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M V LOCHEARN was launched on Thursday 29^th April 1930. She was built by Ardrossan Dockyard where her Yard No was 348. LOCHEARN entered service on 1^st August that year for David MacBrayne Ltd.

She was one of a pair of genuine sister ships the other being LOCHMOR. She entered the water at Ardrossan on 15^th May 1930.

The two sisters were not the most handsome of ships. They were not the fastest either. The service speed was intended to 12.½ knots but in fact they could only manage 9½.

LOCHEARN was normally rostered on the Outer Isles Mail service from Oban. She called at Tobermory, Coll, Tiree, Castlebay and Lochboisdale. She returned by the same route. Kilchoan was included in the itinerary until 1949.

After she was re-engined in 1948 she spent a year on the Outer Isles service form Kyle of Lochalsh and Mallaig before returning to Oban in 1949.

In 1955 she relieved LOCHINVAR on the Sound of Mull run and in 1964 she maintained the Mull and Morvern car ferry run along with LOCHMOR until COLUMBA took over.

LOCHEARN was sold on 26^th August 1964 along with LOCHMOR to Greek owners. They were re-named AMIMONI and NAIAS respectively.

LOCHEARN is pictured on the February page in the 2008 Club calendar at her launch and also at the new Craignure Pier during July 1964. Photograph from the Ian McCrorie Collection.

Another successful season of meetings was brought to a conclusion with the Annual General Meeting on Friday 25^th.

As this is the end of a two-year cycle Arthur McDonald handed over the Presidency to Ian Somerville with Iain Quinn as Vice-President. Duncan Wilson takes over as Club Secretary from George Fairbairn who leaves the Committee after completing his ten-year stint, serving as Secretary for eight years.

After the formal business was over Robin Love presented a slide show depicting ships of the David MacBrayne and Caledonian MacBrayne Fleets during the forty years of the Club.

In 1967 passenger ships such as LOCHFYNE, LOCHEIL, LOCHNEVIS and KING GEORGE V were still in service. The first car ferries were HEBRIDES, CLANSMAN and COLUMBA.

Robin continued his presentation with slides of the Red Boats, Loch and Island class of ferries and all the major ships of the fleet including IONA, CLAYMORE, CALEDONIA, PIONEER and GLEN SANNOX up to the new editions of CLANSMAN and HEBRIDES.

The newest vessel to serve among the Western Isles is CORUISK, which entered service on 17^th August 2003 on the Mallaig-Armadale route.

Robin also showed slides of the Western Ferries vessels, which served Islay from Kennacraig.

The new season of winter meetings opens on Friday October 31^st 2008. All meetings are held in The Kirk Lounge, Renfield St Stephens Church Hall, Bath Street, Glasgow commencing at 19.30.

The following cruise ships will be calling at ports and islands of the Western Isles during the month of May.

Rum 2^nd, Gairloch 3^rd, 12^th. Eigg 4^th, 23^rd. Colonsay 5^th, 28^th, 30^th. Jura 6^th, 28^th. Port Ellen 7^th. Eriskay 9^th. East Loch Tarbert 10^th, 24^th. Portree 11^th. Kyle of Lochalsh 13^th. Mallaig 14^th. Craignure15th. Tiree17th. Muck 18^th, 26^th. Barra 19^th, 31^st. Loch Scavaig 20^th. Tobermory 21^st. Berneray 25^th. Iona 27^th.

POLAR STAR. St Kilda 15^th, Iona 16^th, Rum17th, Loch Scavaig 18^th, Stornoway 19^th, Loch Ewe 20^th.

QUEST. Oban 2^nd, 9^th, 17^th, 24^th. Port Ellen 10^th. Gigha 11^th, 25^th. Loch Scavaig 12^th. Loch Dunvegan 13^th. Loch Ewe 14^th. Colonsay 15^th. Craignure 16^th. Barra 3^rd, 18^th. St Kilda 4^th, 19^th. Stornoway 5^th, 20^th. Handa 6^th, 21^st. Iona 8^th, 23^rd.

Islanders in Argyll are to lobby the Scottish and European Parliaments in a bid to extend a pilot study on reduced fares among the Western Isles.

The road equivalent tariff (RET) pilot scheme is due to start in the Western Isles this October. Running for three years, it has been criticised by island residents for taking too long and unfairly benefiting businesses and residents in certain islands at the expense of those islands, which are excluded from the scheme.

A meeting of island residents took place in Oban on Saturday 19^th. At the meeting it was agreed to support an Argyll and Bute Council motion, which proposes an extension to the RET scheme with the excluded islands being given a 40% reduction on all ferry fares.

A review of the scheme after twelve months is also proposed with the inclusion of Colonsay into the existing RET scheme for the Western Isles.

The feeling is that if the Scottish Parliament has decided that RET is the way to go forward then it should apply to all the Hebridean Islands not just a few.

An investigation into the government subsidies received by Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services on the west coast is underway.

The European Commission inquiry will look at how CalMac services are funded by taxpayers’ money and decide if it contravenes legislation and creates “state aid”.

The ferry tendering process, which cost £15million and saw the Scottish Executive heavily criticised after CalMac was the only company left in the bidding, will also come under close scrutiny.

Argyll and Bute Council is hoping to receive £2million in order to carry out improvements to the ferry berth at Tayinloan.

If the council does not receive the money then Caledonian MacBrayne may have to help pay the bill by increasing berthing dues, which would end up being passed on to passengers in the form of higher fares.

In recent years the residents of Gigha have suffered as the berth at Tayinloan has been affected by deposits of sand and seaweed, which has prevented the ferry from berthing at the slipway.

100 unhappy passengers were left behind at Oban after the regular Mull vessel, ISLE OF MULL, was seconded to the Stornoway route. The replacement vessels, PIONEER and PENTALENA B, were unable to cope with the holiday crowds.

For the first time ever, ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne has launched a major part of its 2008 Spring campaign in SPT’s Underground Stations in Glasgow.

Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) has assured customers that the immediate future of services on the Clyde and to the Outer Hebrides are secure in terms of continuity of fuel supply.

Due to operational requirements the following revised timetable, on the Oban-Barra run, will operate on Wednesday 23^rd . Depart Oban-15.00. Arrive Castlebay-20.20. Depart Castlebay-20.40. Arrive Oban-02.00(Thursday 24^th ).

It has been confirmed today that the new contract for the Ballycastle/Rathlin Ferry has been awarded to Mr Ciarán O’Driscoll, whose companies currently provide ferry services to islands off the coast of County Cork.

David MacBrayne Ltd has today (Wednesday, April 16) welcomed the confirmation that the European Commission has decided to open a formal investigation into issues surrounding subsidy support received from the Scottish Government. The David MacBrayne Group includes NorthLink Ferries Ltd and CalMac Ferries Ltd, and provides Clyde & Hebrides, Gourock - Dunoon and Northern Isles ferry services.

The Rathlin Island ferry CANNA has returned to her roster after repairs were carried out at Corpach. RAASAY has returned to Oban to resume her role as spare small vessel.

MS1246 was built in 1941, by J Bolson & Sons Ltd, Poole, for the Admiralty as a wooden-hulled minesweeper to hunt for magnetic mines. Acquired by David MacBrayne Ltd in September 1959, she was rebuilt with a lightweight aluminium superstructure and new Bergius engines by James Lamont & co, Greenock. Timbacraft Ltd, Shandon, completed her conversion for passenger work.

MS1246 entered service for David MacBrayne Ltd as LOCH ARKAIG on 14^th April 1960. Her first service was on the Portree-Raasay-Kyle of Lochalsh-Mallaig route in succession to LOCHINVAR, which had taken over the route from LOCHNEVIS.

In 1964 LOCH ARKAIG was replaced on the Portree route by LOCH EYNORT and moved south to Mallaig where she carried out the service to the Small Isles replacing the 1930 veteran LOCHMOR. She was fitted with a Samson post and derrick forward of the bridge and a ferry door in the deck lounge on the starboard side. She also performed the Loch Scavaig excursion twice a week.

In 1965 the Small Isles and Portree rosters were combined, although only on certain days. On Saturdays LOCH ARKAIG was assisted by Bruce Watt’s boat WESTERN ISLES on charter to the Small Isles.

This roster remained basically unaltered until 1975 when LOCH ARKAIG left Portree for the last time. She became the dedicated vessel on the Small Isles station with a few cruises to Loch Duich, Portree and Kyle of Lochalsh added during the summer, which were abandoned in 1977.

Her successor, LOCHMOR, was under construction at Troon when, on 28^th March 1979, LOCH ARKAIG sank at her berth in Mallaig harbour. It became apparent that her hull had been breached by part of the under-water harbour wall.

On 6^th April 1979 LOCH ARKAIG was towed to Port Glasgow where she was declared to be a constructive total loss.

LOCH ARKAIG is pictured, together with COLUMBA, at Mallaig on 11^th July 1974 on the January Page in the 2008 Club calendar. Photograph by John Newth.

The Scottish Parliament committee on transport, infrastructure and climate change has had such an encouraging response to a public meeting held in Oban that it is to extend the deadline for responses.

The committee heard the views of communities on Mull and Lismore at the meeting, which was held on Tuesday March 4^th.

The committee was interested in hearing views on ferry routes, timetables, capacity and integration with trains and buses.

Islanders on Lismore have cautiously welcomed news that the Scottish Executive will be looking to develop the ferry service.

After many years of waiting ferry services to the island will be subjected to a Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG).

Lismore, which is served by a car and passenger ferry at the south end and a passenger only ferry at the north end, is divided as to how the ferry service should run.

However everyone is in agreement in the hope that two ferries will carry on in some form.

Caledonian MacBrayne has responded to recent rumours, which claim that the new £3 million ferry terminal is not fit for purpose.

A delay to the opening of the passenger walkway development has brought criticism from some sections of the community, who question the suitability of the terminal building.

CalMac’s customers have been boarding ferries at Oban via the vehicle linkspan while the new passenger walkway is being constructed.

Calmac are confident that the new terminal is 100% fit for purpose and would be failing in their duty if the terminal were designed in any other way. The safety of their customers throughout the terminal is paramount and will be judged upon when it is fully complete and operational.

The Sound of Harris (Berneray – Leverburgh) route faces further disruptions due to the tides.

On Saturday 19^th the 12.05 ex Berneray and the 13.30 ex Leverburgh are cancelled. Additional sailings will run at 09.30 ex Berneray and 10.35 ex Leverburgh.

Plans to improve ferry provision on the island of Lismore took a step forward today when Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson announced that an economic appraisal looking at future ferry priorities for the island is to be carried out.

Most of the ferries in the Caledonian MacBrayne network have been sailing according to the timetables during the first weeks of April. However there have been a few disruptions due to both the weather and the tides.

On Tuesday 1^st the Tarbert – Portavadie service was cancelled all day due to adverse weather conditions. The Islay and Mull sailings were also disrupted on Tuesday. The 18.00 Kennacraig – Port Ellen service was diverted to Port Askaig while the 18.00 ex Port Ellen sailed from Port Askaig. The 16.00 ex Oban and the 17.00 ex Craignure sailings were cancelled. ISLE OF MULL sailed at 18.00 ex Oban and returned at 19.00.

The Sound of Harris service was disrupted by the tides throughout the weekend of Saturday and Sunday 5^th and 6^th, as was the Sound of Barra service. On Sunday and Monday the 11.10 ex Ardmhor and the 13.00 ex Eriskay were cancelled.

On Sunday sailings between Mallaig and Armadale were subject to weather related disruptions

On Monday the Ullapool – Stornoway services, both passenger and freight, faced disruptions due to heavy northerly swells across the Minch.

Caledonian MacBrayne are continuing to advise motorists to allow extra time while driving to Mallaig. This is due to the ongoing construction work on the A830 between Lochailot and Arisaig. The road is closed from 13.30 to 14.30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The spare Island Class vessel RAASAY awoke from her slumbers in Oban to go to Rathlin after CANNA, the dedicated vessel on the route, faced problems on Thursday 3^rd and had to sail to Oban for repairs.

LOCH PORTAIN has returned to her roster on the Sound of Harris route having completed her annual overhaul in Greenock. She carried out her trials on Monday 7^th. The relief vessel, LOCH BHRUSDA, is on her way back to Roseneath. All the ships in the CalMac fleet are now on their summer rosters.

Caledonian MacBrayne have issued a series of brochures advertising Day Excursions to and from the islands of Skye and Lewis. Both coach-cruise tours and non-landing cruises are featured.

Torosay Castle, Duart Castle, home of the Clan Maclean for over 400 years, and The Mull Minature Railway are only a short hop across to Craignure. Tours around Mull and Iona are offered every day apart from Saturday. For the more adventurous the Three Isles Excursion will take you round Mull, Staffa and Iona in one day.

For those who are interested in wild life and sea birds cruises around Staffa and the Treshnish Isles will offer the opportunity to spot whales, dolphins and basking sharks while Staffa is well know for its colony of puffins.

An excellent meal together with a relaxing cruise on a CalMac ship is an opportunity not to be missed. A High Tea Cruise to Mull, which departs from Oban at 18.00, is on offer seven days a week during the summer season.

A cruise through the Sound of Mull is always an enjoyable and interesting experience. The Tiree Sunday Lunch Cruise is an ideal way to enjoy a traditional three-course Sunday lunch while sailing through the Sound en route to Tiree.

Having opened an office in Fort William, CalMac are now offering excursions to Mull, Iona, Skye and a non-landing cruise to The Small Isles of Eigg, Muck, Rum and Canna.

It is a pity that CalMac, having opened an office in Fort William Station, are taking their customers to Mallaig by bus instead of the magnificent railway line between Fort William and Mallaig. The railway line affords views, which are simply non-existent from the road.

All the excursions are available throughout the summer season from 21^st March to 18^th October although certain excursions will not be running during the mid-summer.