3 August 2024
Huge thanks once again to skipper Rob who, with his lovely boat the Elizabeth G and his magnificent team gave us such a wonderful family trip. With his vast experience he was able to use a short weather window to get us to St Kilda and give us a magical half day there with the island to ourselves. We landed in seven other places, were repeatedly in the company of common or bottlenose dolphins and saw eleven Minke whales in the Sound of Raasay. Our crew were cook Charlie, steward Maggie and guide George who were superb in their roles, efficient and knowledgeable, and soon seemed to become part of the family for this special trip. Very many thanks to you all including Emma who works so hard behind the scenes to make it all happen. We hope to be back. Margaret Knowles
Margaret Knowles
We set off from Oban in the Elizabeth G under the expert skippering (is that a word ?) of Alistair, Bosun Craig was ever attentive providing drinks and excellenttable service, Zoe our guide pointing out various wildlife species and Charle our Chef providing delicious meals and snacks all throughout the cruise. I would nominate Charlie for Master Chef. Alistair plotted our course northwards, we saw Dolphins on our first day, poor Zoe couldn't get me to say pods, "herds of them" was my cry, it was amazing that these highly intelligent creatures would actively go out of their way to interact with us, it happened every day and our faces ached with the smiles these fantastic animals generated. We saw Minke whales almost every day as well The Elizabth G may be 60 years old but she is in excellent condition, strong, reliable, steady in a strong wind and swell because of her stabilisers, she has character and a beauty all of her own. She is big enough to give you confidence that she can tackle what mother nature throws at her but small enough to anchor in some truly amazing places. Every day you go ashore and explore another new location. (Weather permitting) Every member of the crew is dedicated to making sure you get the most out of your cruise, excellent food, excellent care, super knowledge of the flora and fauna. You go to bed every evening with your knowledge expanded, your spirits lifted. If you want to see Dolphins, Whales, Harbour Porpoises, Eagles, Shags, Gannets, Manx Shearwater, Gulls of every type, the list of encounters is limited only by the time/length of your cruise, sign up for a cruise as soon as you can. Alistair, the skipper has the utmost respect for the wildlife you encounter, every encounter is on the animals terms, their safety takes priority, he lets the wildlife come to the boat rather than pursuing it. His storytelling is wonderful, every evening he and Zoe join you and he shows you where you have been, where you are going and what weather to expect, there is even a knowledge test at the end o
David and Tracy Woods-Thomas: 28 August 2023Whale watching in the Northern Minch