We are delighted that the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust has announced the new corporate partnership with Hebrides Cruises. We are very pleased to support the work of HWDT by becoming a Corporate Partner.
Dolphin image taken by Wildlife Guide Lynsey Bland from Emma Jane's tender with guests on board.
“We wholeheartedly support the important work HWDT do in terms of research and education for the conservation of whales, dolphins and porpoises in the waters off the west coast of Scotland. We have been working closely with HWDT for several years and were very pleased to help them develop the Whale Track app. Our crews and guests love to get involved in the collection of data and report cetaceans sightings from every cruise”
Wildlife Guide Lynsey using the Whale Track app with Hebrides Cruises guests
Unfortunately our trip coincided with the most prolonged strong winds for twenty five years, which made the crossing to St. Kilda impossible. Nevertheless our skipper, James, made the best use of both wind and sea conditions and managed to get us over to the Outer Hebrides when other operators had been unable to do so. Taking advantage of the islands themselves we sailed almost the entire length of the archipelago, from Harris to Mingulay, going ashore on Eriskay, Vatersay, Harris and Mingulay. James also attempted to get us over to the Shiants, but we had barely cleared Scalpay when it became obvious to everyone that the conditions made this too dangerous. Despite these setbacks we had an interesting and enjoyable trip and were very grateful to James for what he enabled us to experience. We have nothing but praise for the way in which we were looked after on board by the rest of the crew; Viv served up a series of excellent meals (I still dream about her pork!), Charlotte was constantly busy seeing to our every need, and Will kept us alert, both on board and ashore, to any wildlife that was around and provided a wealth of information on our walks. All four crew members were a delight to sail with and I am only sorry that we had such a short time to say goodbye to them.
David Leonard Davies: 11 June 2022St Kilda and the isles of the Outer Hebrides