Saturday 8 March 2025 was an auspicious day for the Clyde River Steamer Club: it was our first ever trip aboard the new Arran ferry Glen Sannox. How did the day go? Here Stuart Craig tries to sum it up.
Glen Sannox at Troon awaits her contingent of CRSC excursionists
My goodness, it seems so long since we had a CRSC excursion, let alone one on a new ship. But Saturday 8 March was the date set for club members and friends to step aboard the long-awaited Glen Sannox for a wee sail to Arran.
With CalMac having the vexatious inconvenience of trying to run a ferry service with a paucity of vessels it wouldn’t have been well accepted if their disruption pages had announced “… all services to Arran have been cancelled today because the Clyde River Steamer Club are having a jaunt around the Isle of Arran.” And so our CRSC day-out took the form of a Nominated Excursion from Troon to Brodick, with the option of coming straight back on Glen Sannox or staying ashore for the next sailing back to Troon by Alfred.
Walking the half-mile from the car to the ship on this sunny morning, and trying to get there before the shuttle bus overtook me, I wondered just how many CRSC folk would turn up. As tickets had to be purchased direct from CalMac there was no way of knowing. Would the group photo just be a selfie of myself?
Arriving eventually at the side of the ship I was first struck by the simple metal gangway which gave passenger access to Glen Sannox. What a great, simple innovation! Maybe it will catch on, and then we can see the back of those delinquent cantilevered air-bridges that have appeared on various piers! (The previous week I had sailed to Brodick aboard Isle of Arran, and after trying to connect the Brodick air-bridge to the ship for ten minutes it was announced that we should just exit by the car deck).
The ship was busy and reassuringly well populated with familiar faces. Even the sun put in an appearance. Off we sailed right on time onto a glassy sea. When did the CRSC last have an excursion departing from Troon, I asked myself? And not getting an answer, I put the question to my fellow enthusiasts. None of whom knew either.
CalMac’s Operations Director Robert Morrison was on board to greet us – which was jolly decent of him – and he endeared himself even more by announcing, to our collective delight, that bridge visits would be possible during the voyage. To this end small groups were greeted by the very congenial Captain Tobias Sogl and led up flights of stairs and along carpeted passageways to his realm. Not only did the skipper resemble John Tracy from Thunderbird Five but his bridge looked like something from that very satellite. Enormous, spacy and neat, the bridge is so big that a game of football could be held in it.
Captain Tobias Sogl, seen on the bridge with Robin Copland and CalMac Operations Director Robert Morrison
Glen Sannox had departed Troon using liquefied natural gas (LNG) but was in the process of switching to diesel. Some wag in our group asked “… has the pilot light gone oot?” But it seemed that the gas tanks were nearly empty.
On my visit Glen Sannox was running at 15.9 knots with her fins inboard; that I’m afraid that is as much technical info that I can provide.
At Brodick the cantankerous air-bridge was eventually mated with the ship and off we went, each to find their own favoured spot from which to photograph the ship. Some stayed ashore for a later sailing but many of our 30-strong group re-boarded for the return, including one member who had travelled up from Cheshire especially for the trip.
An excellent description of Glen Sannox by Cameron Wilson has already appeared on these web pages (here), but I want to give my own personal opinion on her. I think she is a fine-looking ship, and that she will settle down to be much loved by the good, patient folk of Arran and the visitors who will sail on her. But it is a great shame that there is no forward open deck (a design feature in danger of extinction nowadays) on a ship that sails to Arran, although she does have plenty of deck seating, and a covered one on the lower passenger deck, which will be ideal on the rare days when it rains on the lower firth.
The lack of vibration, especially forward in her café lounge, was quite extraordinary. Her crew were all smart, efficient and friendly. I like the signage for the ‘orange lift’, the ‘purple stairs’, but it would have been nice to have the different lounge areas broken up into different colour schemes instead of the ubiquitous teak-effect panelling which dominates. Getting out onto the open deck seemed overly tricky, with one having to open a sliding metal door into an ‘airlock’ by means of a Father Ted style big button, and then a very heavy deck door needing to be hauled. But then I realised that I could access the deck via the orange lift, which has one comically emerging into the fresh air from the funnel.
CRSC members Robin Copland, Andy Anderson and Donald Stirling enjoying the open space aboard Glen Sannox
CalMac’s Robert Morrison with Deryk Docherty and Neil Guthrie on the bridge
Despite losing his camera, Stuart Craig did manage to capture this view of Glen Sannox alongside at Brodick
How about joining CRSC? You can do so for just £15 by clicking here — and you’ll receive all the benefits, including our annual Review of west coast ship movements, a 56-page colour magazine, discounts on special cruises, and access to photo-rich ‘members only’ posts. Questions? Email info@crsc.org.uk
Published on 11 March 2025