Selkie Explorers

15/04/2025

It's been 10 years since I first went to St Kilda with Selkie. Ten years of running Selkie Explorers. So many adventures and connections. So much learning about how to run a business, how to juggle responsibilities, how to keep balance and happiness. Interweaving yoga and a healthy life style has been crucial to retaining that balance. And it is reaping rewards. I've been scarred internally for decades by a climbing accident and over the past 5 years, my path to rediscover my joy in climbing has slowly but surely been established. Such happiness!
I'm looking forward to three opportunities this year to reach St Kilda. Only space remaining on our September voyage OH3. And if yoga is your interest, 4 voyages running this year. Link in bio.

14/04/2025

Selkie Explore went on a gorgeous 2 day climbing adventure, anchoring in Muck's Gallanach bay and heading to a different crag each day. The seacliff at Camas Mor was the standout crag.
There are berths available on our scheduled voyages. Although we won't be climbing, we will explore the islands we land on and sail sail sail. There are so many incredible places in the inner and outer Hebrides, so much to explore. Trips are 7 or 10 days starting at Mallaig. There is some availability for bespoke voyages too. Hope to see you here.
Sail Scotland
Isle of Eigg
Visit Small Isles
VisitScotland

09/03/2025

Sarah Boden left Fleet Street for life on a hill farm in the Hebrides.

22/09/2024

On Selkie’s way home to Isle of Eigg from Faroe Islands, we made a welcome detour to Wizards Pool on South Uist to meet up with Ada 2 and this inspirational sailor, author, wildlife campaigner Isabelle Autissier
Ada was my first boat. Twenty five years ago, I sold my house in North Wales, bought a boat, called her Ada 2, and sailed down to the Southern Oceans. It was my dream to do an all female trip to Antarctica. I’d done lots of all female expeditions climbing and now I wanted to transfer those experiences to the sea. On route, I stopped in La Rochelle where I met Isabelle and invited her to join me. In 2001, Isabelle and 4 other women met me in Ushuaia and we spent the next 7 weeks together sailing to the Antarctic peninsula.
When my son Dylan was a year old, I sold Ada to Isabelle and since then she has been to the furthest ends of the earth doing the most amazing expeditions in her boat. This is the first time Ada and Selkie, Isabelle and me have been in the same anchorage since both having our boats (17years). The magic of Wizards Pool! Such a gorgeous experience to see this woman and this boat that mean so much to me




Isleof SouthUist
Visit Small Isles
JourneyWoman: Solo Travel for Women 50+
VisitScotland
Isle of Eigg

21/09/2024

After a day walking the Rum Cuillin, the skyline ridge of Rum as seen from our home on Eigg, we picked up a young stag, shot a week last Monday, courtesy of
From the dinghy, we winched the stag up on board Selkie and hung it in the rigging where Dylan skinned it as we sailed home to Eigg.
This venison is some of the exceptional local wild game that is available for our table.

18/09/2024

17/09/2024

So often, September turns out to be stunning. This was last year in torridon. The week ahead now is forecast to be spectacular. Not the best for sailing itself, but fantastic for walking. As the days become cooler and the leaves and vegetation turn hues of gold and copper, I for one will be very excited about exploring by sail and foot the Small Isles of the inner Hebrides of Scotland

https://www.selkie-explorers.com/2024-hebrides-autumn-small-isles-sailing-and-walking-adventure/

Visit Small Isles Isle of Eigg VisitScotland Isle of Rum JourneyWoman: Solo Travel for Women 50+
Sail Scotland

14/09/2024

A month from now, I will be heading to Mallaig in preparation for the first of Selkie Explorers’ Autumn Sailing and Walking Adventure. I am doing four voyages this autumn, each one 5 days long, starting on a Thursday. We meet in Mallaig where you will board Selkie. After a safety briefing, we will sail to our first anchorage. You will get a taste of how to sail Selkie, taking the helm, using the winches and get the sails up. Each night we will anchor in a sheltered bay, ready to walk whatever the weather asks of us. Conditions allowing, we will walk up to summits on all the Small Isles. These really are the most beautiful islands in all the Hebrides. Each one has it’s own unique character. Skipper and crew are residents of the community owned Isle of Eigg with strong practices of sustainable living and wellbeing.
Places are available on all departure dates for either full moon or dark skies star gazing.
Isle of Eigg JourneyWoman: Solo Travel for Women 50+ Visit Small VisitScotland

07/09/2024

The saloon on Selkie is a place of good eating, local foraging, fabulous company, introspective times and ready for the next trip 😁
Visit Small Isles Isle of Eigg JourneyWoman: Solo Travel for Women 50+

05/09/2024

Selkie Explorers has partnered up with JourneyWoman: Solo Travel for Women 50+
It seems very fitting as a lot of the time that is me: solo sailing and 50+ 🙂
https://directory.journey-woman.com/tour-company/selkie-explorers/

Selkie Explorers is a women-led tour operator providing solo and group tours on JourneyWoman Women's Travel Directory

31/08/2024

This is my morning yoga and coffee chill after a whale survey with Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust. It was such a fun group of people to be working with. They were not deterred by the torrential rain and gale force winds. I am certainly enjoying this unchallenging morning anchored close to Oban. Next year Selkie Explorers have 4 mindful sailing and yoga retreats. I am so looking forward to them. They are up on the website.
https://www.selkie-explorers.com/mindful-sailing-and-wild-yoga/

27/08/2024

Skippering Silurian for Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust this week. Great team onboard and some good sightings and data collected to date. Though we are storm bound in Loch Ceann Traigh as an Atlantic low crosses through.

14/08/2024

I found the Faroe Islands dramatic and challenging for sailing and culture but the sheep were safe territory and always a joy to stop and chat to. Much like my Shetlands, they are small with multi-coloured fleeces and used to being gathered with buckets of food. They have long hair and gallons of lanolin that protects the soft underwool from the harsh wind and rain of these northerly islands. Now I am back in Scotland, my mission for the next week is Croft based. Selkie will be out to Tobermory next week as I am off to skipper Silurian for Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust for their 13th survey. I am looking forward very much to being with folk passionate about marine conservation and collecting scientific data that informs the big picture about cetacean numbers and the challenges that these intelligent, culturally complex creatures face.

07/08/2024

The Witch and Giant seastacks rising out of the wild and raw waters north of Eysturoy. The story goes that they tried to steal the islands and drag them to Iceland.

29/07/2024

Sailing to the far north east island of Svínoy where the island dips in the middle to give lowland Croft type culture. We anchored on shearing and hay making day. I had bailer envy and looking at the tractor attachments they use. The sheep are reared for the meat. The wool is mostly burnt as there is not time to do everything. Most of the people with land here live off island. The school is no longer open, nor the shop. Only 6 to 8 people live year round on the island and the day we were there, the Faroese flag was at half mast to honor the passing of a man of the community. But 3 ferries a day mean the community can continue to operate as house owners can use the tunnels and ferry to get to and from the island in a day from the capital Torshavn. There is a shearer master who organises the sheep stakeholders, deciding the day of shearing, governed by the weather. Everyone has to turn up if it there turn. How much time you put into the sheep depends on the percentage of land you own. One of the men we talked to only had a tiny plot of land, meaning he only had to be at shearing once every few years. It was heartening to see that some people sheared at the same slow speed that I do!

14/07/2024

The south coast of Vágur is astonishing, as are the currents!

12/07/2024

Stamps! Like the islands. Prettier and more dramatic than most!