The Loch Ness by Jacobite Team is made up of passionate and enthusiastic people. The combination of tradition and modern are the perfect elements for the creation of a wonderful team. Something, that we are not only confident we have but proud to say we are.
First on the list of the wonderful and inspiring bunch that fall into the category of “young” is that of our Business Development / Entrepreneur / Director / All-round-good-guy – Robbie Rapson.
It’s been one hell-of-a-summer for Robbie, as March 26th, 2018 seen the launch of the Beastie Boats, the high-speed thrill ride on Loch Ness – perfect for any adrenaline junkie!
The success was imminent, so we had a few questions for the brains behind the Beastie Boats and here’s what he had to say…
What would you say to anyone who wants to start their own company?
Talk to everyone you can! It really was surprising how much time people will give you to talk if you have an idea, even if they are in the same industry. You can then form your own opinions and ideas from there.
What was your inspiration to starting up “The Beastie Boats”?
I wanted to learn how to run my own business and try to make a success of it. That could have been in anything. The opportunity came up to try and do something special on Loch Ness, and it took me a long time to decide to do it. Through research it became apparent that people nowadays are searching for much more authentic experiences when they travel, and I felt I would be able to bring out the best of this beautiful part of the world. I am not going to lie the initial plan wasn’t to be the person steering the ship on the water as well as off it!
How did you come up with the name “the Beastie Boats”?
Through a lot of conversations again, I wanted the name to be fun, and give off the personality of what I was trying to provide. Willie Cameron helped, along with a lot of friends (some who told me it was rubbish). It has a few different meanings (the monster, the size of the engines, a love of music and play on The Beastie Boys). The final obscurity is why have I called it Boats when it should just be boat, and that is because I am hopeful it will continue to grow!
What was your favourite subject when you were at school?
Ancient History, learning about Ancient Greeks & Romans. Strange one, but the teacher I had for it is one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life and he was like a Father to me for the 6 years I was at school. I owe him a lot.
What was your worst?
Maths, I used to be great and as soon as algebra came in to the curriculum I was useless. Luckily, I can count to 12 though.
If you were stuck on a desert island, what 5 things would you want with you?
My phone so that I could tell somebody. And then enough pizza to make it through the next few days until somebody came!
[it was at this moment, question 5 became apparent – albeit we’re not too sure if he can count to 12!!]
If you were an animal, what would you be?
A Lion, they are majestic. A male Lion sleeps for 20 hours a day and that is just the dream right now after finishing the season.
Finally – What can we expect from Beastie Boats in 2019?
Hopefully, we will continue to provide the best experience on Loch Ness that we can. So, the exact same, just a little different!
And wall-ah! There we have it, a Q&A with our Robbie! It really has been superb to watch the growth of The Beastie Boats – a tremendous first summer. So, whatever you have planned for 2019, we know you are going to blow it out the water (not literally of course!)
For now, enjoy some R&R and practice the sleeping pattern of a Lion!