Twenty seven days and 3,800 sea miles after leaving Lebanon, our new vessel, Lucy Mary arrived in Oban on June 3rd. Skipper James Fairbairns was at the wheel on reaching the Isle of Kerrera, but then passed the steering to Skipper Rob Barlow who came on board to finish the journey - an emotional moment for both. Our vessels Emma Jane and Elizabeth G were on hand to accompany their new sister ship into Oban Harbour where friends and family were waiting to welcome Lucy Mary to her new home in the Hebrides.
For our family business, finding the perfect vessel to provide us with a cruising fleet of three ships has taken several years of searching and is a major commitment. Despite the fact that the ship was in Beirut, we decided to make the purchase and arrange the ship transfer. Beruit was an experience. Rob went out a third time for the ‘signing over’ of the vessel to Hebrides Cruises, having first been picked up by a chauffeur-driven Range Rover. This was followed by an opulent feast in our honour - it just happened to be Robs birthday as well!
James and Rob flew out to Malaga to help crew the ship on part of the journey, sailing to Gibraltar and then on to Lisbon. This was challenging in many respects, including being able to take on fuel which was a changing scenario at each port as to the availability, price and quality. The journey was dogged by bad weather which thoroughly tested the ship’s performance. James and Rob were delighted that the ship kept a steady 10 knots, pushing on no matter what the sea conditions, helped because of the well-designed bow allowing the vessel to effortlessly cut through the waves. James also commented that the ship is so quiet when at sea that he did occasionally feel he should check if the engines were actually running!
One of the delights of the journey was the amount of cetaceans spotted. The Straits of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean was an amazing hot spot for dolphins with pods of hundreds of common dolphins and smaller pods of bottlenose dolphins bow-riding the ship.
James re-joined the ship once she reached Dublin, to skipper the final leg to Oban. He had another magical wildlife moment passing the Isle of Jura where he was accompanied by a young Minke whale which surfaced over the bow of the ship 8 times, while the ship was motoring at 10 knots. James has never seen such behaviour before and said it felt like the whale was escorting him home.
Lucy Mary will spend the next few weeks moored in Oban Bay, undertaking essential servicing checks and adaptions to suit the style and quality of the hospitality of our cruises. She is taking the name of Rob’s 12-year-old granddaughter, who will be centre stage at the renaming ceremony in Oban Bay on July 9th. The following day the ship will put to sea for her inaugural cruise with 8 guests on board, to explore Mull, Iona, Staffa & the Treshnish Isles.
Hi Emma - I am sure the other members of our party will drop you a line as I am equally sure I speak for us all today. I cannot thank you enough for organising our trip the other week. In truth all of us had some mild 'trepidations' about what it would be like but I can say that we had a marvellous time. I want to be specific here. Our skipper, Charlie, was a revelation and we owe him a great deal for making our trip so exciting and enjoyable. He exemplifies a 'duty of care'; put all of our minds at rest when we concerned about the weather and adapted his plans to ensure we had the best of times. He ran a great crew and we all felt confident and secure in his leadership. He was also great company and nothing was ever too much. I told him that you have our details here and if he is ever in Merseyside he should contact us. Please pass my details should he ever request. The guide, Lindsay was first class. Knowledgeable, personable and patient with ' elderly knees' she made a great contribution to our trip. We all loved her guided tours of the islands, her knowledge of the wildlife and her choice of the best routes for the conditions. The evening briefing with her and Charlie, reflecting on the day and discussing prospects for the the following day were really enjoyable. Made you feel you were part of something..we all agreed. I have to mention Charlie the cook. Charlie's food was first class. We all agreed that it was rare, and we are well travelled, to have that quality food so consistently. Please thank her. And last but NOT least the 'human dynamo' Sofia. She described her role a the stewardess which we all felt was an understatement. In truth we were constantly amazed at how efficient she was in everything she did. Her dinner table settings, her service and her engaging manner were a delight. A first class employee in my view. They were a great crew and exceptionally well lead.
Bill Frost: 14 September 2024Skye and the Small Isles: Hebridean horizons