In 2017 we introduced our new luxury vessel, which had a very successful season and she is already almost booked out for 2018. Over the winter, a few essentials were addressed, including operational upgrades such as new stabilisers to provide the best cruising experience possible for our guests. The ship was then painted blue to match our brand colours and her sister ship Elizabeth-G. All along, we knew that we would rename our new ship and tradition demands that a ship should have a feminine name which is often a close relative of the owners family. So what better name to choose than for our own daughter who has been instrumental in building Hebrides Cruises to the success it now is.
Emma Jane will arrive in Oban on April 3rd, ready for the new season and splendid in her new colour. She will be officially named at a special ceremony on Sunday 22 April. Ships are renamed all the time, but as all seafarers know, there is a vital formula to go through to ensure continued good fortune on the seas. As part of the ceremony a special speech will be made to Neptune before the usual procedure of naming the boat. The boat will then be blessed by a minister, in this case Donald Kirsop, Uncle of Emma.
Sunday 22 April will also be our Open Day from 2pm onwards on the pontoons at Oban. All are welcome to come and find out if small ship wildlife cruising (with an extra bit of luxury!) is for them!
Amazing, We were lucky with the weather and had 5days unbroken sunshine. This was the icing on one of Izzys lovely cakes. We were lucky to see everything we hoped to see from Minke Whale to Golden Eagle and everything in between. George was a brilliant guide who knew where to look and what we were looking at. Izzy should be on Masterchef, Craig was a brilliant/caring Steward/Bosun/Cleaner/everything and Skipper Chris was brilliant at negotiating the sometimes choppy seas around the islands and finding Idyllic anchorages for the nights. Excellent We would give it more stars if they were available. We booked the cruise to celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary and the crew made every effort to make it special. From Izzy's celebration cake to the Anniversary card which they all signed. Thank you all.
Geoff & Stella Rowland: 14 September 2024Skye and the Small Isles: Hebridean horizons