About us

On 28 August 2022 an estimated 85 CRSC members joined Waverley’s end-of-season cruise to Ardnagal Pier, opposite Arrochar at the head of Loch Long, and the majority are pictured in this celebratory group photo — including Captain Dominic McCall (far left) and WEL general manager Paul Semple (next but one to the right). In the words of Walter Bowie (in red anorak, front row towards the right of picture), who first served as assistant purser on Waverley 57 years ago, ‘The day was just perfect in so many ways. There were so many people mixing and the CRSC 90th anniversary showed the true object of the Club.’ The excursion attracted members from far afield, including from the south of England, Yorkshire and the Lake District

CRSC brings together everyone with an interest in Scottish shipping.

Our monthly meetings in Glasgow are addressed by a variety of speakers from the shipping and enthusiast world. You can attend in person or view the talks online at a time of your own choosing. Details are given on the home page of this website.

We also organise special excursions, often involving unusual itineraries.

Each year we produce two highly prized publications, Clyde Steamers and Review, which are issued free to members.

Our digital archive, comprising hundreds of unique and rare photographs, can be accessed through ‘members only’ posts on this website.

To join CRSC and get all the benefits, please click here.

CRSC was founded in 1932, when the Clyde teemed with shipyards and paddle steamers. Today we focus on the fleet of car ferries and passenger ships around the British coast, especially on the west of Scotland. We are currently celebrating our 90th anniversary.

Uniting past and present is the Club’s unchanging purpose — to create opportunities for enthusiasts to meet, sail and talk together.

A list of officeholders can be found further down this page.

If you have any questions about CRSC, please drop an email to info@crsc.org.uk

Review 2021 runs to 78 pages and is copiously illustrated. It gives a comprehensive summary of fleet activity throughout the year, documenting how the pandemic affected sailings

The front cover of the 2023 edition of Clyde Steamers features John Huggins’ photo of MV Coruisk. The theme of the 54-page magazine is CalMac’s half-century

Covers of Review 2015

Like previous editions (pictured), the latest Review has everything you might want to know about shipping activity on the west of Scotland throughout the year

TS King George V graced the front cover of the 2019 Clyde Steamers

The front cover of the 2018 Clyde Steamers featured MV Lord of the Isles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CRSC officeholders 2023-24

Officeholders are elected by paid-up members at the Club’s Annual General Meeting. The following officeholders were approved at the April 2023 AGM.

President: Robin Copland

Vice-President: Jim Stirling

Honorary Secretary: Carrie MacKinnon

Honorary Treasurer and Curator: William Tomlinson

Membership Secretary: Stuart Craig

Cruising Coordinator: Neil Guthrie

Review Editor: Douglas Allan

Magazine Editor: Andrew Clark

Members of management committee: Eric Schofield, Allan Smith

Honorary Auditor: Graeme Hogg

Lure of the Hebrides: CRSC excursionists on the top deck of MV Isle of Arran on Sunday 23 April 2023, shortly before leaving Kennacraig and heading down West Loch Tarbert for open sea and the crossing to Port Askaig

Our nominated excursion to Arran on 10 April 2022 was supported by about 25 members and friends — not all of whom were present for this group photo on the pedestrianised causeway of the old Brodick linkspan. The atmosphere was convivial and the chat plentiful — echoing everyone’s appreciation of the fact that, after two years of the pandemic, we could enjoy being out on the water again together

During the CRSC Round Arran charter of MV Isle of Arran on 18 January 2020, Captain Jay Shibel welcomed Club members onto the bridge, including Sandra Hay (left) and Iain and Carrie MacKinnon (right)

An image of the MacBrayne turbine King George V shown by Eric Schofield at his January 2021 Zoom presentation

A screenshot from John McNulty’s Zoom presentation on 10 March 2021, showing his magnificently lifelike model of Jeanie Deans

Robert Morrison, CalMac Director of Operations (right), gave a candid and good-humoured assessment of fleet prospects in his March 2023 presentation to CRSC in Glasgow. Applause at the end of the meeting was led by CRSC Vice-President Jim Stirling (left)

During our excursion to Islay on Finlaggan in October 2018, Captain Callan Sloan was pictured engaging with one of the groups of CRSC members invited up to the ship’s bridge. We were also given a tour of the engine room

In January 2019 CRSC chartered CalMac ferry Isle of Arran for a midwinter cruise round Ailsa Craig. The excursion was a huge success, with more than 240 people taking part, many of them enjoying a bridge visit as the ship neared our destination

Another view of CRSC’s hugely successful charter of MV Isle of Arran in January 2019. The closer the ship came, the greater the fever of anticipation: CRSC’s charter was the first time a modern CalMac ferry had given a public sailing round Ailsa Craig. Isle of Arran sailed clockwise and anti-clockwise round the isolated granite island, and gave a spectacular demonstration of ‘turning on a sixpence’ off the lighthouse. We were really lucky with the weather: the waters were remarkably calm

Jeanie Deans, Queen Mary II and Duchess of Montrose at Rothesay in 1938 — one of many enthralling images shown by Iain Quinn at CRSC’s AGM on 21 April 2021. During the pandemic the Club held a series of meetings by online Zoom video conferencing, enabling the attendance of a much wider geographical spread of members than usual

Catch up with CRSC’s latest news and reports by clicking here.