Our new vessel has been refitted to provide the perfect combination of luxury and adventure for the once-in-a-lifetime trip to St Kilda. All five cabins on board are double or twin ensuite; our cabin suite is especially suited for guests who require more space.
Our four crew are dedicated to ensuring our 10 guests on board have the trip of their lives. They provide excellent hospitality and attention at any time of the day, identify wildlife, provide expert local information and access the best anchorages and cruising routes. While on a longer sea trip, the high quality of hospitality on board is even more appreciated by our guests. Gourmet meals are served in the main dining deck saloon, which has a spacious dining area and separate lounge with sofas and chairs, seating 10 guests comfortably for drinks and canapes. The open air aft deck is just a step away, for an alfresco drink at any time of the day. The aft deck also has a hot tub for guests who prefer to relax and a platform for easy access to the water for the more energetic guests who may fancy a quick swim.
The choice of spacious decks up top is a unique feature of the vessel, with several indoor and outdoor seating areas and loungers available. The sheltered observation deck is 5 metres from sea level giving a superb 360 degree panoramic view, great for soaking in the scenery. The skipper can also steer the vessel from the observation deck giving another pair of experienced eyes for spotting wildlife, especially the elusive basking shark. The ship’s twin engines, deep draft and wide beam gives it seaworthiness, safety and makes for comfortable cruising. An important feature is the tender launching system which stores the ship’s tender on board while cruising. (In the open seas, towing a tender slows the vessel down, and there is always the danger of it getting separated from the vessel) This important safety feature also enables us to get our guests ashore quickly and easily on arrival at many of the remote anchorages we visit.
The vessel is fully coded to MCA (Maritime Coastguard Agency) regulations Level 2. She has been updated with comprehensive, modern communication and navigation system, which brings her up to a very high standard of provision for safe cruising. This includes new Osmotech Stabilisers for our guest comfort and AIS (Automatic Identification System), which tracks where she is and where she has been.
Why not join us on the inaugural 6-night cruise on May 13th 2017 to Skye and the Small Isles with a special introductory offer of only £1900 per person. Only four cabins remaining!
My long-anticipated cruise on the Emma Jane exceeded all expectations! The weather was superb with glassy seas much of the time. James and Lynsey were amazing at spotting wildlife and getting the ship close-enough for the most incredible viewing of two humpback whales and up to four simply enormous fin whales off the east coast of Lewis. We saw literally hundreds of common dolphin (many deliberately joining us for a spot of free bow-riding), a pod of Risso's dolphins (with tiny calves), nearly a dozen different white-tailed eagles, three otters, and hundreds of assorted seabirds. Chef Jordan produced five-star meals every single day and Bosun Ashley made sure the ship was sparklingly clean all of the time. We almost ran out of prosecco wine, which was produced whenever we had some special sighting to celebrate; in other words, practically every day! Thank you to all four wonderful staff for creating lifelong memories of what even James & Lynsey admitted was one of the best cruises they'd ever experienced.
Adrian Ellison: 20 August 2022Whale watching in the Northern Minch