When the Scottish Transport Group was established and services on the Clyde and the Western Isles were brought under its control a major programme of change was instituted. The two companies, Caledonian Steam Packet Co. Ltd on the Clyde and David MacBrayne in the Western Isles were soon merged into one entity and a vigorous programme of modernisation to accommodate the rapidly rising demand for car access to remoter parts of the Firth and Isles embarked upon.

John Whittle was brought in as General Manager of the CSP in 1969 and became deputy chairman of the merged company and was therefore personally responsible for transforming services, especially on the Clyde to what is now a highly-efficient ferry service. Unfortunately this left little space for the traditional excursion steamer and the last of these was withdrawn after the 1977 season. Whittle was, famously, the man who "sold" the Waverley for a pound in 1974 and although it was never expected at the time, saved the tradition of Clyde Cruising.

Whittle's expert knowlege has contributed greatly to this fascinating book