Articles

This section is used to present special features and interviews and further information about, and photographs from, special events and activities. These may be from Club events or simply special days, sailings or experiences from members.
Please consider contributing something from your days of sailing on the Clyde, or anywhere else around the British Coast.  You don’t have to write pages of information; just a few photographs and some short notes can be formed into an article which will be of interest to website visitors.
Contact info@crsc.org.uk if you have material to submit or wish more information.
Click on the links below to access further details.
A tour of Loch Seaforth
Magazine Editor Andrew Clark was invited aboard to see around the new ship Magazine Editor Andrew Clark reports on a traditional day out aboard Waverley

2014 Series

Ship Talk 1 – Andy O’Brian Ship Talk 2 – Andrew Duncan Ship Talk 3 – Donald McKelvie
Andy O’Brian, Senior Master of Waverley, talks to Andrew Clark about his background, his career path and the challenges of commanding the “Last Seagoing Paddle Steamer” in the world.
Director of vessels for Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, Andrew Duncan, talks to Andrew Clark about the key responsibilities of his role and particularly the challenges in delivering the new Stornoway ferry.
Donald McKelvie began his CalMac career 25 years
ago as a deck-hand on the Lochranza-Claonaig crossing. Now he helps to induct fellow
skippers on the company’s new ‘hybrid’ ferries
Ship Talk 4 – John Gunn Ship Talk 5 – Kenny Morrison Ship Talk – 6 – Kathleen O’Neill
John Gunn began his career as a catering boy on the 1964 Hebrides. He retired 50 years later, on April 2 this year, as onboard service manager of Isle of Lewis
Kenny Morrison is the longest-serving skipper on CalMac’s Sound of Harris ferry

 

Kathleen O’Neill is chief executive of Waverley Excursions Ltd

2013 Series

CalMac@40 — Part One
CalMac@40 — Part Two
CalMac@40 — Part Three



To mark the 40th anniversary of CalMac’s formation in 1973, Martin Dorchester talks about the challenges facing the company — including the competitive tendering process devised by the Scottish Government for a new ferry contract in 2016.

 

In the second of a series of articles marking CalMac’s 40th anniversary, Guy Platten talks about CMAL’s investment plans.  Since its formation by the Scottish government in 2006, the company has been the owner of Clyde and Hebridean ferries and piers, which it leases to an operating company, CalMac Ferries Ltd.

 

The third in the series of articles marking CalMac’s 40th anniversary looks at the early years of CalMac and in particular, the influence of the company’s first General Manager, John Whittle.  The integration of The Caledonian Steam Packet Company and David MacBrayne Ltd into a single company brought many challenges.
CalMac@40 — Part Four Western Ferries – 2013
Ian McCrorie traces Caledonian MacBrayne’s development from a poorly
resourced merger-of-parts in 1973 to the highly integrated ferry company we
know today
John Newth provides an insight to the developments within Western Ferries and the building and introduction of their latest two ferries, SOUND of SEIL and SOUND of SOAY

Miscellaneous Articles

14 Ships in a Day “8 Days – A (Rover) Week”

Melrose Mastermind

Eric Schofield set himself an ambitious target on 29th July 2011 when he set out to sail on 14 ships in one day – can YOU do better?
Click on the image above to see a PDF version of his schedule or click on the red text to see the ships
In 2012 Club Member, John Park, fulfilled a long held ambition of “bagging” as many islands as possible in 8 days, with a CalMac rover ticket.

Click on the image above to follow the report of his highly successful trip, in words and pictures.

In June 2013 Club Secretary Eric Schofield, with the help of several other Club members, responded to an urgent appeal for suitable questions for a Mastermind event as part the Borders Book Festival

 

Click on the image above to read a report from the event.

 

Steam tug Portwey
Charles McCrossan managed to get a trip on this fine little Clyde Built Steam powered vessel on the Thames
Click on the image above to see the report, in words and pictures, of this highly enjoyable day out.