We didn’t sleep particularly well last night. Our anchorage off the shore of Kerrara was more exposed than expected, and it felt like trying to sleep while riding a mechanical bull.
My wife had a brief flashback to “We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea” (Swallows and Amazons) and wondered if the tide might have lifted our anchor. Thankfully not! (And if you enjoyed the Arthur Ransome books as child but have no desire to learn how to actually sail, Zuza has been a great option for living out those childhood dreams.)
Ah, well – at least the kids slept through it. Peter seemed genuinely impressed when he asked how they slept last night.
Thus ends our final night aboard Zuza. Our notional departure time is 10 am, but Peter aims to have us docked in Oban shortly after 9 am. We’d be welcome to stay aboard later if so inclined, but we have a 5 hour drive ahead of us today. This early departure may be all that prevents us from reaching Skye after grocery stores have shut.
It doesn’t take long to pack up. Zuza has plenty of storage space – so we were able to store everything in logical places – and our Ekster vacuum-sealer helps us compress our parkas and wetsuits down to next to nothing.
We have one last delicious breakfast – with boiled eggs again this time – before motoring back to Oban.
On the way, we spot a… Spanish galleon?
This always happens when I pack away my camera early…
It’s the Galeón Andalucía – a recreation of a genuine Andalucian galleon, and a kind of floating museum.
From the Fundacion Nao Victoria website:
“The Galeón Andalucía, a unique replica of the Spanish galleons that for centuries connected the Andalusian community with America and Asia, is going to embark on a tour this summer – from August 2nd to September 10th, 2023 – visiting some of Europe’s most important ports, serving as a floating ambassador for Andalusia as a tourist destination.
This vessel symbolizes the most universal Andalusian culture, which, for over three centuries, voyaged through its decks, crossing the vast oceans of the planet to America and Asia. It was during these journeys that the most significant cultural exchange between continents in history occurred, leaving an indelible mark of Andalusian culture that endures to this day.
The Galeón Andalucía is an imposing ship, measuring 55 meters in length, with six decks, constructed from iroko and pine wood, and nearly 1000 m² of sail surface spread across its seven sails. It was carefully crafted with historical accuracy in Punta Umbría, Huelva, magnificently reflecting the maritime tradition of the Andalusian community.
Throughout this grand European journey, visitors to the galleon will have the opportunity to experience Andalusia through this magnificent floating ambassador of its culture, history, and maritime tradition.”
It’s hard to give a sense of the scale of the Galeón Andalucía – unsurprisingly, it absolutely dwarfs Zuza. Sadly, we won’t have time to visit it before we leave but hopefully the crew will get the chance to do so.
Speaking of which, while all this was going on, Peter and the crew have got us docked and are ready to unload bags – provided we can somehow manage to drag our daughter off the ship before she stows away in one of the compartments.
Caroline very kindly offers to fetch us a trolley, but we are not going far – it’s perhaps 300 metres to the Perle Oban, and we manage to huff our bags over that way without too much trouble.
My wife gets the rest of our bags from hotel storage, while I go and recover our rental car from its paid parking space:
Huzzah! It’s still here!
My wife has managed to repack all of the luggage by the time I pull the car around, and then heads off to grab some sandwiches from Subway while I finish loadmastering our diminutive MG. Again, there is no parking out in front so I simply park in the bus zone and turn on our hazards lights. It feels a bit cheeky, but no one hassles me for doing so.
I promised you photos of this tight squeeze, and photos you shall have:
Where will our groceries go, you ask? Good question – we’ll let you know when we have an answer
By the time I’m done packing everything up, my wife has returned with the sandwiches – and we are off and away. For once, a smooth departure! (What’s that? The squished children in the back seat have something to say about that? Not if we turn up the radio, they don’t!)
As we leave Oban behind and make our way to Skye, we take some time to reflect on our Hebridean cruise on Zuza – what were the strengths and compromises, and whether we would travel this way again in the future.
As you might expect, there was a lot about Zuza we really enjoyed. Many luxury lines boast of a ‘small ship experience’, but you can’t get much smaller than six guests. This meant we had the chance to try experiences – like the sauna at Lochaline – that are simply unavailable to larger cruise ships. That intimate experience extended to sailing, too. We had the chance to directly shape the week’s itinerary, while the skipper and other crew were ready and willing to teach, chat, and otherwise help in any way they can.
Understandably, that small ship experience has some impact on the level of luxury – but in many ways, Zuza was far more luxurious than we expected. The food was exceptional from start to finish, and we would often be offered teas or coffees while out on the water, and wine and beer were available during dinner. There were even hot water bottles for when we went to bed at night. Homemade treats were laid out for us, and local produce was purchased whenever possible. The crew recommended bars and restaurants and adjusted the itinerary so we could more fully enjoy a destination.
However, some compromises are simply unavoidable. You are not going to get long, hot lingering showers on a ship of this size, and indeed you will need to remember to cover the toilet paper holder lest you soak the roll while showering. The cabins are not particularly massive – or sound proof – and you will have to climb over your partner while heading to the bathroom at night. The ship pitches and rolls more in even mildly rough seas, and condensation forms in the cabin if you don’t leave a hatch open and run a dehumidifier. You get the idea.
And for those coming at this from the sailing side – rather than the luxury expedition side – there are other compromises to bear in mind. There was a set agenda, so we were not free to sail as much as we might have liked. We were at the mercies of the wind, and going sail-only would have prevented us from reaching Lunga, Tobermory and Lochaline. There were still several hours of sailing – it just wasn’t as much as some sailors may have wanted.
And with all that nit-picking, would we do it again? Yes. Unequivocally. We are looking at more luxurious ships for our upcoming sailing expeditions, but we’d go back on Zuza again too. I wouldn’t book a trip for more than nights, but – for that limited window of time – the tradeoffs are more than worthwhile. (We might also try to reduce some of the hardships by just booking out the entire ship, thereby allowing my wife and I to each have our own cabins.)
Pricing-wise, Zuza ran us less than USD$500 per person per night – even after drinks and gratuities – which tends to be less expensive than standard Silversea or Ponant expedition cruises, with rare exception. That said, we did manage to get our recent Silver Endeavour cruise – 23 day, Buenos Aires to Dakar – for a similar price per person per day.
Hope this helps for those looking at a similar sailing. Glad to answer questions anyone might have about life aboard Zuza, the booking process, and so on.
Meanwhile – off to Skye!
I won’t post too many photos, as we already drove much of this voyage while heading from Oban to Mallaig – though the scenery becomes even more striking as we approach Skye:
We make a brief pit stop at a cafe known as the Pit Stop:
It’s the perfect place to stretch our legs and enjoy a piece of chocolate cake.
Artfully shot to hide the missing bites
Nice view, too:
We make good time, and we briefly wonder whether we’ll need to slow our pace lest we arrive before Dark Skye Cottage, our vacation rental, is ready for us. We send a quick message to the owners, and they promptly confirm that the property will be ready for our early arrival.
We carry on across the bridge to Skye:
We had briefly considered taking one of the ferries instead, but we always prefer to minimize the number of moving pieces – plus we hadn’t known exactly when we were going to dock, so we didn’t know which ferry we could catch.
We stop at the Co-op in Broadford to pick up a few odds and sundry for our first night. Space is extremely limited, so we keep our purchase to a handful of frozen pizzas because they are easier to carry. (I wish I was joking.) We do somehow manage to also squish in some bread, butter, and salad greens, salad dressing and eggs – and a bottle of wine and some beer, because priorities.
Our hosts have strongly recommended we pick up gas here, and we do so despite the MG HS saying it still has upward of 500 miles of range remaining. The HS is a mild hybrid and has gotten a remarkable 54 miles per gallon thus far. Still, we have a fair bit of driving on the island plus a return trip back to Edinburgh that’s likely to clock in at close to 300 miles. (We pre-paid for a tank of gas so my plan is to return the vehicle as close to bone dry as possible.)
Fun Fact: Here the gas handles are green, and the diesel handles are black. In Canada, the diesel handles are green. This caused me no end of paranoia while fueling.
We carry on toward Dunvegan, and on past Glendale. You’d think we’d be close at this stage, but we still have 90 minutes remaining. And this is why:
That’s right, single lane roads with pullover spots. It makes for quite the slow-motion shuffle, but we get there in the end.
Repeat after me – the scenery is worth it, the scenery is worth it, the scenery is worth it
We finally arrive at Dark Skye Cottage:
There are times when you walk into a vacation rental and you know you’ve made the right choice – this is one of those times.
It’s a beautiful property, and it’s even more spacious than it appears in its photos.
And – as expected – it has two generously-sized bedrooms and separate bathrooms. First, the kids’ bedroom:
And their nearby bathroom:
And the main bedroom in the upstairs loft:
Plus a huge living area:
And a stunning view of the ocean:
My wife is mildly disappointed to find that the laundry facilities consist of a single combo washer / dryer machine, but is soon relieved to find that this one actually works.
I get going on dinner, which consists of frozen pizzas and salad. It’s quick and easy, which is exactly what we need right now.
Meanwhile, a storm rolls in – and we watch through the windows as the rain lashes against the windows:
With four nights booked at Dark Skye, there will some busy days of hiking and exploring ahead of us – but for now we’re quite content to settle in and listen to the rumble of the wind and the rain as we lay snug in our beds.