Cruises/Charters

Cruises to St.Kilda / Hebrides , Orkney Isles N.W. and W. Ireland

A variety of cruises normally 10, 12 or 13 days in length. I suggest that these cruises would suit those who have already gained Day Skipper level at a minimum and those who might like to get one or more 60 mile Yachtmaster qualifying passages under their belt. They will also be a good way of gaining further sea time and mileage. The emphasis will not be on instruction but on yourselves taking full charge of the boat to plan your passages, pilotage, and navigation to suit wind and weather and the ambitions of those aboard.

The main aim will, of course, be to cruise in the area and use Aquila as a means of getting to some remote parts and to spend some time ashore enjoying the wildlife and special scenery of these wonderful isles. In the early part of the season a great number of birds are nesting and raising young on the off lying islands; birds such as gannets, fulmars, puffins, and razorbills which are all plentiful in number. In general the wildlife is abundant. Exactly where we will get to, I am not sure, a lot will depend on the wind but the following are possibilities.

Cruising to St Kilda

The St. Kilda cruise probably will try and sail direct to the Outer Hebrides by way of the Sound of Mull or to the south of Mull and past Tiree to arrive at the southern end of the Isles or at the Sound of Harris, possibly stopping at several places enroute. The timing of the run out to St. Kilda is totally dependant on having fair weather for staying at Village Bay the only anchorage and landing. It is hoped that we might be able to spend a full day exploring ashore and also have a sail round the whole group, as it is a unique, wonderful place. The remaining time could be spent enjoying the delights of cruising the multitudes of islands and anchorages of the Outer Hebrides. We are usually successful in our aim and have a good sail out and back and quiet conditions to see the group to good advantage. In 1994 a large swell was running so alternative plans included a visit to the Shiant Islands, Stornoway, and Inverewe Gardens. There is no guarantee of getting to St Kilda as it is such an exposed place. Ten days or twelve days duration.

Cruising to Orkney

The Orkney cruise is 12 days (this was what worked out well in 2010). It is a different format this year from normal as I will be sailing up with the family on holiday to get to Scrabster. We will meet at Scrabster harbour where Aquila will be berthed and this will be at a time that suits those travelling northward depending on transport arrangements on the 24th. We will start our cruise on the 25th and head over to Orkney where there is much to see and explore and we should be able to visit a number of islands/ destinations and maybe get to Fair Isle or S. Shetland if weather and time allow. A lot will depend on your interests and what you would like to do with the time. The Isles are a beautiful cruising ground, with stunning scenery and have many historic remains and it is hoped to visit a number of these sites as well as the isles in general where the people are especially welcoming. There are well sheltered bays and a scattering of good piers and harbours for easy access to the shore. On a few occasions we have hired a car to have a day off the boat and do some sight seeing which can be very worthwhile. Each island is that little bit different and some of the coastal scenery is breathtaking. The return passage to Oban will take a route to the west to get round Cape Wrath and then down the west coast or via Skye or even the Outer Hebrides if this seem to be the best way, weather patterns will often determine the better options on this 240 mile passage. We will leave adequate time for this but the sails will involve long days and maybe an overnight passage to make a speedy return; this should give some fine offshore & coastal sailing with a watch system to cover the large distances and gain seatime.

Cruising to Ireland

The Ireland Cruise is 12 days, I have done this three times now and one trip we lost a couple of days due to major gales so did not get any further than Donegal Bay but what we saw and the places we visited were of interest and some of the coastal scenery is very grand. The second and third trips made much better progress and we got down to Inishboffin with lots of island exploring and had time to return along the N coast then up to Oban, with great weather. It is very much closer to get to the Irish coast than say Orkney; 100M to Lough Swilly; it is a fairly exposed area and lends itself to some lengthy day sails to get to good anchorages. Visiting Tory island was great and a must on future trips. Twelve days duration. Brian ran the 2007 trip and had a lot of head winds and a few calms but the consensus was that in spite of that there were some great places to visit and it was very much enjoyed by all. They had a long day alternating with a shorter day to allow visiting time and found some good spots.

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