A boat trip with Hebrides Cruises on the Lucy Mary will make your soul soar
With only a handful of guests, the Hebrides Cruises’ Lucy Mary is all about quiet luxury and amazing wildlife, finds Clare Trodden.
Combining cliff edges and heightened emotions doesn’t usually end well. On a sunny day on the Isle of Lunga, it couldn’t have been a better combination. As waves pounded far below, the souls perched on high cliffs soared even higher.
With Mull to the right and Tiree far off to the left, the assembly seemed mesmerised by marvels playing over the cliff edge. Any seaside mission worth its salt would praise the heavens for such reverence.
Our normally chatty group watched in silence as puffins whirled and rolled back to their burrows after eight months at sea. They dig, they sweep, they throw up great webbed footfuls of sand and whizz back and forth with beaks full of twigsand soft, grassy divots. Some are gifts for lifetime mates, the rest furnish long, sandy burrows for the little puffling which will eventually demand its own weight in fish each day.
Greeting each other with a waggling, tapping and rattling of their brightly coloured beaks, they coo in delight to see old friends. Someone told me these puffins can change a person. Oh really? Now I’ve experienced puffin therapy. These joyful and engaging little creatures do work wonders.
The pudgy almost robotic-seeming birds are entertaining, but there’s much more to them than comedic value. Smaller than you’d imagine but immensely charismatic, they charge the air with something quite magical.
Later, we agreed that the experience was powerful: a balm for the soul; life affirming; soothing and healing. In the moment though, we simply fell under their spell and lost track of time. Sunshine and having the island to ourselves enhanced the charm. Only the lure of afternoon tea onboard Lucy Mary, “our” luxury motor yacht, drew us away.
One woman from a tour boat wondered loudly “Do you recognise anyone?”. That amused us. Not one of us with anything paparazzi-worthy to declare - our resident mermaid’s breathtaking ventures into the deep notwithstanding. The Lucy Mary, with sleek interiors and irresistibly tactile hardwood carpentry, is a perfect backdrop for lotus eaters. It’s hard to estimate just how many have graced the various sundecks over its 30 years as a private yacht. Now it’s one of family-owned Hebrides Cruises’ three vessels.
We were days into a wildlife cruise and fairly typical of current guests. Mostly from the UK, one all the way from Tennessee. Mostly returning to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or the general achievement of surviving life’s major challenges.We had welcome-aboard drinks, though there was no ice to break. Bella, our indispensable wildlife guide, had warmly welcomed us as we checked in onshore and set the tone for the trip.
With four crew - skipper, chef, steward and guide - to six guests, we knew we’d be well looked after. Still, the level of care and indulgence was greater than imagined. All of it achieved without ostentation or visible effort.
Everyone appreciated the friendly and relaxed atmosphere created by the crew, who must have been paddling away like mad beneath their calm surface to keep everything ship shape and anticipate our every need. It was “like an invisiblesafety net, a comfort blanket” that allowed us to relax into the experience. And what an experience.
Each evening, we wondered at how much we’d seen and done. Bella’s enthusiasm inspired us all. I felt quite the wildlife expert myself just by standing beside her. Did you know those talented puffins can carry upward of 20-30 fish, thanks to hook-like serrations inside their beaks?
You might think we’d be waxing lyrical about the bigger marine beasties in these teeming waters. Minke whales are breath-snatching sights, putting you in your place as they breach and leap and dive. Playful otter and elegant porpoise were absolutely thrilling to see. The sight of a seal close to the porthole at dawn was the harbinger of many, at sea and on shorelines, and always a delight. We were prepared to be awed by these impressive creatures. The impression made by the seabirds was more of a surprise. Kittiwakes, skua, fulmars, sea eagles, shelducks, oystercatchers, heron and more.
The sight and sound of 1000 newly arrived guillemots was something to behold on one dark, rocky outcrop we walked to with Bella. By summer’s end, when the fathers take their chicks out to sea, that rock will be whitewashed - and much more fragrant.Another walk was accompanied by the call of shy corncrakes of Iona. Much less reticent were its gannets. The thrilling speed of their diving and dramatic splashes brought out a childish glee in us all. I’m sure I whooped.
Even shag seem exotic when you spot the flash of iridescent green on their dark feathers. Their design challenge - non-waterproof feathers - is why you see them sun worshipping as they spread their wings out to dry. Then there are beautiful razor bills, fine facial white lines exquisitely drawn and gleaming against black plumage.We were lucky to see and experience so much. Of course, it wasn’t just luck. Our skipper, James, made sure we were in the right places at the right times. Routes can be tweaked when there is word of a whale or dolphin pod in the area, or to avoid squally weather fronts.
James’s affinity with the sea is no surprise. He was born on Mull and spent much time on boats with his father, Richard Fairbairns, who paved the way for whale watching and marine research centres in the UK. James was also local lifeboat coxswain. This all explains why he was able to ease the Lucy Mary eside the majestic rock formations of Staffa for us to see into the mouth of Fingal’s Cave while bigger boats had to moor much afield. He also got us so close to the ancient MacCulloch Tree that we could almost touch the 50 million year-old fossil from the boat.
We tested the rest of the crew too. Out of six, we were: one vegetarian, one allergic to eggs, one dairy allergy and one self-professed “picky eater”. With years supervising special diets in the House of Lords banqueting department, our chef Sian sailed through. Fine dining options championing local produce appeared for all at breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Courgette tart, potato fondant and confit fennel, lamb rump, pan-fried scallops and duck breast with carrot and star anise purée are just some of the wonderful options.
You’ll rarely eat so well and so consistently. Yet, there was still more. Abbie, our steward, topped up drinks and snacks between meals. Her artistic table settings were a talking point every night while she took care of the cabin turn-down service.You can rest easy in your en-suite cabin. The company hold the Green Tourism Gold Award for their environmental policies. Waste is minimal and any left by others is removed on shore trips, the boat has its own solar power and desalination systems.To top off the immense feel-good factors, you can add lifelong memories of luxury, adventure and new friends - feathered or otherwise.
A private charter for up to ten people on the Lucy Mary starts at £14,250 for three nights. Both the six-night September Wildlife Havens cruise and next April’s Idyllic Islands (Mull, Iona, Staffa and Treshnish Isles) cost between £2,400- £3,350, depending on the boat and cabin selected.For further information call01631 711 986 or email [email protected]