Return journey gets under waypublished at 08:56 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Glen Sannox is now pulling away from Brodick harbour.
It should be back in Troon in about 75 minutes' time.
Summary
The long-delayed Glen Sannox ferry has completed its first official return journey between Troon and Brodick on the island of Arran
The ship's design and construction at the state-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard were mired in controversy
Glen Sannox was finally delivered to ferry operator CalMac in November 2024, nearly seven years late
Along with its sister ship Glen Rosa, the total of cost of more than £400m is more than four times the original contract price
CalMac CEO Duncan Mackison says there was a "big sigh of relief" at the completion of its first journey
MV Glen Sannox sets sail from Troon to Arran
Return journey gets under waypublished at 08:56 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Let's get ready to rumble...published at 08:50 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
There’s a rumble as the bow doors close.
The safety announcement about lifeboats and muster stations are coming over the Tannoy.
Glen Sannox is about to depart Brodick, bound for Troon on the second journey of the day.
Passengers board for return journeypublished at 08:41 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Calum Watson on board Glen Sannox
Job done. Glen Sannox has completed its first scheduled sailing to Brodick - and a long queue of vehicles is waiting to join the second on its return to Troon.
A quick catch-up as Glen Sannox arrives safely in Brodickpublished at 08:39 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
If you're just joining us, the Glen Sannox ferry has completed its first scheduled passenger voyage from Troon to the Isle of Arran.
The vessel arrived at Brodick shortly before 08:10.
It had started the 75-minute sailing from Troon harbour in South Ayrshire about 20 minutes after its scheduled departure time.
The ship - which was meant to be delivered almost seven years ago - is the first new large vessel to join the UK's largest ferry fleet in nearly a decade.
It follows years of controversy over the construction of the ship, which was millions of pounds over budget.
The first vehicles disembark from Glen Sannoxpublished at 08:30 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
It's been a long time coming, but the first trucks are disembarking from the Glen Sannox into Brodick on the Isle of Arran.
'There have been lots of lessons learned'published at 08:23 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Duncan Mackison, the CEO of ferry operator CalMac, has been speaking to BBC Scotland News about the saga of a decade to build the Glen Sannox and its sister ship Glen Rosa.
He says: "There's been lots of lessons learned, not just about the construction of the vessels and how best to do that, but also bringing them into service."
He tells the Good Morning Scotland programme he is optimistic this will help with the delivery of the Glen Rosa.
"I enjoy being on the vessel, I enjoy working with the crew, it's one of the positives for me in this role."
Glen Sannox joins its new partnerpublished at 08:19 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Calum Watson on board Glen Sannox
Glen Sannox pulls in alongside the catamaran Alfred which will be its partner on the Troon-Brodick route until late March.
Alfred has been chartered from Pentland Ferries in Orkney to boost capacity on the CalMac network as it waits for new vessels to be delivered
'It's a big day and good news for lots of people'published at 08:16 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Image caption, And the ferry arrives in Brodick
The Glen Sannox has arrived at Brodick carrying passengers for the first time in full service.
Duncan Mackison, the CEO of ferry operator CalMac, tells the Good Morning Scotland programme there's a "big sigh of relief".
"It's a big day and good news for lots of people."
Mackison says for the people of Arran this is a real positive because it means a modern large vessel with a lot of capacity is now in service, and perhaps more importantly this will be a more resilient vessel which can sail in more challenging conditions.
Glen Sannox arrives at Brodickpublished at 08:11 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Glen Sannox has now arrived at Brodick harbour on the Isle of Arran.
Making way for Glen Sannox at Brodick harbourpublished at 08:06 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Paul Ward
BBC Scotland News
Glen Sannox is now approaching Brodick harbour.
Earlier, the MV Isle of Arran moved out of its berth at the port around 07:30 to make way for the arrival of the Glen Sannox on its first scheduled run to the island.
The Isle of Arran ship is one of the oldest in the CalMac fleet and will now offer relief to other routes on the west coast network.
'I’m over the moon' - CalMac bosspublished at 08:04 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Image caption, CalMac boss Duncan Mackison is delighted to be on the deck of the Glen Sannox
CalMac boss Duncan Mackison has a big smile on his face as the ship powers on towards Brodick.
“I’m over the moon," he says.
"To get a big vessel like this into service is so important for us. We had a test sailing yesterday and we were really pleased.
"It’s rough weather today but all is going really well."
Is it a bit too choppy for a fried breakfast?published at 07:58 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
After the excitement of the departure, many passengers are settling down, waiting for dawn to break as they stare out the windows into the darkness.
There’s plenty of fried food on offer in the canteen but senior catering rating Iain thinks demand will pick up as the day progresses.
“I think a lot of people reckon it’s a bit choppy just now,” he says
Steady-ish as she goespublished at 07:54 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Passengers like Neil Ritchie are making good use of the handrails as the ship rolls in the windy conditions.
“There’s quite a lot of movement,” he says.
Modern ferries like Glen Sannox are equipped with fin-like stabilisers. but there’s always some discomfort in rough weather.
A lumpy day, as they say in the tradepublished at 07:46 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
David Henderson
BBC Scotland transport correspondent on board the Glen SannoxIf you'e just joining us, the first full day of operation of the long-awaited CalMac ferry Glen Sannox is well under way.
BBC Scotland's transport correspondent David Henderson is on board as the vessel approaches Arran and he tells the Good Morning Scotland programme the sailing seems to be going fine.
"It set off very slightly late as scheduled.
"The boat seems to be coping perfectly well," he adds.
He says it's quite a "lumpy day, as they say on the Firth of Clyde" with choppy conditions due to the weather.
Why is the ship sailing from Troon, not Ardrossan?published at 07:42 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Ardrossan in North Ayrshire is the closest mainland harbour to Arran, offering the shortest crossing.
The business case for Glen Sannox and its sister ship Glen Rosa said they were meant to fit existing infrastructure.
But after taking advice from consultants, CMAL decided to widen the ships, while the equipment to allow it to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other specifications meant they ended up being heavier than anticipated.
Ardrossan harbour is shallow and tricky to navigate, with a notorious handbrake turn required to berth.
Media caption, This hair-raising video of MV Caledonian Isles shows the skill required of CalMac masters when berthing at Ardrossan in rough weather
After berthing simulations using computers in Glasgow, it was decided it would be too risky to operate such big ships from the port unless the facilities were redeveloped.
A plan to remodel the privately-owned harbour was signed off by then Transport Minister Humza Yousaf in 2018 - but two years ago it was paused by Transport Scotland after concern about rising costs and how much public money would be required for the project.
Last week the boss of CMAL said he believed talks to revive the plan were "in the middle of nowhere".
So, for the foreseeable future, Glen Sannox will operate from Troon, about 25 miles further down the coast.
It means a longer journey time - one hour and 15 minutes compared with 50 minutes from Ardrossan - and there will be three daily sailings, rather than five normally offered from the closer port.
Start of a new dawn, say islanderspublished at 07:36 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Image caption, Kenny and Nicky Browne are among the first passengers to sail on Glen Sannox
On a windy January morning, well before dawn, Glen Sannox finally made the journey some had predicted would never happen.
The first scheduled sailing of the ship came more than seven years after it left the slipway of the Ferguson shipyard in Port Glasgow.
The weather that day in 2017 was remarkably similar, prompting the “lady sponsor” Nicola Sturgeon to remark this was precisely the kind of conditions the ship was built to withstand.
But few could have predicted the length of time it would take to finish the vessel, or the huge political storm that would soon engulf it.
The verdict of the first passengers who have had a chance to sail on Glen Sannox seems overwhelmingly positive.
For islanders who depend on ships like this, this ferry is long overdue but very welcome nonetheless.
Kenny and Nicky Browne have a house on Arran. The couple say they wanted to be on board today to celebrate the ship that everyone has waited so long for.
Mr Browne says: "We just wish the ship and everyone who sails on it good luck. Obviously the cost and everything hasn’t been good but we hope this is the start of a new dawn."
It seems it's never too early for a beerpublished at 07:29 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Many of the passengers are enjoying the, ahem, catering facilities on board. Well, if something's worth celebrating...
Why was Glen Sannox so hard to build?published at 07:22 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
Calum Watson
BBC Scotland NewsMedia caption, Watch: The Glen Sannox saga in two minutes
Glen Sannox is the second largest and the most complex vessel ever built for ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne.
But six years late and four times over budget, the project has been hugely controversial.
So how did this story unfold and why was this ship so hard to build?
'This has been a long, drawn-out saga'published at 07:17 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
David Henderson
BBC Scotland transport correspondent on board the Glen Sannox
"This was a day, as we know, that many people doubted would ever arrive," David Henderson tells the Good Morning Scotland programme.
"The construction of this vessel has been as difficult as it could be.
"We've had delays and a huge cost overrun, it's seven years late."
It has been a "long, drawn-out saga", he adds.
'We've waited a long time for this moment'published at 07:14 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January
David Henderson
BBC Scotland transport correspondent on board the Glen SannoxSo, finally, the Glen Sannox has departed with passengers on board.
BBC Scotland's transport correspondent David Henderson is on board he tells the Good Morning Scotland programme the weather conditions on the Firth of Clyde are not great this morning, "which might make things slightly challenging, but this is a powerful vessel and they hope that it will be able to cope with that".
"We've waited a long time for this moment and now here we are, we're on board the vessel. It feels just like a typical CalMac sailing," he adds.
"It's a hive of activity."