Whale watching, bird watching and Scottish island cruises from Northern Light Charters :: go cruising

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Rainbow over the Sound of Mull by John Almond All our cruises share one aim – to show you a variety of islands, wildlife, marine life and birds in beautiful locations throughout the Hebrides. Both boats are large enough to provide spacious accommodation for our guests but are small enough to glide, generally unnoticed, into the remotest lochs and harbours to view the wildlife in its natural environment. Regarding wildlife you may see or islands you may visit the possibilities are as diverse as the tastes of our guests.

The crews on both boats are "quietly professional" (guest quotation). Friendly and helpful by nature, they will make you feel welcome and relaxed, but are also very hard-working and dedicated to providing you with the best possible experience onboard – however badly behaved the weather or wildlife contrives to be!

Both boats have a wheelhouse, where you'll find the skipper whilst the vessel is underway. There's a spare seat in here for passengers whilst the boat is at sea. Occasionally the skipper might need a bit of extra elbow room to perform a tricky manoeuvre, for example, in which case s/he might politely ask for some space.

Both vessels have an inflatable tender powered by an outboard engine. This is at your disposal and is used to take passengers ashore when the vessel is at anchor or, more rarely, for a close look at wildlife if we are sure we won't cause a disturbance. Safety is of paramount importance and lifejackets are available for those who wish to wear them in the tender. Indeed on occasion we may insist on guests wearing them if we feel this is indicated.

Hjalmar Bjorge from inflatable tender Iceland 2005 by Roger Hiley

Humpback whale beside Hjalmar Bjorge inflatable Iceland 2005 by Alan Lester

You are not expected to get involved in the running of the vessel in any way. This is particularly true of Hjalmar Bjørge, a well equipped modern motor vessel with the crew carrying out all day-to-day duties as required. Aboard Zuza there is no expectation that you will help to sail the yacht. However, on this boat, should you harbour a burning desire to tack to windward or trim the jib, and the skipper and crew deem it is safe for you to do so, you can get involved. It must be stressed that we are not offering "learn to sail" holidays aboard Zuza. Her experienced skipper and crew are onboard to sail her, as and when conditions permit, but if you’re keen to experience the excitement of hoisting the mainsail firsthand and the skipper says it's okay for you to get involved, then you may do so.

Yacht Zuza under sail (c) Zuza Expeditions One of the main differences between a motor vessel and a motor yacht is the motion of the boat whilst underway. Hjalmar Bjørge is a heavily-built steel-hulled boat which is fully stabilised. In most sea conditions she sits fairly steadily in the water in an upright position, give or take a few degrees. This enables guests to enjoy time on deck or sit in the saloon if they prefer. Zuza, when under sail, slices silently through the water. The feeling of "the wind in your hair" as the purpose-built aluminium hull powers gracefully along, creating no noise disturbance or carbon emissions, is no less than thrilling. You are at one with nature, harnessing the power of the wind, and engaging with the marine environment yet your impact is absolutely minimal. Does a "green cruise" get any better than this?

Yacht Zuza unser sail off the Scillies (c) Zuza Expeditions Whilst Zuza is under sail the sails themselves provide similar stability to the stabilisers fitted to Hjalmar Bjørge. Additionally, her state of the art hull and keel configuration provide a very comfortable ride. Unlike racing yachts whose crews are constantly working and don't sit still, Zuza was very much built as a charter vessel with passenger comfort in mind.

Whilst underway guests are welcome on deck. We provide warm outdoor gear if required and there's a sheltered seating area aft of the wheelhouse where you'll be protected from the elements. With a table this is a wonderful place to watch the world go by or, alternatively, eat a meal whilst the vessel is on anchor.

No-one can promise they'll get you to outlying islands such as St Kilda or North Rona. Travelling on Hjalmar Bjørge, however, is the closest you'll get to a guarantee. We take advantage of the vessel's sea-keeping capabilities to offer destination specific itineraries where, obviously weather permitting, we will try our very hardest to deliver you to the locations that have enticed you to book.

Lismore lighthouse Sound of Mull by John Suckling

By contrast, a holiday on Zuza is more about meeting Mother Nature on an equal footing, than achieving destination related goals. You'll notice the itineraries are less defined, concentrating on areas rather than particular islands. By doing this we aim to spend some time, each day if possible, sailing the yacht in addition to motoring. If there's no wind (don't laugh; it's possible) Zuza will simply motor between anchorages.

In summary although we aim to deliver the same high quality experience on both Hjalmar Bjørge and Zuza there are a few differences which you should consider before choosing which boat to book. Finally...do remember you will be on holiday. Our cruises, which can be exhilarating and adventurous, are not endurance tests. Each day will be dedicated to pursuits you enjoy so make the most of it...