We are very sad to learn of the death this morning of Prince Philip – Duke of Edinburgh.

Our chandlery will be re-opening for ‘Phone and Collect’ on Monday 5th April. We have limited stock of antifoul etc so think ahead and book yours now!! 01631 565630

Scottish Government Allows Travel to Boats for Essential Maintenance in Line with Guidance for Owners of Second Homes

The Scottish Government has decided that boat owners can access their boats for essential maintenance. Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary of Rural Economy and Tourism acknowledged the need for parity with second homes following representations by Sail Scotland supported by RYA Scotland and British Marine Scotland.

Travel exemptions have been confirmed as allowing owners of private boats to travel to their vessels to undertake essential maintenance.

National Regulations are intended to be flexible to allow a person to leave home for a genuinely essential purpose. Rather than setting out an exhaustive list of every reasonable excuse, it leaves it to the individual to make a judgment as to whether a purpose is essential or not.

Only travel for essential maintenance is presently allowed. Travel for cosmetic improvements or preparatory work for the coming season will open-up as restrictions are relaxed in the coming weeks on par with other sectors.

The Scottish Government will try to ensure examples are included in future guidance but where this is not explicitly stated, it would be for the individual to determine the circumstances whether travel would be acceptable and essential.

Essential maintenance is work which if not undertaken would cause failure or become an imminent safety issue. Some examples are; repairs to prevent water ingress, winterising engines, pumping out bilges and maintaining/ replacing mooring and berth warps.

Essential maintenance should be completed as quickly as possible. Travel for essential maintenance should not be used as a pretext to spend the day aboard ‘pottering’ or for a weekend away. You should not stay longer than the length of time required to undertake essential maintenance.

 This is obviously good news and while we recognise some of you will want to utilise this new rule please do so considerately and obviously continue to follow government guidelines.

It looks like 2021 is going to be the year of the ‘staycation’ and our message is – if you are thinking about sailing on the West coast of Scotland next year then you really need to book now to avoid disappointment.

All 2021 charter bookings now include a free outboard, the tablet with Navionics has proved a huge hit with our customers this year and every boat is now equipped with this facility as well as the virtual handovers on the same tablet which will all remain in place for 2021.

We look forward to hearing from our customers old and new.

We have now put a GPS enabled Samsung tablet on every yacht – along with suitable USB ports to charge it up. Each tablet contains the virtual handover of the yacht so if you forget something, like where is the water tank filler – you can see the video again.

The major benefit though is that every tablet is equipped with the Navionics navigational software. This is so easy to use and the charts are updated before every charter! This provides immensely detailed charts of the whole of Scotland and even further away. It also provides live tidal stream direction and strength as well as heading and speed etc. 

You can also take it to the pub for a spot of route planning! (It does not require an internet connection). Check out the auto route planning – it feels very close to witchcraft !!!

You can have a look at the programme here.

‘Sail Scotland’ has released some stunning 360º videos – showcasing the very best of sailing in Scotland. If you have sailed here before you will enjoy reminiscing. If you haven’t sailed here before you will want to !  The St Kilda one and the Staffa ones are particularly good. If you need a yacht for 2020 don’t hang about – peak season is virtually fully booked.

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEOS

One of our yachts is now available for sale.

A lovely Westerly Corsair.

Full details here.

A couple who were out on our yacht True Blue last week sent us this great photo when they returned home. Was it a lucky right place – right time photo or incredible skill ??? 😉

You choose – either way its a lovely photo.