The Majestic Line is a specialist small ship cruise line in Argyll and the Hebrides, well-known for its beautifully converted fishing vessels, Glen Massan and Glen Tarsan, which take 11 guests in the style of a country house party. This is most certainly the case where small is beautiful.
After 12 years of most successfully taking guests around the lochs and inland seas of the west coast of Scotland, the time had come to build another ship, this time from scratch! Andy Thoms, who runs the company and is a skipper too, is very proud of the latest member of the fleet, Glen Etive. She is a beautiful ship, built in the style of a gentleman’s yacht, in which many local companies and individuals have been involved with, from the design to the final painting and decorating. On 5 April at Holy Loch Marina, decorated with bunting and flags, brass fittings polished and gleaming, accompanied by her sister ships, Glen Etive arrived, to much excitement from those on the quayside.
She was named by actor, Barbara Rafferty, who has sailed with the Majestic Line and whose father worked in the ship yards, in the days when Scotland was employing thousands in this industry. Traditionally, on naming a ship, hats and caps were thrown in the air, amid cheers, to celebrate; a gesture Barbara carried on when she named Glen Etive, in addition to pouring a dram of malt over the hull. Guests were piped on board to see the finished ship, the result of so many local specialists working together.
Glen Etive’s maiden voyage took her to the Isle of Skye, the Outer Hebrides and St Kilda for 10 days: places of great beauty, stunning from sea and replete with birds and wildlife. She’ll be undertaking these longer itineraries whilst, Glen Massan and Glen Tarsan host cruises of 3 and 6 days.
You may find interesting:
- How to be build a ship from scratch
- Steve Newman travels with the Majestic Line
- Glen Etive and new cruises to the Hebrides
