12 May 2025
Marvellous in every way - again! From beginning to end the experience was enjoyable. Emma’s warm and efficient booking; the boarding and welcome by the crew; then the day-by-day delights of the cruise itself… no effort was spared by everyone involved to make this a(nother) superb holiday. The four crew members were full of youthful enthusiasm and merriment. Jake was a friendly, highly competent skipper who sailed us to beautiful places and made every effort to help us have maximum enjoyment: for example, fishing for fresh mackerel for dinner; pointing out opportunities for me to swim; and using the tender to carry us about, both as a group and individually. Will was a very pleasant and knowledgeable wildlife guide, quietly enthusiastic about natural wonders large and small, and drawing attention to and identifying creatures which might otherwise not have been noticed. Trinity was an effective and attentive stewardess, handling everyone’s wishes with tact and charm, and keeping the boat spotless. Minty provided a myriad of delicious dishes for us all, my own vegetarian food never falling below the highest quality. It was lovely to see the four working together to make our trip fun. About the vessel Emma Jane herself, I have nothing but admiration, and am hoping to cruise on her again soon.
Stephanie
We set off on 28 June from Oban for our ten days exploration of the Hebrides with the hope that we’d visit St Kilda. We did, and so much more. The crew (Chris (skipper), Alexa (wildlife guide), Pete (cook), Emma (bosun), were fantastic from the off. They effortlessly transported our mountain of luggage to our comfortable cabins which Emma kept spotless through the cruise, as well as looking after us on the rough crossing to St Kilda through to Caribbean strength G&Ts. Chris was a really good skipper. He sailed the boat well and did his best to find a route that best managed his passengers’ seafaring abilities, and he also had a ceremony to give homage to the Blue Men of the Minch! Pete’s amazing menus incorporated our requests – I’ll always remember his mussels on the first night, his haggis Scotch eggs, my mother’s clootie dumpling and much more – and we appreciated how he involved the kids (9 to 11) in the kitchen. Alexa (with Chris) magic’d up an amazing array of wildlife with huge enthusiasm and great knowledge. We became blasé about the number of dolphins we saw – I can best quote Chris “the weather and the wildlife sightings are some of the best I’ve known in almost 20 years”. The weather was fantastic which enabled us to land and explore Tobermory, Canna, Sanday, Taransay, Hirta (St. Kilda), Mingulay, Vatersay, Rum, Lunga (Treshnish Isles) and Loch Buie, as well as sailing past Neist Point (Skye), Boreray (St. Kilda), Monachs, Hellisay in the Sound of Barra, Eigg, Staffa, Ulva and Iona. The weather was so good we were able to swim off Sanday, Taransay, Mingulay and Vatersay, as well as enjoy the hot tub. This was a trip of a lifetime for us all. We were able to see so many places which have been specks on the horizon for so long. The cruise was magical and extra special. It’s given us memories to last a lifetime!
George Mitchell: 28 June 2018Private Charter 10 Nights