For sixteen years we have welcomed guests for hands-on Sailing Holidays and RYA Training in stunning settings in the Firth of Clyde, the West Coast, Inner & Outer Hebrides, St. Kilda, Orkney, Shetland and Ireland.

Spring and late summer are spent sailing the enormous and varied Firth of Clyde from our base at Troon. We then move to iconic Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, perfect for exploring the Small Isles, Mull and Iona, Coll, Skye and the Outer Hebrides. When a few more boats start to arrive in June we move either further north to Stornoway, Orkney and Shetland or south to Kinsale, the South Coast of Ireland and the Irish Channel before retracing our steps to Tobermory and the Firth of Clyde in August and September.

Most guests return. 9 of 10 have sailed with us at least twice (and several now twelve or more times) and the following summarises why:

The yacht Stormdancer, an Oyster 435, is powerful and sea-kindly and perfect for these cruising areas. She is designed to cope with all conditions, equipped with state-of-art  navigation and safety kit, will stretch her legs on the longer passages but is small enough to creep into tight anchorages. Her top class joinery, spacious and light saloon, freshly laundered bedding and towels, well planned galley, acclaimed menus and easily launched dinghy make for a relaxed time on board.

The skipper, an RYA Yachtmaster® Instructor, is easygoing, calm and relaxing and an excellent coach but with meticulous attention to safety, navigation and boat preparation. After some 60,000 miles sailing in the area he knows how best to use weather and tides to maximise enjoyment of time on board. He also prepares very good meals!

The atmosphere on board is of friends sailing together. Guests handle the yacht most of the time with skipper as back-up (and maker-of-tea). The craic over dinner is informal and relaxed and many lasting friendships have been formed.

There are weeks and locations to suit everybody – complete beginner to RYA Yachtmaster®; relaxed holiday to rigorous training; young and young-at-heart (the age range is 5 to 85); men and women (the gender ratio is about 50;50); different backgrounds and nationalities (from 30 countries so far), individuals, couples and groups.

Wildlife is seen in dramatic settings – including Minke & Pilot whales, Orca, Basking Sharks, Dolphins, Porpoises, Otters and Seals as well as huge numbers of birds – Gannet, Fulmar, Puffin, Guillemot etc.- and the occasional Golden or White-tailed Eagle.

Memories are also about time spent on shore – whether walking amongst birds and flowers on Mingulay, St. Kilda or Fair Isle; marvelling at nature’s grandeur at Fingal’s Cave, Ailsa Craig, or Foula; steeping ourselves in the history of Neolithic villages, Viking cathedrals and Clan castles; or, visiting one of the 21 island or coastal distilleries within our area.

 

There is more information on our web site and we will be pleased to answer any questions.