Focus on Scapa
Our Focus on Scapa cruise takes in all the joys of the south isles. This gentle four-night cruise is ideal for the less seasoned sailor. We will explore the rugged beauty of Hoy, take you ashore on uninhabited islands and introduce you to centuries of naval history. As a natural deep-water harbour stretching over 120 square miles with easy access to the North Sea and the Atlantic, Scapa Flow has been utilised since Viking times.
The Admiralty recognised Scapa Flow’s importance during the Napoleonic wars and this interest lasted through both world wars. Scapa Flow is home to two Martello Towers, the WWI scuttled German Fleet, numerous wartime defences and even Stevenson’s lighthouses. Seal colonies, and pods of porpoises call Scapa home while sightings of visiting dolphins and orcas are increasingly common in recent years.
Seabirds including diving gannets, guillemots and puffins all add to the vast tapestry of wildlife, and Arctic hares live high on the Hoy hills. Sit back and relax while we sail past beautiful sea cliffs and deserted beaches. Other highlights of this cruise include the Italian Chapel – a Nissan hut beautifully converted into a chapel by Italian prisoners of war during WWII, the Churchill Barriers and blockships, the Scapa Flow Visitors Centre with its wealth wartime history and the tiny settlement of Rackwick and her glorious beach looking out to the Atlantic. From here you can walk up to the lone sea stack the “Old Man of Hoy” – the tallest sea stack in the UK. This cruise will depart from and finish in the historic fishing port of Stromness.