Empty cruise ships in Scotland on offer as moored holiday homes
The majority of the world’s cruise ships are unable to sail right now due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises might have successfully restarted sailing, but plenty of cruise lines, including Cunard, Viking and Seabourn, have cancelled all cruises for the remainder of the year.
Which means that many vessels have been left in ship purgatory – either docked in ports or anchored off coasts around the world – waiting for the green light to set sail again.
However one small, family-run Scottish outfit has come up with a solution to the temporary suspension of sailing and turned its ships into summer holiday homes.
Oban-based St Hilda Sea Adventures’ three ships – St Hilda, Seahorse 11 and Gemini Explorer – normally take up to 15 passengers around the world famous Sounds that separate the isles of the Outer and Inner Hebrides, and Argyll. But the bruising coronavirus hiatus has led the 13-year old operator to offer cruise lovers, miserable at being landlocked, the chance to book any one of its vessels as an exclusive, self-catering holiday home.
Guests will be able to peer through a porthole, enjoy meals in the galley, breathe in that salty sea air from the deck and drift off to sleep in a cabin – without ever leaving the port. Gas, electricity, bedding and towels are provided together with complimentary hand sanitiser, but there’s no crew on board and pets are prohibited from joining.
Colette Dubois, co-owner of St Hilda Sea Adventures, told The Telegraph: “Covid-19 forced us to postpone all 2020 cruises. With time on our hands, we spent the summer giving the ships a makeover and they look so beautiful.
“With no cruises to run, we decided to turn the ships into holiday homes throughout August. It was great to see the ships alive once again and the interest was incredible so we carried on taking bookings into September and are now going to continue until the end of the year – we have even had enquiries for Christmas.”
The trio of ships are moored in the Dunstaffnage Marina, three miles north of Oban and the setting provides a “spectacular view of the sea framed by the mountains of Mull,” said Colette.
A former sail-training tall ship, St Hilda sleeps a maximum of six people and costs from £204 per night. Seahorse II, a former working vessel for the Royal Navy, can accommodate up to 11 people and costs from £396 per night. The third and newest ship, Gemini Explorer, is a converted cruising lifeboat that accommodates eight guests from £300 per night.
St Hilda Sea Adventures leaves 72 hours between bookings, during which time every single part of the respective ship is deep cleaned in line with stringent Covid-19 health and safety protocols.
Sara, one of the first guests to hire St Hilda after cruising shuddered to a halt, wrote in the visitors book at the conclusion of her August stay: “A lockdown Covid experience that, despite restrictions, turned into a lovely holiday. The boat was cosy and comfortable and Christophe made sure we were well looked after. The area is stunning and the weather was kind to us. Would love to come back and enjoy the full cruise experience. Thank you.”
Paul, from Kent, and his grandchildren, rented Seahorse II after cruising was curtailed and penned: “Covid-19 might have prevented us from setting sail but the magic of the Western Isles, the view from the marina each morning and life on our quirky Norwegian ferry made for a wonderfully different experience.”
It is hoped that self catering bookings will help St Hilda Sea Adventures from sinking as it struggles through the rough waters of the coronavirus crisis.
