Painted in dazzling emerald green and bright scarlet, with a flat deck that glides round to offload its vehicles and passengers onto dry land, she is the romantic route over the sea to Skye.

For decades, the tiny but fierce MV Glenachulish has transported vehicles back and forth over the Kylerhea straits, offering visitors heading to and from Skye a more thrilling or soothing passage – weather dependent - than simply roaring over the bridge.

For Chris Main, the little ferry - the last of her kind, built in 1969 by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company in Troon and with a capacity for just six cars - was a precious slice of west coast life.

Not only was she soaked in maritime heritage, built to serve tiny west coast communities until one bridge after the next stole away her passengers, Chris realised that she possessed a charm and unique allure that simply had to be preserved.

One day, he believed, the little ferry – thought to be the world’s last manually operated turntable ferry - would enchant a new kind of traveller, one who preferred to journey a little slower, to savour the scenery, chat with the locals and immerse themselves in west coast life.

When the decision to remove tolls from the Skye bridge seemed to herald the end for the little Glenelg to Kylerhea ferry, he rallied the community to not only save the centuries-old crossing and the vessel but to tend to her aging Kelvin T6 engine and spruce her up with paint and polish so she would be a delightful compliment to the stunning scenery.

Job done, those who knew him best say his love affair with the little ferry continued: barely a day passed without Chris, wearing his trademark kilt and Skye Ferry sweater, on the slipway with his flask of soup, greeting passengers and admiring the sight of MV Glenachulish on her five minutes journey between Glenelg to Kylerhea.

Tied up for the whole of 2020 due to coronavirus, the ferry across the sea to Skye is now preparing to restart operations on 1 May.

READ MORE: Skye Bridge: 25 years since opening and tolls controversy

But it is a bittersweet return to work. For this season it will be without her biggest champion.

Chris, who by all accounts poured heart and soul into keeping the ferry afloat and helped pioneer a new kind of islands’ tourism and almost single-handedly put the area on the tourism map, died earlier this year.

“He was one of those people who seemed well known anywhere in the world,” says Jo Crawford, general manager of the Glenelg Skye Ferry. “His enthusiasm and work to keep the ferry running, maintained and restored was phenomenal. He was synonymous with the ferry and never seen without his Skye Ferry jumper.

“This season will be bitter-sweet, the ferry is his legacy.”

Indeed, without his determination, the little car ferry may well have ceased to operate two decades years ago, a move which would have surely dealt a fatal blow to the small Glenelg community.

More so, he pioneered a new era of Highland tourism. Having taken over the crumbling Glenelg Inn in 1985, he transformed it from a fire-ravaged Victorian wreck that had been derelict for four decades, introduced stylish rooms, an upscale restaurant, a superb collection of beer and whisky, and the first coffee machine in the Highlands.

At a time when touring the remote parts of the west coast could be a culture shock for travellers used to modern comforts, he helped inspire a new style of sophisticated yet authentic Highland welcome.

According to Jo, saving the ferry did not just save a 400-year-old ferry crossing which gained fame when mentioned in James Boswell's famous 1785 travelogue, The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, but it helped to save the small community too.

“It’s hard to overstate how important the ferry is to this tiny village on the edge of the west Highlands,” she says. “There’s a mountain path from the main road to Glenelg, it’s one way in and one way out, and if the ferry isn’t there, then people would not bother to come.

“That little corner of the village is dead when the ferry is not on. But when it is, it utterly changes the place.

READ MORE: Skye, Argyll hotels reopening next month

“In a normal season, the ferry handles 36,000 passengers and 14,000 cars. It is pivotal in terms of supporting the Glenelg Inn, the pub, the shop...”

For centuries little ferries criss-crossed narrow stretches of water that separated west coast communities, providing lifelines between the mainland.

The Ballachulish Ferry Company was established in the 1930s to cater for rising demand from vehicle owners. But as more bridges were built, the MV Glenchulish’s route changed several times.

By 1982 she was working the 600-yard crossing from Glenelg on the mainland to Kylerhea, the shortest sea crossing to Skye.

However, the opening of the Skye Bridge in 1995 transformed travel to the island. The decision to abolish the Skye Bridge tolls in 2004 was the signal for the Glenelg ferry’s private owner, Roddy MacLeod, to retire, and daily crossings from Easter to October appeared to be at an end.

“Like any village, people had different opinions,” says Jo. “One group thought we had to save this unique service, others thought there was no point because of the bridge.

“Chris said we have to keep it going. He was visionary in many ways, he felt this would absolutely work.

“He had experience of getting people to come here; he had created a Highland idyll in his premises, he knew people will come if you give them something unique and worth coming for.”

Convinced there was a market for unique and unusual experiences waiting to be tapped, locals launched the Isle of Skye Ferry Community Interest Company and applied for National Lottery and Highlands and Islands Enterprise funding.

“A massive amount of work needed to be done to the ferry,” adds Jo, “but Chris could see beyond that and money was raised to make sure she was restored.”

Passenger numbers were slow but the community held its nerve and launched a marketing drive that would do VisitScotland proud.

“They knew they had to market it, because you could drive to the Isle of Skye and it would not cost a penny,” she adds. “You could go over the sea to Skye from Mallaig on a big CalMac ferry. Why would people bother to go all the way down this hill to come here?

“We had to show people that what we have to offer is something they can’t get anywhere else.”

The experience of travelling on the last ferry of its kind wasn’t enough. So, the community set about highlighting the satisfaction that came with keeping centuries of tradition alive, the chance to follow in generations of footsteps and the breath-taking scenery.

“You could drop your camera on the slipway and still take a brilliant photo, it’s so utterly beautiful here,” adds Jo. “You can see sea eagles pretty much every day, otters, a billion seals and all sorts of bird life, dolphins, porpoises, we even see basking whales.

“We also see a lot of ferry nerds here who know their stuff. They tell us this is a unique vessel.”

Once a community of 4000 people before the Clearances, with a history dating back to the Vikings, Glenelg now has a population of 240. The ferry brings work for 15, including its first female – and youngest skipper – Isabelle Law, who became so infatuated with the ferry as a child, that she resolved to one day take its wheel.

Over the years around £200,000 has been spent restoring the ferry. Recently a new wheelhouse has been fitted, parts of the hull have been replaced and her precious engine overhauled. “She was looking in tip top condition, and 2020 was on course to be the first year that the company didn’t have major expense - we were looking to make a tidy profit,” recalls Jo.

But while the 52-year-old ferry was looking better than ever, Chris was fading. Colon cancer took its toll, and he died, aged 63, in January.

His children, daughter Poppy, and son Joss, faced with saying their goodbyes in an era of covid restrictions launched a JustGiving memorial page to raise some money in their father’s memory which could go towards supporting his beloved ferry.

In a few months, the figure has so far ballooned to £13,000, with messages from people around the world recalling meeting their father and how touched they were for his love for Glenelg and the ferry.

While in Glenelg, the community has agreed that the recently built shore station should carry the name of its most fervent supporter.

“It feels strange,” says Poppy. “My father was a big part of a lot of people’s lives. When I say I’m from Glenelg, people seem to know of it and know my dad.

“He thought Glenelg was magical, and that we needed to bring people here so they could fall in love with it too.

“And he thought the ferry was quite special, she was Scottish built and the last of her kind.

“He was absolutely passionate about the ferry. It will be different from now on.”