the big sailing adventure, ten days of exploration.

This adventure is for you if you…

Want to explore the furthest flung treasures of the western isles.

Want to sail far out to sea.

Are interested to find out more about sailing and want to get involved with making the ship go.

Would enjoy a trip that’s long enough to allow plenty of time for exploring ashore.

Would like to try passage sailing, where the crew split into watches and sail right through the night.

Are excited about being on a classic sailing ship - no experience necessary just a willingness to have a go!

Don’t mind the occasional damp (wet?) weather and some force 5/6 sailing.

Like some comfort as part of your adventure - the opportunity to get warm and dry quickly after a cold and wet watch.

Would like to round off a day in the breeze with good company, a great meal and maybe a wee dram.

On these trips we have ten days.  This is long enough to plan and carry out a passage plan that goes farther than any of our other trips.  With this time frame and with the approach we take we are sure to get to some amazing places.

In top position on our target list will be the remote and truly astonishing St Kilda.  This incredibly remote island and the nearby rocky stacks of Boreray and Armin are genuinely awe inspiring.  The remains of the settlement are a testament to an almost mysterious facet of humanity.  The ruined cottages are haunting but even more extraordinary are the small stone structures dotted over the hillside where the islanders would store their prey of seabirds to sustain them through the winter months.

The wildlife here is astonishing too.  They sky thick with gannets.  In amongst them a small number of Great Skuas also known as Bonxies.  These incredible birds survive by stealing fish from the gannets that outnumber them a thousand to one.  This survival, against the odds of everything that makes sense seems to echo the survival of human settlers that lived here for so long.   The Bonxies fearless nature also sees them diving at humans too.  If we go too close their ground level nest they are pretty sure to let us know they aren’t happy.

A walk ashore here is unforgettable and watching the sun go down over thousands of mile of ocean can be breathtaking.  

BUT…….   This isn’t a St Kilda or bust trip.  Provident is a capable sailing vessel.  We’ll brave a bit of discomfort and maybe a little diesel use to get there but we won’t be beating into a storm or endlessly motoring across calm waters to get there.  There are thousands of other options and on this trip we will do all we can to get the most from the conditions on offer.

So, for example it’s perfectly possible that we may head to the north west coast of Ireland maybe with a stop at Tory Island.  This coastline is even more convoluted and crazy than much of the Scottish coast.  Travelling to Ireland by sea really gives a different perspective on geography.  From the isle of Islay, Ireland is simply the next island in a chain of crinkly coast line that stretches from the tip of the Breton coast, past Cornwall and all the way up to Tromsø and the arctic.

On this trip we’ll push a little harder,  maybe brave a little discomfort.  We’ll have a go at sailing for a longer period of time, separating into watches and traveling round the clock.  It never gets really dark in northern Scottish summers but sailing at night and especially sailing into the dawn is an experience never to be forgotten.

This isn’t necessarily a trip for hardened seafarers.  As with all our other trips the skipper and crew will be there to help and guide us on our passage.  But this is for the more adventurous.  Those looking to explore the sea and maybe even themselves.