'We’ve poured our experience and passion into this project': Husband-and-wife duo launch £1.5m state-of-the-art tour vessel, creating jobs and boosting Northern Ireland tourism

Northern Ireland firm Kintra Boat Tours has just launched its new state-of-the-art passenger vessel named SELKIE.

Docked in Ballycastle Harbour, SELKIE marks a £1.5m million investment by the company, creating four new jobs over the next five years.

Licensed to carry 110 passengers all year round, SELKIE is the largest passenger-only vessel on the north coast, and it will play an important role in the future development of tourism in the local area.

Headed up by husband-and-wife team, Charles Stewart and Dawn Hynes, Kintra Boat Tours was established in 2020. In 2022, the company launched Kintra II, an 84-passenger vessel, which joined Kintra , the company’s first vessel, providing sightseeing and wildlife tours along the beautiful north coast.

In early 2023, Kintra was appointed as the new operator of the Ballycastle-Rathlin ferry route, operating ‘Spirit of Rathlin’ – a 105T cargo and passenger ferry.

Co-owner and boatmaster of Kintra Boat Tours, Charles said: “The arrival of SELKIE is a proud moment for us and a major step forward for tourism on the north coast. We have one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, and SELKIE gives us additional capacity to ensure that as many people as possible will be able to enjoy the beauty from the sea.

“This vessel allows us to welcome more visitors year-round, while also creating new jobs and opportunities here in Ballycastle. We’ve poured our experience and passion into this project, and we’re excited to see SELKIE set sail ahead of the summer season.”

Dawn Hynes, boatmaster, and co-director at Kintra Boat Tours, added: “We commissioned SELKIE back in 2022 and today really is a proud milestone, not just for our team but for the entire Ballycastle and north coast communities.

“SELKIE is a Scottish term that’s often found in the folklore of Scotland, but it’s also a reference to ‘seals’, which seems particularly appropriate as for many years, we’ve shared the north coast seas with a pod of seals that often make an appearance to the delight of our guests onboard.”

Kintra Boat Tours offers a range of excursions including puffins, seals and Lighthouses Tour, Carrick-a-Rede Island and Kinbane Castle Tur and Great Lighthouses of Rathlin.