Sailing the Orkney & Faroe Islands

YOUR SAILING AREA

Offshore Sailing from Scotland to Faroe Islands

Setting sails from the East coast of Scotland, Cherokee’s first stop will be the Orkney Islands. From Wick, we sail into the notorious Pentland Firth. Infamous for its strong tidal currents, which can reach 16 knots at spring tide – this a fun challenge for Cherokee!

Depending on the weather, we will sail into Scapa Flow to anchor close to Stromness, or we can sail out towards Kirkwall. Both are good and atmospheric harbours where we can prepare for the crossing to the Faroe Islands which is about 200 miles.

With good weather conditions this will be about a day and a half non-stop sailing, but it may also take a bit longer. Nevertheless, it’s a nice journey in the wake of the Viking trail and what makes it very special is that the sun is hardly going down at this time of year.

If the weather cooperates, we have a few days left to explore the Southern Faroe Island of Suduroy. Take a walk to a beautiful cave and then enjoy a delicious snack in a cosy café afterwards.

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On these islands, the clock seems to go a little slower, forcing us as well to slow down into the island way of life. The Faroe Islands are spectacularly beautiful due to their rugged and green landscape. The fog and consequent special light combined with the lack of trees and buildings, creates a uniquely mysterious and desolate atmosphere. We will finish this trip in Tørshavn, the capital city with wooden houses and grass on the roofs, which also houses the local government.

All voyages for Cherokee

Cherokee

Guest berths: 8 Rig: Cutter

In 2008, Jouke Lemmer purchased Cherokee after spending years sailing with his father’s ship amongst others. Cherokee was built in 2000 by award-winning boat builders J & J Design and a year after buying her, Jouke refitted Cherokee radically, transforming her into a truly comfortable charter vessel, giving her a cutter rig and space for a generator so as to offer his passengers power and hot showers!

She is a fast, 16m vessel with a stunning teak deck and spacious cockpit, and she operates with two crew members (her skipper and the bosun/chef). Cherokee is exceptionally good at what she was built to do – pure sailing. Read more about what to expect with life onboard here.

Jouke sails his ship all over the northern hemisphere, leaving Cherokee’s home port of Rotterdam in May and sailing anywhere from the Hebrides and the Channel Islands, the Faroe Islands and Ireland or even down to the North coast of Spain before making the journey back to Holland in October. Join him and his wonderful ship for the adventure of a lifetime – think exhilarating sailing, bucket list destinations and top-notch hospitality.

Deck plan

LIFE ON BOARD

Perfect for the adventure traveller, Cherokee is a custom-fit charter vessel, designed to ensure her guests enjoy comfortable but exhilarating sailing.

Getting involved

Sailing with Cherokee certainly ticks the adventure travel boxes with a continuous A to B sailing schedule throughout the season. Skipper Jouke believes this is the best way to experience as many destinations off the beaten track as possible and loves to share his sense of adventure with guests.

Guests are actively encouraged to get involved with all aspects of sailing under the relaxed guidance of Jouke. Take the helm, help with the winching of the sails, anchoring and basic chart navigation. Skipper Jouke was born at sea, the son of a Baltic Sea Captain and a naval architect when he’s back on land – you could not be in safer hands!

Sleeping & relaxation

With four private guest cabins, comfortable bunks and two bathrooms at either end of the boat, Cherokee can easily cater for solo travellers, adventurous couples or groups of friends or family. A hot water boiler runs off the cooling water of the generator, so there is plenty of hot water for washing and showering!

Below decks, she offers a comfy and spacious saloon perfect for eating, playing cards or simply reading a book. You’ll find beautiful panelled mahogany interiors, giving the ship that classic feel. A well-equipped galley opposite the saloon provides a perfect social space, ready to bring you delicious food after an exhilarating day of sailing. Eat under the stars if the weather allows in the spacious cockpit, offering comfortable couches and a good-sized table.

Authentic Offshore sailing

The boat is owned and sailed by experienced skipper Jouke and there is a ‘bosun’ who also does the cooking. The bosun will be preparing dinner as you arrive and after breakfast on your first morning aboard Cherokee, you can be guaranteed a relaxed start to your sailing holiday.

Jouke and his crew try to use the engine as little as possible, sailing into port as much as they can. Cherokee only clocks up about 180 motoring hours every year, which is pretty impressive. Due to this, as with most of our vessels, the days of your holiday are subject to the weather, using the tide as your clock. Guests aren’t presented with a tight schedule or itinerary for this reason, and it makes the trip much more adventurous and flexible.

What’s included

• All inclusive (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Soft/hot drinks)
• Marina and fuel fees
• All tender trips to and fro the boat
• Lifejacket
• All bedding (pillow, sheets & duvet) and wash towel
• Full crew plus tuition

What’s not included

• Alcohol
• Offshore sailing suits are available for hire (please let us know if you need more information when booking)
• Any flights
• Transit hotels
• Travel to and from the boat on the day of joining/leaving
• Travel insurance
• Sailing Insurance (Please read our Sailing Insurance page for more information)
• Crew tips
• Personal expenses

Travel insurance notes

As this is an active adventure holiday, we advise that everyone has the appropriate personal accident travel insurance whilst onboard in addition to standard travel insurance which would cover you in the time between making your booking and departing for your adventure. These policies can sometimes be combined so please check with your travel insurance provider.

Please read more information on our Insurance guidelines page.

This voyage will be more than 12miles offshore.

FAQ

• Are all meals included?

  Yes, all meals on board are included in the price. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and soft/hot drinks) Alcohol is not included.

• Can you cater for dietary needs?

  Yes, please let us know when making your booking.

• Do I need to tip the crew?

  Tips are not mandatory but are welcomed by the crew!

• What language is spoken on board?

  Dutch and English.

• What are the sleeping arrangements?

  Cherokee has two twin berth cabins and two double berth cabins for guests.

• How many toilet/showers does she have?

  Cherokee has two toilet/shower rooms.

• Are bedding & towels provided?

  Yes

• Is there an age limit?

  No!

• Do I need sailing experience?

  Not at all.

• Is there WIFI?

  No, but you should easily be able to reach 3G/4G from the shore.

• Can I charge my phone/Camera?

  Yes charging facilities are available when the generator is running.

• Are there life jackets provided?

  Yes

• Are Waterproofs provided?

  You can hire Sailing suits for £35 for the week.

• Will I be sea sick?

  Everyone reacts differently but we recommend if you are at all worried to take some medication 24 hours before departure.

Travel Planning

From: Wick, Scotland

To: Tørshavn, Faroe Islands

To see where the ports are, along with your likely sailing area, please view the sail area & highlights.

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Wick

BY RAIL:

You can travel by rail overnight on the Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston to Inverness. Inverness station is right in the town centre with easy travel links from the ScotRail mainline. For Wick from Inverness you will need to catch the Far North Line which is about a 4 hour 30 minute journey, runs 4 times a day during the week.

BY COACH:

You can travel by coach to Edinburgh or Glasgow from the rest of the UK with National Express and megabus. You will then need to change for Inverness onto a service operated by Scottish Citylink and from Inverness Bus Station you will need to catch the X99 bus to Wick.

BY AIR:

Direct flights go to Wick Airport (WIC) from Aberdeen (ABZ) with Eastern Airways. A flight to Aberdeen beforehand is very accessible with direct flights going from the following UK airports;

London Heathrow (LHR), Manchester (MAN), Belfast (BHD), Birmingham (BHX) and Bristol (BRS) with British Airways

Manchester (MAN), Belfast (BHD), Newcastle (NCL), Norwich (NWI), Bristol (BRS) and Durham (MME) with Loganair

Newcastle (NCL) and Kirmington (HUY) with Eastern Airways

Wick Airport (WIC) is then just 5 minute taxi ride to/from Wick itself.

Tørshavn

BY AIR:

Direct flights go to Edinburgh (EDI) with Atlantic Airways from Sorvagur (FAE) Airport.

Sorvagur (FAE) Airport is a 12 minute helicopter ride to Torshavn operated by Atlantic Airways, running 5 times a week. You can also get the 300 bus operated by Strandfaraskip running every 2 hours, which will take about an hour.