Thursday, 12 January 2023
Our Green Journey began back in 2004 when the Majestic Line’s owners, Andy Thoms and Ken Grant, started the company by converting a decommissioned Irish fishing trawler into a bespoke small cruise ship. They wanted to share their love of the west coast of Scotland in the best way they knew how, by boat. Using local craftsmen and Andy’s architectural skills, Glen Massan was lovingly converted to accommodate 11 guests in 6 ensuite cabins and showcase the stunning islands and lochs of South Argyll. In 2007, her sister ship Glen Tarsan was converted from another wooden hulled fishing trawler destined for the chop to the same high standards.
Demand for small ship cruising with amazing hospitality, ensuite cabins and gourmet Scottish food was so great that another two vessels were brought into The Majestic Line family. Unfortunately, there were no more Irish fishing vessels to convert so to carry on their sustainability ethos, Glen Etive and Glen Shiel were designed by Andy and built at Ardmaleish Boatyard, a local boat building company on the Isle of Bute. This not only contributed to the local economy by using local tradesmen from the island, it was also a boost for the community to see fabulous steel hulled ships being built which would then bring guests into the area.
We are passionate about the west coast of Scotland, its seas and coast, communities and islands. Our itineraries are designed to support the island communities by bringing people to these undiscovered hidden gems. As our mission is to provide authentic local experiences for our guests, achieving a score of 100% in this section from Green Tourism is a wonderful boost.
Food and drink are one of the main highlights on our cruises. We are committed to sourcing and using Scottish local produce. Our chefs love using fresh seasonal produce including shellfish, venison, beef and lamb. We will be introducing a zero-waste dish this season and these will be highlighted on our social channels. We are delighted to have achieved a score of 100% in this section from Green Tourism highlighting the excellent range of food and drink options available to our guests.
All of our crew are trained in sustainability practices and are Wise scheme trained in the responsible Marine Wildlife Watching Code. We also ask our staff and crew to tell us about any sustainability ideas as we want to continually improve our sustainable practices.
Knowing that water is a valuable resource, from the beginning all of our small ships have produced their own water by desalination of sea water.
We always recommend to our guests to travel as environmentally friendly as possible and when onboard to use our coastal walks as a way to be more carbon friendly. We ask them to support local businesses like we do and to recycle and dispose of waste appropriately.
Our sustainable journey will continue and we look forward to letting you know about it in future blogs.
Now that we are finally back in Jersey we would like to thank you all for the Mull Inlets and Islets cruise the week before last. Unfortunately the weather didn't play ball but we had a great week nonetheless. The crew were superb and whilst not wishing to single out anyone in particular, special thanks to Will for feeding us so well. Captain Peter made the best itinerary he could, despite the wind and swell offshore, and found some really sheltered anchorages each night. Excursions were a bit damp some days and a new pair of waterproof trousers is on the shopping list, although this didn't spoil the enjoyment! As a group of passengers we really "gelled" and we made some good new acquaintances. It is so much better being in a small group. Having such a good week we wouldn't hesitate to recommend one of your cruises. We enjoyed it so much we have booked for next year!