news

Visitors to this website will know that Derek Crawford, who writes the Club Newsletter, has been seriously ill. Thankfully Derek is now on the road to recovery. The Committee is grateful to Member Ian Colquhoun who has filled the breech in the meantime. Publication of Newsletter No 73 will be later than usual. Many thanks for your patience.

Major road works are presently under way in Oban town centre. Caledonian MacBrayne are advising passengers travelling from Oban to leave extra time for their journey to the ferry terminal.

The Oban-South Uist-Barra timetable will be amended on the 9^th and 30^th of September in order to accommodate livestock movements from South Uist. CLANSMAN will depart Castlebay at 1850 arriving Lochboisdale at 2020 from where she will depart at 2030. Arrival time back at Oban will be 0130.

Islanders on Easdale and Luing have won the fight to have their choice of transport to and from their islands.

Easdale will keep its ferry in the meantime while an appraisal is carried out on a fixed link to Luing. The island of Lismore will keep the passenger ferry from Point to Port Appin until the CalMac tendering process is complete. The present private operator of Kerrera’s ferry will continue running the service. However a strategy is required to ensure the future of the island’s roads and links.

Tourists and locals in Oban benefited from the bad weather on Sunday 28^th August as the CRYSTAL SYMPHONY was forced to anchor in Oban Bay. At 52,000 tons, she is the largest ship to enter the Bay.

Normally such a large ship would anchor outside the Bay but due to the bad weather and the distance the tenders would have to travel it was decided to allow her to anchor inside. As the ship lay at anchor she dwarfed the town and gave the people of Oban a sight to remember.

This is the second time CRYSTAL SYMPNONY has visited Oban. She sailed in from Rosyth and carried on to Belfast, the Channel Islands and Southampton.

The former Eigg flit boat LAIG BAY would appear to be still for sale at the Corpach Boatbuilding Company where she is lying ashore. This was first reported on this website on the 13^th May 2005.

Caledonian MacBrayne have appointed local man Kenny Boyd as Port Manager for Oban.

CalMac has employed Mr Boyd since 1983. He was Port Manager at Uig before returning to Oban in 1997 when he became Port Operations Manager. As such he was responsible for transport-based legislation for all Ports in the CalMac network dealing with matters such as the carriage of dangerous goods and livestock.

Up to 800,000 passengers and 170,000 vehicles a year are expected to pass through the new Terminal.

She was built in 1966 as STENA BALTICA and was bought by CalMac in 1970 as a replacement for GLEN SANNOX on the Brodick run.

In 1976 it was decided that CALEDONIA, with her relatively limited accommodation, should switch stations with a rebuilt CLANSMAN, which was serving on the Craignure run, during the winter months. As business on the Arran route increased, the latter vessel was spending more time on the Clyde while the former spent more time based at Oban.

CALEDONIA was withdrawn at the end of the 1987 season, her place being taken by GLEN SANNOX, which was, in turn, displaced by the new ISLE OF MULL, in April 1988.

After being sold out of the Company she lay idle in Dundee from where she made her way to Italy and was renamed HEIDI.

The ship has been laid up this year and was probably heading for the scrapyard since her condition had deteriorated rapidly.

The Mull and Iona Local Mod takes place in Tobermory on Saturday 10^th September.

The 1900 sailing from Craignure was due to end on the 3^rd but it will run to the 10^th. This will help competitors and spectators alike to enjoy their day at the Mod and travel home at night.

The later service will also help the organisers, as they will have more time to run the competitions.

Sponsored historical walks and storytelling will give a glimpse into the history of the island.

Other attractions will be boat trips by Roddy MacEachen’s Kerrera Sea Safaris and a guide round Glen Castle with its restoration nearly complete. Music will be provided by Ceilidh Capers.

A vintage MacBraynes bus, once a familiar sight around the Highlands and Islands, made a brief visit to Islay last week.

Behind the wheel was bus enthusiast and Club Member Lawrence MacDuff. Lawrence will also be visiting Oban and the Island of Barra on his itinerary.

MSPs were told yesterday (13/09) that tendering of the Caledonian MacBrayne routes would have to go ahead to satisfy EU regulations. If the subsidising of CalMac is not brought into line with the rest of Europe then the UK Government could face prosecution.

The Scottish Executive has warned that the ferry company could lose all its current subsidy of £20 million and be forced to pay back other subsidies.

Transport Minister, Tavish Scott, will tell the Transport Local Government Committee that, as a result of the warnings, tendering must proceed.

Last December, Nicol Stephen, Transport Minister at the time, was defeated in a debate on his tendering proposals. However, given the present information, nothing would appear to have changed.

At the present time it is not known what other options Brussels has given The Scottish Executive over the tendering proposals for CalMac.

Needless to say the current situation has left both passengers and crews worried about the future of Caledonian MacBrayne and the ferry services to the islands.

LOCH LINNHE was withdrawn from service yesterday due to an engine fault. BRUERNISH probably left Oban to take over the Tobermory-Kilchoan run from 1800.

Tidal restrictions are currently affecting the Berneray – Leverburgh service.

On Saturday 17^th 1205 ex Berneray departed at 0940. 1330 ex Leverburgh departed at 1045.

On Tuesday 20^th 1205 ex Berneray will depart at 1045 and 1330 ex Leverburgh will now depart at 1150.

The new syllabus for the Winter Session 2005-06 is now published on the Syllabus Page of this website.

As usual the Committee has organised a wide variety of topics and speakers to entertain the Club over the winter months.

The Session opens on October 28^th with a talk and slide show on the Three Pioneers 1844, 1905 and 1974 presented by Mr Gordon Law and Mr Ian McCrorie. The AGM, on April 28^th, closes the Session.

The Meetings, which are held at The Renfield St Stephens Church Hall, Bath Street, Glasgow, take place on the last Friday of the month starting at 1930.

Services are presently (19/05) being disrupted across the Western Isles due to weather conditions.

The Sound of Harris ferry, LOCH PORTAIN, delayed her 0810 sailing from Berneray until 0945. This service is already subject to tidal restrictions today and tomorrow.

HEBRIDES should have departed from Lochmaddy at 1150 bound for Uig. This is the first sailing of the day due to the weather.

The Iona service (LOCH BUIE) is suspended. The situation was reviewed at 1050 but was cancelled again. The situation will be reviewed at 1300.

The 0800 ex Raasey and the 0830 ex Sconser were cancelled (LOCH STRIVEN). At the time of writing the next scheduled sailings were at 0900 ex Raasey and 0930 ex Sconser.

At the time of writing most services appear to have returned to normal. However strong winds are expected again tomorrow (20/09).

LOCH LINNHE is due at Troon this week for repairs as she picked up a rope, which became entangled around one of her propulsion units in Tobermory Bay. She is being escorted to the Clyde by a tug where she will remain for her overhaul.

RAASEY is due at Tobermory tonight having sailed across from Rathlin. This probably means that BRUERNISH is back at Oban and CANNA is back at Rathlin.

Due to adverse weather conditions this evenings (21/09) 1800 sailing from Kennacraig to Port Ellen was diverted to Port Askaig. Tomorrows 0700 return sailing will depart from Port Askaig not Port Ellen.

Caledonian MacBrayne has reported a successful year in its Annual Report. Passengers carried have increased by 2.8% to 5.4 million. Cars carried have increased by 5.3% to 1.1 million.

Four firms have been invited to tender for the Campbeltown –Ballycastle ferry service.

The Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Office agreed to put the route out to tender again after intensive lobbying from local communities attracted more interest in the route. The tender specification is for a service to run for eleven months a year for up to five years. An annual subsidy of £1 million is provided with the tender.

The four Companies invited to tender are The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, Western Ferries, Harrisons (Clyde) Ltd and Serco Denholm. Caledonian MacBrayne did not bid.

The Dalriada Business Action Group has played a significant role in highlighting the opportunities for developing the route to potential shipping companies.

As well as golfing and Celtic connections, freight out of Campbeltown from Vestas-Celtic, which manufacture wind turbines, can provide income for any ferry service.

Following a Scottish Executive consultation, 74 islanders from Lismore have shown a preference for a vehicular ferry to run from Point, at the north end of the island, to Port Appin. 34 voted to keep the ferry from Achnacroish to Oban. 7 had no preference.

The survey was brought to a completion after island responses were mixed with mainland responses.

Should this ferry service go ahead then big changes will be required in Port Appin where there are concerns over the single track road which connects the village to the A828. Port Appin residents will need to be involved.

The hospital ship AMAZON HOPE 2, bound for Peru, docked at the Crannog Pier in Fort William on Saturday and Sunday 17^th and 18^th giving local people the chance to look round the ship.

The ship’s connection with the Fort is through the Reverend Donald McQuarrie, who was in Peru last January working on the original AMAZON HOPE.

More than 200 people visited the island, some of them opting to walk the three routes to the south and discovering a bit of history on the way.

Over £800 was raised for The MacDougall Collection Museum Project and for the Kerrera Community.

Strong winds swept across the Western Isles today (26/09) and the inclement weather is likely to continue tomorrow.

The 1715 sailing from Ullapool to Stornoway was cancelled (ISLE OF LEWIS). The 0715 return sailing to Ullapool is, therefore, also cancelled.

Tonight’s 1700 sailing from Oban to Colonsay was cancelled leading to the cancellation of tomorrow’s 0750 return to Oban (LORD OF THE ISLES). CalMac will attempt to sail to Colonsay tomorrow at 0930 with the return scheduled for 1200.

LORD OF THE ISLES was unable to berth at Coll and Tiree today. The next sailing should be as per timetable tomorrow (1500).

CLANSMAN is currently stormbound at Lochboisdale. All sailings to and from Oban and the Outer Isles were cancelled. Next sailing should be at 0730 tomorrow from Lochboisdale and then as per timetable. Today’s 0730 sailing was originally postponed for two hours. The situation was reviewed at 1200 noon, however the Master reported no let up in the weather leading to the cancellation of the day’s sailings.

The two-ship service from Kennacraig to Islay finishes today. ISLE OF ARRAN will presumably revert to spare ship.

Caledonian MacBrayne have launched their autumn marketing campaign under the slogan “Where next”. This follows the success of the “ Have a Caledonian MacBraynewave” TV advertisement. CalMac’s website had a remarkable 933,672 hits in July 2005 and this is reflected in the August figures which show an increase against the same time last year.

A mail pack, which includes an illustrated map, will be sent to 48,000 customers on CalMac’s database. The pack directs customers to the website for more suggestions for things to do on the islands.

CalMac are aware that they have a loyal customer base and that many customers have visited several islands. The Company is trying to show the appeal of the islands as well as expanding the idea of “island bagging”.

CLANSMAN has arrived in the Garvel Dry-dock for repairs to her rudders. ISLE OF ARRAN has taken her place and the timetable has been amended to take her slower speed into account.

Wed 28^th 1850 Castlebay – Oban 2340 becomes 2130 Castlebay – Oban 0700 Thur 29^th.

Fri 30^th 1850 Castlebay – Oban 2340 becomes 2130 Castlebay – Lochboisdale 2330 Lochboisdale 2345 * – Oban 0600 Sat 1^st.

Wed 6^th 1850 Castlebay –Oban 2340 becomes 2130 Castlebay – Oban 0700 Thur 7^th.

A limited night cafeteria service will operate on board IOA. Caledonian MacBrayne will advise customers if there is any change to the return date of CLANSMAN.

The Tobermory – Kilchoan service has been off all day (28/09). This is due to technical problems. The service is expected to start again at 1400 tomorrow.

The Mallaig Office is going through a programme of renovations between 3^rd and 22^nd October.

Caledonian MacBrayne will increase the fares across the board by 2% as from next April.