The brand new Glen Sannox ferry was finally in service on the operator’s busiest route It’s finally here. The ferry that had been under construction for what seemed like forever was on Monday carrying passengers at last - and was bright, comfortable and spacious with it.
I boarded the first official sailing of the Glen Sannox that left Troon harbour shortly before 7am for Brodick on Arran in an event so low key you’d imagine it was just a regular service.
Although CalMac had sneaked in an unannounced first sailing on Sunday, this debut scheduled run came with no fanfare, speeches or celebration, the operator apparently just keen to get down to business after being kept waiting for nearly seven years for a ferry that some thought would never turn up.
But while the construction fiasco at the Ferguson Marine shipyard has made images of the huge vessel commonplace, Monday’s crossing was the first chance to sample what CalMac’s chief executive Duncan Mackison has hailed as among the best ferry interiors in Europe.
Forget the notorious painted-on windows from the ship’s premature launch in 2017 - the ferry’s lounges now have views in all directions, along with from various vantage points on the two open decks.
There’s a memento of that infamous event, in the form of a plaque above one of the staircases that records that Nicola Sturgeon, the then First Minister, did the honours.
Inside Glen Sannox, there is both a sense of space - you can see 75 metres all the way along the main passenger deck - but also one of intimacy with a range of smaller, more private areas to sit.
These include several rows of comfortable semi-reclined seats above the bows to an enclosed room to one side with a sliding glass door.
Glen Sannox’s extra power and maneuverability came into own immediately, able to operate in the “fresh southerly wind” conditions, as it was described by the crew, which had grounded the route’s other vessel, the catamaran Alfred.
The ferry seemed to cope well with the slight swell that made some on board feel queasy - amid reports of several people reaching for the sickbags.
At times, you had to keep a hand on the nearest rail to steady yourself while moving around.
But the ship remained very quiet as it ploughed through the darkness, the only discernible creaking I heard coming from a ceiling panel in the entrance vestibule.
After all the construction delays at the Ferguson Marine shipyard and last-minute problems which forced the cancellation of a preview sailing, it all seems to have come right in the end - unless something else goes wrong.
I’m told all those late glitches, such as to the sewage system and mezzanine vehicle deck, have been fixed.
A CalMac ferry has probably never come under such scrutiny. Passenger service launches used to be routine - and the company will no doubt hope they will be once more, with three other large vessels due to join the fleet this year.
