At around 11:50am each morning in the season, a familiar silhouette appears on the horizon. For decades, the echo of a ship’s whistle across the islands meant one thing: the arrival of Scillonian III.
For Andrew Walder, a St Martin’s resident, and Isles of Scilly Steamship Group board member, that sound has been woven into his daily life.
“You’d often hear the ship’s whistle before you saw her. If you weren’t wearing a watch, that sound told you it was nearly lunch time!”
Now, as both the Scillonian III and freight vessel Gry Maritha prepare to depart after nearly 80 years of combined service, Andrew reflects on the role these vessels have played as an essential lifeline to the Isles of Scilly.
From childhood memories on the bridge, to a career at sea, to businesses built around island logistics, Scillonian III and Gry Maritha have been constant companions for generations of islanders.
A childhood moment on Scillonian III
Andrew’s connection to Scillonian III began early.
“I must have been five or six years old, and my uncle was training as a radio officer, and I got taken up to the bridge. I still remember it – the captain’s chair, the big wheel, looking out over the bow. It felt like such a privilege.
“I think that visit sparked something; as I ended up joining the merchant navy and spending 15 years at sea!”
Years later, that early fascination came full circle when Andrew returned to Scillonian III but this time not as a child or a passenger, but as a trainee.
“I asked if I could come aboard as a cadet while I was waiting for a placement on a deep-sea vessel. They said yes, and I spent weeks going back and forth on Scillonian III. Seeing it from the other side was a fantastic experience.”
Andrew then spent a decade and a half at sea, much of that time he was aboard the British Antarctic Survey vessel RRS Sir Ernest Shackleton, but Scillonian III remained significant.
“That last leg of the journey always felt special. It meant you were nearly back home.”
Gry Maritha
While Scillonian III is the more public face of travel to the Isles of Scilly, Andrew highlights the vital role of the Steamship Group’s freight vessel, Gry Maritha.
“The Scillonian is what people see, but the Gry is what makes life possible.”
Gry Maritha has been the backbone of island supply for decades. She has delivered everything from food and fuel to building materials and bottles for Andrew’s rum distillery business, SC Dogs.
“The rhythm of business here is set by the tide and the Gry’s timetable. If I’m sending rum to the mainland, the first thing I do is check when she’s sailing – then work everything backwards from that.”
Gry Maritha brings freight from Penzance to St Mary’s. The Lyonesse Lady, a smaller inter-island freight vessel, then distributes it onward to the off-islands.
“It’s all interconnected. If the Gry doesn’t bring it, the Lyonesse can’t deliver it.”
Working lives shaped by one ship
Scillonian III has been a constant across every chapter of Andrew’s life. As a child, it was family holidays. As a student, it was term time travel. As a cadet, a training ground. And later, working on St Martin’s boat services, she became the centrepiece of busy summer days.
“We’d be loading luggage straight off her onto tripper boats. They would be chains of people passing bags, unloading, going back for another sailing. Your whole day revolved around her timetable.”
The people behind the vessels
“We put a lot of emotion onto the vessels themselves but they’re inanimate. It’s the people who bring them to life.”
Captains, crews, engineers, catering teams – hundreds of individuals over five decades have kept Scillonian III and Gry Maritha running.
Andrew has produced a commemorative rum as part of the Scillonian III merchandise range.
“On the bottle tag, we’ve included a small booklet that lists the captains over the years, but really, it could be a whole book of everyone who’s served.”
Saying goodbye
“I’ll be sad to see Scillonian III go. That silhouette is so familiar. It’s part of the landscape. But she’s served us for a very long time and deserves a rest.”
The arrival of new vessels, Scillonian IV and Menawethan, promises the continuation of a reliable and vital lifeline service.
“It’ll take time to build the same affection, which doesn’t happen overnight. But that connection will grow.”
Menawethan will join the Isles of Scilly Freight fleet this summer and Scillonian IV will begin operating in spring 2027.