news

Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne has today (March 26, 2008) noted representations from individuals and businesses in Lewis, Harris and beyond, about seven-day sailings to and from Lewis and Harris.

The Club was privileged to welcome Mr George Taylor, the new Technical Director for Caledonian MacBrayne, to the March meeting on Friday 28^th.

Mr Taylor gave a presentation on the development of the new Islay vessel, which will be built in Poland by Remontowa, Gdansk. The vessel, as yet un-named, is scheduled for delivery in 2011.

Three shipyards put in bids for the vessel. The bid from Remontowa was £15 million cheaper than the other two, something which CalMac could not ignore.

The depth of the water and the length of the piers determine the size of the vessel. Bearing this in mind the designers have managed to pack a lot of features into a vessel, which is smaller than CLANSMAN and HEBRIDES but bigger than the present vessels on the Islay route, HEBRIDEAN ISLES and ISLE OF ARRAN.

The vessel will be carrying dangerous cargoes as well as general cargoes and passengers. She will therefore have an open stern and a mezzanine deck, which will carry eighteen cars.

Clamshell doors will be fitted instead of a bow visor. This will be safer as well as being cheaper to maintain. It is safer because the wave action will force the doors inwards, whereas with a bow visor the wave action is trying to lift the visor.

The members were shown detailed plans of the vehicle deck with the different options available to the crew for the carriage of cars and goods vehicles depending upon the mix of cars and freight.

Mr Taylor also presented plans of the passenger accommodation. This is the first major CalMac vessel without a dedicated bar. Instead she will have a Coffee Bar, in which alcohol will be available. She will also have a lounge for goods vehicle drivers.

Ian McCrorie gave the vote of thanks. In doing so Ian spoke of other personnel from CalMac notably Phil Preston and Norrie Brown who were both able public speakers and had given presentations to the Club. Ian complemented Mr Taylor on his presentation and assured him that he was more than able to represent Caledonian MacBrayne at similar events.

The winter session closes with the Annual General Meeting, which will be held on April 25^th. After the conclusion of the formal business, Robin Love will give a slide presentation, which will look back over the forty years of the Club.

HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS. Oban 08.00-19.00 3^rd 10^th 14^th 18^th 24^th. Salen 1^st, Craignure 2^nd, Rum 4^th 13^th, Shieldaig 5^th 11^th 19^th, Ullapool 6^th 21^st, Portree 7^th 12th 29^th, Eigg 8^th, Ulva 9^th, Craobh Haven 15^th, Gigha 16^th, Port Ellen17th, Gairloch 20^th, Inverie 22^nd 30^th, Muck 23^rd, Coll 25^th, Barra 26^th, Hushinish 28^th.

QUEST. Oban 16^th 24^th, Iona 12^th 30^th, Rum 18^th 27^th, Loch Ewe 19^th 29^th, Stornoway 20^th, Loch Dunvegan 21^st 28^th, Barra 22^nd, Gigha 23^rd 26^th, Port Ellen 25^th.

Due to the overnight forecast of adverse weather, the 18.00 sailing from Kennacraig diverted to Port Ellen instead of Port Askaig (HEBRIDEAN ISLES/ISLE OF ARRAN). This means that the 07.00hrs sailing from Islay tomorrow (25/03) will be from Port Ellen not Port Askaig as timetabled.

The Berneray - Leverburgh (Sound of Harris) service (LOCH BHRUSDA) will be disrupted or delayed tomorrow due to tidal conditions. The 12.05 from Berneray and 13.30 from Leverburgh are cancelled due to extremely low tides. Other scheduled sailings are not affected. Please contact the local office for updated information.

Caledonian MacBrayne are advising their customers, intending to travel from Mallaig, that they should allow an extra thirty minutes to reach the ferry terminal. This is due to construction work on the A830 road between Lochailort and Arisaig.

CalMac’s summer timetable commenced on Friday 21^st. Most of the vessels in the fleet are in place for their summer rosters.

The 18.00 departure from Kennacraig on Friday 21^st sailed to Port Ellen instead of Port Askaig. The 07.00 on Saturday, therefore, sailed from Port Ellen.

The Oban-Barra/’Boisdale service on Friday sailed to Castlebay at 13.40. Passengers bound for Lochboisdale caught the Sound of Barra service for the onward journey. The next direct sailing to Lochboisdale was on Saturday at 08.15.

Saturday’s 07.00 sailing from Oban to Coll and Tiree departed 1 hour 30 minutes late. Traffic intending to use this service were advised to check in no earlier than 07.30 and no later than 08.15.

The website has been designed professionally and looks at the heritage of paddle and pleasure steamers in the UK. It is based on material from the PSPS Collection of over 20,000 items. It also concentrates on the heritage of the three PSPS ships Waverley, Balmoral and Kingswear Castle. At the moment, there are small galleries of images but these will eventually contain several thousand photographs. In addition, there will be regular online exhibitions. There is also a new paddle and pleasure steamer forum and we are very keen to promote this and see it become a vibrant part of the website.

HEBRIDES was back on the Uig-Tarbert-Lochmaddy roster on Thursday 13^th. However on Saturday she was experiencing technical problems delaying her sailings by one hour.

CLANSMAN was back on duty at Oban on Friday allowing LORD OF THE ISLES to stand down. She has been resting at Craignure.

LOCH PORTAIN departed from Berneray on Friday at 09.00. LOCH BHRUSDA has taken her place on the Sound of Harris route. LOCH PORTAIN spent Friday night at Oban before heading south for her overhaul.

By next summer the services to Skye should be more secure for the community of 200 people who live on the island. The shore at Churchton Bay, in front of Raasay House, forms a natural harbour and has been used as a landing place for centuries.

In the early seventies it was the preferred location for the slipway for the first car ferry to Skye. Instead it went to the more exposed location at Suisnish at the south end of the island.

This was due to opposition from Dr John Green who, in the early sixties, bought Raasay House and other properties on the island and refused to sell the land required to build the slipway in Churchton Bay. Had he not blocked the sale, then a car ferry from the site could have been started back in 1972.

The service from Sconser to Suisnish was not started until 1976. It was anticipated that the slipway would not last longer than twenty years and now the situation is critical.

The pier is in a very poor state of repair, suffering from serious corrosion and no longer provides shelter for the ferry, which lies there overnight.

When the plan to build a new slipway at Churchton Bay was mooted three years ago it was opposed by Scottish Natural Heritage, Historic Scotland and some local residents because of its impact on Raasay house where Johnson and Boswell stayed during their celebrated tour of the Hebrides in 1773.

A subsequent enquiry confirmed that there was “no credible alternative” to Churchton Bay. Originally the project was estimated to cost £7 million but costs have risen partly because of the environmental mitigation measures.

Scotland, for once, escaped the worst of the gale force winds on Monday and Tuesday. There were still a few weather related disruptions throughout the Caledonian MacBrayne network.

LOCH TARBERT departed from Eriskay on Friday 7^th and headed over to Craignure where she arrived at 18.30 for an overnight stop.

She sailed at 07.30 the following morning with the intention of mooring at Port Askaig. Instead she stayed overnight at Craighouse where she arrived at 16.30.

LOCH TARBERT went on her way again at 06.00 on Sunday 9^th bound for Lochranza in order to commence her summer roster across the Kilbrannan Sound.

On Friday HEBRIDEAN ISLES sailed at 18.00 bound for Port Askaig instead of Port Ellen. She returned straight away therefore cancelling the 04.15 on Saturday morning.

LOCHNEVIS missed her call at Muck also on Friday. She made an additional call at the island on Saturday at 13.35 before heading back to Mallaig via Eigg.

The 06.45 sailing to Coll and Tiree on Saturday (LORD OF THE ISLES) was delayed with loading problems. She had to return to the berth after the first departure.

ISLE OF ARRAN’s Saturday evening sailing from Kennacraig was diverted to Port Askaig. She remained there overnight and set sail for Kennacraig at 09.45 on Sunday.

After she arrived at Kennacraig ISLE OF ARRAN departed for Craignure where she stayed overnight as the Mull pier offered better shelter.

LOCH BHRUSDA departed from Rothesay on Saturday and, after collecting crew’s cars at Rhubodach, headed away to relief LOCH PORTAIN on the Sound of Harris service.

Sunday saw HEBRIDEAN ISLES sailing for Port Askaig as opposed to Port Ellen at 18.00. She returned straight away, picking up the roster again at 07.00 on Monday morning.

HEBRIDES departed from the James Watt Dock at 14.45 on Tuesday 11^th, her overhaul completed. She sailed for Brodick where she stayed overnight. Departure time the next day was 08.30. HEBRIDES sailed for Oban where she was going to undertake berthing trials. She was seen heading through the Sound of Islay at 14.30.

The 18.00 sailing by ISLE OF ARRAN was cancelled on Tuesday. An additional sailing will run on Wednesday 12^th weather permitting.

ISLE OF MULL did not sail until 11.00 on Wednesday. On her return to Oban she set sail for Colonsay but was unable to berth due to the weather conditions.

In August 1958 David MacBrayne Ltd announced that there was going to be an extensive re-organisation of ferry services to the Western Isles. Three new car ferries were to be introduced to service as soon as possible.

This took six years to complete. The main stumbling block was finance. MacBraynes did not have the capital to cover the construction costs of the three ships.

Following an Act of Parliament in December 1962 the orders were placed with the tender being won by Hall, Russell & Co Ltd, Aberdeen. It is not generally known that Mr Michael Noble, Secretary of State for Scotland, regretted not giving one of the orders to William Denny & Bros Ltd.

The three ships, HEBRIDES, CLANSMAN and COLUMBA, were registered in Leith but the port of registry was changed to Glasgow at a later date.

COLUMBA, the last of the three, was launched on 12^th March 1964. She could carry up to 600 passengers during the summer and fifty cars. Her gross tonnage was 2,104. She was 230 ft long and cost £1million to build.

After trials off Aberdeen COLUMBA came to the Clyde for further trials and dry-docking. Loading trials were carried out at Windmillcroft and Springfield Quays, Glasgow. The last day of trials took place on 29^th July.

She entered service at 14.35, between Oban and Craignure with two runs per day to Lochaline, on 30^th July. She was carrying several hundred passengers, twenty-five vehicles and three caravans.

COLUMBA served David MacBrayne Ltd and Caledonian MacBrayne for twenty-four years and two months. During this time she called at Gourock, Dunoon (to drop a gangway at 08.00 Tuesday 22^nd October 1987), Ardrossan, Brodick, Bruichladdich, Port Askaig, Colonsay, Oban, Craignure, Lochaline, Tobermory, Coll, Tiree, Castlebay, Lochboisdale, Tarbert (Harris), Lochmaddy, Uig, Mallaig, Armadale, Kyle of Lochalsh, Raasay, Portree, Ullapool and Stornoway.

During her career with the Company COLUMBA carried out various special sailings and charters. On 6^th May 1978 COLUMBA sailed to St Kilda to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of David MacBrayne Ltd, circumnavigating all the islands.

One of her more unusual calls occurred on 11^th May 1983when she called at Kishorn and Strome Ferry with HRH Prince Charles on board.

On 18^th April 1987 she sailed from Largs to Oban via Campbeltown in very foggy conditions while on 2^nd April 1988 she sailed to Oban from Largs via Tarbert.

The most unusual grouping of ships was on 5^th May 1984 when the Fred Olsen ship BLACK PRINCE, GLEN SANNOX and WAVERLEY lined up with COLUMBA at Craignure.

The final sailing for Caledonian MacBrayne should have been on Saturday 30^th October 1988. However this was cancelled due to the weather. The final sailing was actually on Friday 30^th September to Colonsay.

The most poignant of all was the last Sacred Isle Cruise on Thursday 22^nd September. This cruise goes back to 1829 when Felix Mendelssohn sailed to Iona on MAID OF MORVERN.

The sale of COLUMBA to Hebridean Cruises PLC was agreed in early 1987 and made public in spring 1988. She was sold for £275,000.

COLUMBA left the Clyde on 13^th October 1988 under new owners. She was re-named HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS and embarked on a new life as a luxury cruise ship sailing around the Western Isles, which she had come to know so well.

All in all COLUMBA had her place on the west coast of Scotland. A piece of shipping history has been lost with her passing. In her new role as the cruise ship HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS she still adds a sparkle to Oban Bay.

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

An appreciative audience joined Iain Quinn for his talk and slide show on West Highland Piers at the Coastal Cruising Association meeting on Monday 3^rd March.

Among the more unusual piers depicted were Crinan, Bunessan, Salen, Broadford, Dunvegan, Gairloch, Toscaig and Mellon Charles.

The Caledonian MacBrayne red boat, KILDONAN, was purchased by CalMac in March 1975 to act as tender to LOCH ARKAIG at Eigg. She was built in 1923 by Bergius & Co, Glasgow.

After four years she was replaced and moved to Lochaline to act as tender to the Island Class vessel on the Fishnish-Lochaline service when she lay overnight at her moorings.

IONA (VI) was built in 1962 by Dickies of Tarbert Ltd. She was the last vessel built by this company before the closure of the yard.

The date on which she entered service with David MacBrayne is unknown. However it is reasonable to assume she would be ready for the summer season as she was built to act as tender to KING GEORGE V at Iona and Staffa. IONA was the replacement for a flitboat of the same name, which sank in a storm.

Both KILDONAN and IONA feature in the Red Boat Montage on the April page in the 2008 Club calendar. Photographs by Lawrence MacDuff.

As expected the strong winds, which caused many disruptions to the ferry network on Monday 25^th, continued to cause cancellations and disruptions on Tuesday.

The Berneray-Leverburgh service (LOCH PORTAIN) will face disruptions due to tidal restriction from Saturday 8^th until Monday 10^th.

Following on from the report posted on Saturday 23^rd February the Lochaber MSP Fergus Ewing is backing calls to have the 20% increase in fares on the Corran Ferry reduced.

He is lining up talks with Highland Council after the prise rise met with an angry reaction from Ardnamurchan commuters, businesses and transport companies.

It has been suggested that the Corran Ferry be included in the Road Equivalent Tariff initiative, which will be piloted on various routes in the Western Isles.

A summit of islands excluded from the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) pilot for cheaper ferry fares will be held within the next fortnight.

Representatives from Mull, Gigha and Islay are expected to attend the event, which will be held in either Oban or Glasgow.

There has been sharply divided reaction to the thirty month RET study ranging from delight in some islands to dismay in others.

Routes for the initial pilot study will be Ullapool-Stornoway, Uig-Tarbert, Uig-Lochmaddy, Oban-Castlebay, Oban-Lochboisdale and Oban-Coll/Tiree.

Rates for the scheme will be £2.00 plus 10p per mile for passengers, £5.00 plus 60p for cars and £20.00 18p per lane metre per mile for commercial vehicles.

A passenger travelling from Ullapool to Stornoway currently pays £15.30. Under the new rate the route will cost £7.22. A car on the same route, at present, costs £75.00. The cost, under the new rate, will be £36.32. A commercial vehicle will cost £133.90 as opposed to £263.44.

Sandy Struthers, chairman of Caledonian MacBrayne outlined plans to stop the eservice from Oban and start it from Mallaig instead.

Mr Struthers said: “Mallaig used to be a major port and I think it ought to return to that. We have had an appraisal done for putting a linkspan there”.

Members of the Scottish Parliament heard the good, the bad and the ugly about ferry services on the west coast of Scotland at an enquiry into Scottish ferry services in Oban on Tuesday 4^th

The committee heard ideas for a future, which could include more smaller ferries travelling more often, more bridges and causeways and longer operating hours.

The MSPs heard, first hand, from ferry users on Lismore and Mull, about the problems facing commuters and businesses on the islands.

LORD OF THE ISLES was launched from Appledore Ferguson Shipbuilders on Tuesday 7^th March 1989. Her Yard No was 573.

She is the last ship in the Caledonian MacBrayne fleet to have sleeping accommodation in eighteen two-berth cabins. Affectionately known as LOTI, she can carry fifty-four cars and 506 passengers. She has a service speed of sixteen knots.

LOTI entered service on 22^nd May 1989 and was an immediate success. Sailing from Oban, sometimes through the night, she served the islands of Barra, South Uist, Coll and Tiree.

When she entered service only three of her ports had linkspans so she was fitted with a hoist. After linkspans were built at Coll and Tiree her schedule became a bit easier.

As always with a successful ship business increased accordingly and LORD OF THE ISLES was replaced in July 1998 by the larger CLANSMAN.

She moved to Mallaig where she replaced IONA on the Armadale route but continued to serve Castlebay and Lochboisdale overnight until 2001. During the winter she returned to Oban, as CLANSMAN was CalMac’s relief vessel.

LORD OF THE ISLES was really too big for the Armadale route and she was replaced in 2003 by CORUISK. The Mallaig-Outer Isles service was dropped from the timetable.

LORD OF THE ISLES has also played her part as a cruise ship having undertaken the Castles Cruise programme. This included an extra sailing to Craignure. She offered day trips to Tobermory in 2006.

Passengers now have access to the upper deck allowing panoramic views following minimum modifications, a facility she did not have upon entering service.

LORD OF THE ISLES is portrayed on the front cover of the 2008 Club calendar. Graham Wilson pictures her at Craignure on 14th January 2006.

She departed at 07.15 the next morning bound for Craignure where she lay until Wednesday. When she was back in service on the Fishnish – Lochaline roster.

HEBRIDES moved out of the Garvel dry-dock on Wednesday and into the James Watt Dock where she will complete her overhaul.

On Thursday 6^th LOCH ALAINN returned to the Barra – Eriskay route. LOCH TARBERT headed south to her summer haunts on the Claonaig – Lochranza route.

The 18.15 service on the Sound of Barra route was delayed by one hour on Friday 7^th to await the arrival of a school party from Stornoway.

Due to the ongoing pier work at Port Askaig the 17.20 sailing from Kennacraig on Mondays and the 07.00 sailing from Islay on Tuesdays will continue to operate to and from Port Ellen and not Port Askaig as timetabled(HEBRIDEAN ISLES/ISLE OF ARRAN).

Note: The fiercest gales of the winter so far are forecast for Monday 10^th with winds expected to reach 80mph. The ferry network mat well face disruptions and cancellations, which could spill over into Tuesday 11^th.