We had a fantastic try-sailing weekend with Cruise Ecosse and really enjoyed the whole experience. The booking process was smooth and the pre-trip information clear. On the day, our skipper John and crew member Sarah met us when we boarded and immediately made us feel welcome. John was extremely experienced and knowledgeable, and we felt completely safe in his hands throughout the weekend. They got us involved in the sailing as much as we wanted, which was a great way to get a feel for what sailing is really like, while still being able to relax and enjoy the experience. The boat was comfortable, the food was very good, including a lovely evening meal, and the whole weekend was relaxed, enjoyable and well organised. We would recommend Cruise Ecosse to anyone considering giving sailing a try. We had a brilliant time!

Thank you Richard and John for looking after us so well on our Inner Hebrides sailing adventure. Richard and John are wonderfully warm and caring individuals. John has a wealth of sailing experience, his knowledge of the Scottish islands and history is extensive and he is a fabulous raconteur. Richard made sure we were well looked after, he fed us generously, was great company and had exciting ideas of places to sail to. The sailing was really enjoyable, we all had varying levels of experience and this was easily accommodated. We had some rough weather forecast and we were moored with extreme care that evening. Our itinerary was changed from the original due to the weather but we were always given other great options. Regarding the weather, if you feel the cold, bring thermals and a woolly hat even in August, you might be lucky and not need them but better to be prepared. Our sailing companions were very good company which was a bonus as you are together a lot over the week, we really enjoyed our days sailing and evenings chatting or quiet times reading. We loved our time on Aislig Bheag, the Inner Hebrides are stunning, it was a fantastic experience.

John and Derek were great host in so many ways. They had a relaxed but thoughtful way of helping the group settle in, get to know each other and get to know the boat. John had a great skill for including us in the sailing and skippering with instruction and encouragement at the right time. His knowledge local places, good anchorages and the ability to make the most of the tides and weather was immense. His sense of humour and funny stories about places we visited were great. Equally Derek was great company and looked after us really well with food, drink and a joke in constant supply. The boat was well maintained, clean and very comfortable. I had a great time and would recommend the experience to anyone interested in a sailing experience. The efforts John and Derek went to to keep us busy and take us to a variety of places are really appreciated and I’ve got a host of memories and photos to take away - places like Iona, Fingals Cave, Locu Aline, David Balfour’s bay. I really liked the mix of quiet, secluded anchorages on anchor, and a few nights in marinas to visit towns like Tobermory. If I lived closer I’d love to sail with John and Derek again for other trips but sadly I think life in Australia will make this unlikely. All the best for the future and I’ll be sure to follow you in the future. DO THE ARC!!!!!!

Cruise Ecosse has proved to be a valuable sailing asset to me in 2026 and I will forever be indebted to Gordon, Richard, John and Derek for their wonderful guidance, tips, instruction, patience and living on a yacht experience. As a novice sailor, trying to get my Day Skipper ticket and build sailing experience, I originally planned 2 sailing trips with different West Coast operators over the summer of 2026. However, one of those Operators let me down claiming they could not fill their boat and hence their week's sailing was not viable. Upon enquiry, Cruise Ecosse stepped in and gave me a late-minute space for the St Kilda trip, in addition to my planned 'Around Mull' trip. My prior sailing experience on yachts was limited to a tiller-steered 29' yacht and dinghies. The level of comfort I felt with both crews was enormous and their policy to ensure each sailor gets regular turns at helm in all conditions (both in open seas and close coastal sailing), proved invaluable. In all, I completed just under 500NM across my 2 weeks with Cruise Ecosse and the experience has laid my foundations for being the best sailor I can try to be. Every day was a school day and the gentle approach meant my confidence grew daily. I probably will never attain the truly skillful sailing of these gentlemen, not have a boat the quality of Aisling Bheag, but they have been an inspiration to go beyond being a simple yachtman. A big thank you to you all and I will definitely be back, even after buying my own yacht.

Whether you are new to sailing or highly experienced I can not recommend Cruise Ecosse more highly. A fabulous week. Good company. Great food, including coping really well with my allergy to eggs. Great sailing too. John, our skipper, was brilliant. A highly accomplished yachtsman who replanned our route daily to avoid the heavy seas coming in from the Atlantic, and instead taking us to wonderful secluded anchorages on Skye and Canna. The yacht is a beauty to sail, very well maintained and reinforced to ocean going standards. Well set up for a small group with varied yachting experience. Richard, a partner in the ownership of the yacht came as crew and looked after us splendidly. There is every opportunity to learn, to helm, to adjust the sails and participate in every aspect of the trip. We spotted dolphins, porpoises, seals, guillemots, eider ducks, shags, cormorants, storm petrels, terns, a fish eagle and many types of gulls. If you want to experience the wonders and joys of the Hebrides then Cruise Ecosse should be your first port of call.