Weekend Magic – Da Voar Redd Up & Wildlife & Photography Noss Boat tours.

Da Voar Redd Up & The Noss Boat Wildlife & Photography Tours Weekend April – 2024

We had a fun weekend with both our Noss Boat Team beach clean-ups for Da Voar Redd Up and our wildlife & photography boat tours to Noss with a small break in the weather! There was a wonderful sense of community as we passed so many people on beaches and on the roads brandishing litter pickers and the large green collection bags. We filled 3 enormous bags on one small beach alone and what was clearly evident was that the vast majority of litter was rope & line from the fishing industry. This is something we also come across and remove from the ocean surface on a regular basis during our boat tours and we see hanging in great clumps from gannet nest sites. Other items included many plastic bottles, a shoe, sheep ear tags, cans and sea-worn sections of buoys. 

We also found a hand-full of eggcases (mermaid’s purses), a Starry Skate, several Small-spotted Catshark and Thornback Ray! These will be uploaded and recorded to the Shark Trust website for their ongoing highly successful eggcase recording scheme.

We have really enjoyed taking part in this award winning, community clean up weekend & are looking forward to taking part in the next organised one already whilst still beach-cleaning as and when we can throughout the year! 

“Da Voar Redd Up is the UK’s most successful community litter-picking event, with around 4,500 people (20% of Shetland’s population) volunteering each year. The Redd Up makes a huge contribution to the protection of Shetland’s natural environment and wildlife, clearing Shetland’s beaches, coastlines and roadsides of litter and the debris washed up by winter storms.

We also enjoyed sharing the delights of Noss with with our famous Noss Boat tours over the weekend during a break in the weather – So elated to be back out on the water sharing the wonders of Shetlands incredible natural marine environment with guests from all over the world, this weekend, Australia, Germany and Italy and closer to home some passengers from here on the Isles. Hope you will be joining us this season to experience the breathtaking seabirds around Noss, a true highlight of many holidays on Shetland!

 

NOSS BOAT – EUGY STOCKISTS – Eco-friendly 3D cardboard crafts for 2024

We are delighted to become a EUGY stockist for the 2024 season, both in our onboard THE NOSS BOAT Seabird Gallery shop & in our Ortolan House Bed & Breakfast shop. We are big fans of these wonderful products & can see why EUGY have become an extremely successful business since their launch in 2019. We are stocking PUFFIN, ORCA & SHEEP while stocks last for the 2024 season – check out our Etsy shop! These 100% eco-friendly products are a superb addition to our original Noss Boat eco-shop range. Read all about their story here & more about the products we have for sale here on Shetland.

Eugy sales set to exceed £10m by 2024

“Since launching in 2019, the eco-friendly craft brand Eugy has steadily grown in popularity with retail sales, in the UK & ROI, due to surpass £10 million by the end of the year. Now instantly recognisable among consumers, Eugy’s longevity as a staple collectible looks promising thanks to new SKUs consistently added to the range.

Eugy was created by New Zealand manufacturer Dodoland and more specifically the brainchild of the company’s founder Hoon Kim. Hoon set about creating a sustainable 3D cardboard animal puzzle which connects people to nature and the wild, following a trek to Mount Everest base camp where he saw piles of plastic waste left behind for decades to decompose.

The UK Eugy range now features 58 models with four unique Christmas Eugys. From parrots and penguins to platypus and ptero, there are lots of Eugy animals to collect and create by following a simple number sequence to build a 3D model made from environmentally friendly, FSC accredited card.

Nick Saunders, sales & marketing director at Eugy, commented: “As a company which creates its own brand products, we always look to work with partners who share the same goals and ethos. The team at Dodoland have created something completely unique with Eugy that captures the imagination of everyone who comes across it. The sales have been phenomenal, and we love seeing how our retailers are capitalising on the craze themselves. Thanks to its price point, eco-creds and all-important collectability factor, it crosses multiple retail channels and we are staggered by the response to it year on year.”

New Eugy models will be launched in September and will include the bat and badger, followed by puffin and stingray in October.

Nick added: “Everyone is looking to make more sustainable choices and we think it is important consumers can also be assured that purchasing a Eugy is not just an eco-friendly choice but money from sales of many of the models such as the elephant and gorilla support various wildlife charities around the globe.” Toyworld Business Magazine Sept’23

 

THE NOSS BOAT – Sponsored by Opticron – Binoculars for All

We are thrilled to have The Noss Boat sponsored by Opticron again this season, who, since the Spring, have embellished our new Noss Boat upholstered seating with a pair of their wonderful binoculars in every front pocket, so that every one of our thousands of passengers we welcome aboard each year, has the opportunity to ‘get close & personal’ with Shetland’s marine wildlife. We understand that not everyone is an ornithologist or keen naturalist with their own binoculars to hand, so we are delighted to give everyone aboard, young, old, experienced or novice, the opportunity to handle & use these lightweight, clear, bright & sharp optics to heighten their Noss Boat wildlife boat experience with us. Opticron have supported us since our first season  – Do check them & their range of optics out!

THANK YOU OPTICRON – Phil & Rebecca SST

  Adventurer II WP 8×32

Adventurer II WP roof prism binoculars offer the first-time and casual user of optics terrific quality and value for money. Suitable for all types of general and wildlife observation, the models deliver bright, clear images with full field of view for spectacle wearers. Nitrogen waterproof and finished in quality textured rubber armour, the binoculars are well balanced in the hand and incorporate BAK4 roof prisms and fully multi-coated lenses. A great choice for anyone wanting a sturdy and reliable binocular with sound handling and a high standard of fit and finish.

Features

  • Roof prism design finished in textured rubber armour
  • Nitrogen waterproof construction
  • Fully multi-coated optical system
  • Long eye relief eyepieces for spectacle wearers
  • Twist-type retractable eyecups
  • Wide band focusing
  • Tripod adapter socket

Sea Watching

The study of sea-going creatures requires patience and sometimes a good deal of luck! When that special moment occurs – a whale breaching or a pod of dolphins appears ship-side – make sure you have the right equipment to get a close up view.

Birdwatching

Opticron products have been chosen to meet the needs of birdwatchers of all abilities and types. See their website for their range and choice based on your budget or basic specification requirements.

 

“Founded in the UK in 1970, Opticron is a family-owned business with over forty years experience in consumer optics. In that time we have met and exceeded the demands of tens of thousands of enthusiasts and occasional users looking for a pair of high quality affordable binoculars, a telescope or an accessory to help them pursue their pastime, hobby or obsession!

We continue to specialise in delivering the best solution to wildlife enthusiasts irrespective of age, budget or experience. We aim to provide the very best mix of quality, choice and value backed up with customer service worth the name.

The company’s maxim “smaller, lighter, brighter, sharper” is the driving force behind the compact and lightweight equipment on offer. Designed and engineered to meet the varied demands of often highly discriminating customers who really use their equipment, we also try to offer a wide range of individual models and model variants to ensure people get to own the very best instrument suited to them.

Quality and value are two factors critical to the success of our business. Both have been developed and are maintained in partnership with a small number of trusted manufacturers. The benefits of these relationships are best seen in the optical performance of the equipment, the prices and guarantees offered and the value for money which we believe is second to none.

Innovation is a key part of our philosophy – bringing new and better solutions to our customers as they demand more and different things from their equipment. One of the first companies outside Europe’s ‘big three’ to launch an internally focused, 2m close focus roof prism binocular in 1995, we were a forerunner in the development of the Travelscope (a high quality interchangeable eyepiece spottingscope that meant larger scopes could be left at home), and we offer the widest range of quality full-size field monoculars of any company in the business” Opticron About Us – Website