Capt. Scott, who retired from the Holland America Line in 2004 after 12 years in command in their Windstar fleet, succeeds the Princess Royal, HRH Princess Anne, who had been Master of the Company for the previous two years.

Capt Scott and his wife live in Ryde, on the Isle of Wight, but will be spending quite a lot of time in London during his year of office. Capt Scott – who also served as President of the Nautical Institute 2000-2002 and is a Younger Brother of Trinity House – gained his Master’s certificate while sailing with the Royal Mail Line. Transferring to Sealink in 1970, he was appointed to command passenger ferries serving France and the Channel Isles in 1975.
After the closure of these routes in 1986, various commands followed – including Sea Containers’ cruise ferry Orient Express and a season in the Arctic Ocean with the Trinity House research vessel Trinity Explorer. During a 37-year career in the Royal Naval Reserve, he reached the rank of Captain and was a specialist in amphibious warfare.