not take place until a later date.

The heritage centre is open Monday to Friday 11am to 4.30pm and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 6pm.

A man was jailed for one year at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Tuesday..

George Garden Fraser, from St Margaret's Hope, admitted growing cannabis at his former home in South Ronaldsay between October 1, 2001, and March 6, 2003.

The 36-year-old also sold the class B drug on one occasion - to his cousin.

Sheriff Graeme Napier told Fraser - a first offender - his "operation was not the most professional I have seen".

Although he only supplied the drug once, the sheriff said he was fully aware it would enter the supply chain.

Barely visible through the mist at the Hatston pier on Wednesday morning was the visiting liner Royal Princess.

The 230-metre vessel, with a passenger capacity of 1,260, arrived from Invergordon and sailed for Rosyth at 6pm.

Restoration gives viewers the chance to save one of a range of dilapidated historic buildings at risk of ruin and tonight viewers will see the fortress Portencross Castle, the remote Knockando Wood Mill as well as the Hall of Clestrain.

The programme aired at 9pm on BBC2 and voting lines closed at midnight on Wednesday. The public will learn on Sunday who has won the Scottish round.

A Stromness Academy team has taken second place in the British finals of the Young Enterpise British finals.

Stromness Academy, with the company Orkney Ink, won the Scottish final last month for their range of goods linked to Orkney, the most successful being their guidebook, A Week in Orkney.

Work on removing oil from the sunken battleship HMS Royal Oak is under way again.

The project to remove the oil from the tanks of the Royal Oak has been ongoing since 2001, with divers using a process of "hot tapping" to extract the fuel from the warship's bunker tanks.

At the end of extraction operations in 2003, the volume of oil removed from the wreck was over 670 cubic metres.

Archive story: Relief as Royal Oak work begins at last
Feature story: Memories of HMS Royal Oak

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Girls' Football Fun Day at Stromness Academy will see former academy pupil Ruth Pottinger return, with three visiting coaches, to pass on their tips to local players. Tomorrow will see a seven-a-side tournament.

Two Orkney organisations have earned bronze awards from Scotland's Health at Work - a national scheme which rewards employers for promoting employee health.

Kirkwall's Scapa Dental Centre and the OIC's environmental health department will pick up their awards at ceremonies on Wednesday.

MP Alistair Carmichael's early day motion to restore the reputation of Orcadian explorer John Rae now has 12 signatures, despite him doing no lobbying at all.

Mr Carmichael said he tabled the motion with only his own name in order to get it tabled quickly. It had since been signed by 11 more MPs, although he had not canvassed for support.

The MP also drew the campaign to the attention of the House of Commons during debate in the House last Thursday afternoon.

Archive story: MP's bid to restore Rae's reputation

Orkney Enterprise approved almost £28,000 worth of grants in May 2004.

Among the £27, 865 worth of projects approved was a £17,500 grant to Jerry and Sheila Wood for the establishment of a bed and breakfast in Westray, and £3,900 to J. Wellden and J. Swannie for The Smithy Restaurant in Shapinsay.

Orkney Islands Council's Trading Standards Service is urging consumers to ignore the phone calls, thus saving the money it costs to phone back.

A number of households in Orkney have received these unsolicited calls, which tell them they have won a prize and asks them to respond by ringing a 0906 number. Not surprisingly, from calls received so far, no-one has won any of the luxury prizes on offer.

Trading Standards can be contacted on 873535 for more information.

Miniature cars, trains, boats and tanks were among the items on show at the Orkney Auction Mart during the two-day extravaganza.

The annual event, run by the Orcades Model Club, also saw the first ever Orkney Truckfest - which saw 30 trucks gathering at the mart on Sunday.

Proceeds from this year's show are to go to Orkney Kidney Patient Association, Friends of Supa Group, and Orkney Pre-school and Play Association.

The 176-metre cruise liner Astor was back in Kirkwall this morning, berthed at the Hatston pier.

The ship, with a passenger capacity of 550, was due to leave for Iceland at 1pm.