Sail the Hebrides & St. Kilda

 Hebrides and St Kilda

"All the pictures on this page were shot by leisure sailors; just like you……., on our trips to St. Kilda. No professional cameramen, no helicopters, just mobile phones and cameras operated by enthusiastic yachtsmen. These are the sights that will meet you on your sailing trip of a lifetime aboard of our yacht. You know you want to…..you really should………..book now and join us on this amazing journey."

Included in the price:

• 7 or 8 nights accommodation on a 4 or 5 cabin yacht
• all onboard meals and snacks
• fuel and gas
• skipper services
• bedding
• all marina and harbour fees (but see the Crinan Canal transit fee)

Optional - not included in the price:

• optional oil skins hire £3.50 per item per day
• optional final cleaning service at £12.50 per person
• optional eating in restaurant ashore
• visitors fees to whisky distillery or museum
• transit fee for Crinan Canal.  This is optional and needs to be agreed by all crew, typical cost is £30 per person.

Journey:

This trip is truly not for the faint-hearted. Some sailors attempt for years to reach St. Kilda before finally getting an appropriate weather window to make the crossing. Our Chief Instructor has sailed to St. Kilda many times, with various levels of crew, in a variety of ‘Scottish’ weather!

The trip will start from either Largs or Oban and is likely to return to the other harbour. All of the yachts that we use for our adventures are 42ft or larger and all boast 4 or 5 cabins – the yacht will become your home for the adventure. They are all great boats, perfect for offshore sailing, which makes even a choppy passage bearable. Our adventure sails are perfect for practising sailing skills and getting the necessary miles or night sailing hours for your logbook, which can be especially welcome for those who are aspiring for the Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster licence or even consolidating Competent Crew or Day Skipper licences.

The archipelago of islands that make up St. Kilda are simply breath-taking. Lying 70NM from the Outer Hebrides, it is simply a magical place. St. Kilda is the biggest island in the cluster with Boreray and Soy to the north and Levenish to the south. It sits proudly out of the Atlantic Ocean and its striking cliffs and sea stacks are alive with the cries of a million seabirds. However, it is not only famous for its sea birds, but also for the fact that people survived there for over 4000 years. Although now uninhabited, the main settlement was in Village Bay, and even nowadays you can still visit the houses and cemetery and get a feel for how hard life on the island was.

Although St. Kilda is the highlight of the trip from Largs to Oban, you will pass through the beautiful Crinan Canal, stunning by itself, but also good fun - after opening and closing all 14 locks, a well-deserved drink is needed once reaching the Crinan basin! Then, depending on the tide and wind, you will pass through the Sound of Mull, and maybe visit one of the Small Isles. The last stop usually is South Uist or Barra before the final leg to St. Kilda. On the way back we will visit North Uist or Skye and Rum or Canna. Last stop before arriving at Oban is usually Tobermory.  Sailing from Oban to Largs, via St Kilda, is the reverse schedule.

Sailing in Scotland can be the most challenging and rewarding in the world, with so many magical places to visit and locals to meet - and this is before we mention the Scottish fair and whisky distilleries.

By popular demand 2024 dates for St Kilda:

(Embarkation will be at 6.30 pm on the stated dates.  Disembarkation will be at/before noon on the stated dates)

7 Days

   Sun 12th May to  Sun 19th May:  Oban - St Kilda - Oban (2 sailings)

   Sun 12th May to Sun 19th May:  Largs - St Kilda - Oban

   Sun 11th August to Sun 18th Aug:  Oban - St Kilda - Oban

   Sun 15th Sep to Sun 22nd Sep:  Oban - St Kilda - Oban

8 Days  

   Sat 4th May to Sun 12th May:  Largs - St Kilda - Oban

   Sat 6th July to Sun 14th Jul:  Oban - St Kilda - Oban

   Sat 6th July to Sun 14th Jul:  Oban - St Kilda - Largs

   Sat 27th July to Sun 4th Aug:  Oban - St Kilda - Largs

   Sat 3rd Aug to Sun 11th Aug:  Largs - St Kilda - Oban

   Sat 7th Sep to Sun 15th Sep:  Largs - St Kilda - Oban

Price is £895.00 for an All-Inclusive Sailing Adventure