CANNA arrived at Oban on Saturday 1^st on her way to Corpach where she will under go her annual overhaul. She joins LOCH BUIE, which is having repairs to her stern ramp. CANNA arrived at Corpach the next day. RAASAY is on the Ballycastle – Rathlin run.

LOCH BUIE left Corpach on Monday 3^rd and stayed overnight at Oban. She left for Iona at 07.00 the following day. She entered service on the 11.45 ex Fionnphort.

LOCH RIDDON headed for Craignure where she arrived at 20.30 and stayed overnight en route for the Clyde.

On Monday 3^rd the 18.55 ex Ardmhor was delayed until 19.45 due to an extra sailing to accommodate children returning from the Barra Merchant Navy Day.

On Wednesday 5^th HEBRIDEAN ISLES arrived back at Kennacraig as normal, following her regular trip to Oban and then sailed at 2200 for Garvel where she is to undergo bow ramp repairs. At 2330 she was off the west coast of Gigha making 13 knots. ISLE OF ARRAN has carried out an extra sailing from Port Ellen at 2030. This is so that she could take over the main Islay roster from 0700 on Thursday morning and carry out the single-ship roster while her consort is away.
LORD OF THE ISLES is now also reported to be suffering from bow ramp problems. Apparently she too is now only able to use her stern ramp and this may last until her annual overhaul next month at Garvel.

On Friday 7^th CLANSMAN departed from Castlebay at 18.50. She arrived at Lochboisdale at 20.20 and departed at 20.30. Arrival time back at Oban was 01.30. Caledonian MacBrayne advise their customers that these timings will be repeated on Friday 28^th September.

The Berneray - Leverburgh (LOCH PORTAIN) service is facing  disruptions and delays  due to tidal conditions.

The following sailings are cancelled:

Wednesday 26^th 11.00 ex Berneray and 12.15 ex Leverburgh.

Thursday 27^th 12.05 ex Berneray and 13.30 ex Leverburgh.

Friday 28^th 11.00 ex Berneray and 12.15 ex Leverburgh.

There will be an additional sailing on Friday ex Berneray at 10.00 and ex Leverburgh at 11.10.

Saturday 29^th 12.05 ex Berneray and 13.30 ex Leverburgh.

There will be an additional sailing on Saturday ex Berneray at 10.00 and ex Leverburgh at 11.10.

Sunday 30^th 13.30 ex Berneray and 14.40 ex Leverburgh.

Source: Ships of CalMac/Caledonian MacBrayne.

www.shipsofcalmac.co.uk www.calmac.co.uk

 

10/09/07.

 

 

The Oban – Colonsay – Port Askaig – Kennacraig will be disrupted for technical reasons on Wednesday 12^th  and will  operate to the following timetable:

Depart Oban 15.30 Arrive Colonsay 17.50.

Depart Colonsay 18.00 Arrive Port Askaig 19.00.

Depart Port Askaig 19.10 Arrive Colonsay 20.10.

Depart Colonsay 20.20 Arrive Oban 22.40.

Source: Caledonian MacBrayne. www.calmac.co.uk

 

12/09/07.

 

 

All services on the Mallaig – Armadale route (CORUISK) were cancelled today (13/09) due to the weather conditions.

Source: Caledonian MacBrayne. www.calmac.co.uk

 

13/09/07.

 

 

From The Oban Times Those Were The Days Column, Thursday September 10^th 1992.

Ferry services were thrown into disarray by a major engine breakdown on LORD OF THE ISLES.

The breakdown occurred during a crossing from Oban to Castlbay and Lochboisdale. The ship was forced to turn back for major repairs to one of her main engines. It was not known how long this would take.

Source: The Oban Times, Thursday 13^th.

 

Retired MacBraynes captain, Alasdair Matheson, died on Sunday 24^th June aged 93.

After fourteen years sailing British coastal waters, including the Channel Isles in wartime and the Thames during the Blitz, Alasdair went on to devote the remaining twenty-eight years of his working life to MacBraynes.

He mastered vessels too numerous to list, but will be best remembered as captain of LOCH SEAFORTH, CLANSMAN and SUILIVEN.

Among  many personnal  highlights of his MacBraynes years were the honours of a brief spell mastering KING GEORGE V in her latter years, taking CLANSMAN to London to promote Scotland at the Highland Fling Exhibition of 1970, and representing the company at the launch of SUILVEN in Oslo before sailing her back to Stornoway in 1974.

Alasdair was always held in the highest regard and affection by officers, crew and shore staff alike.

Source: The Oban Times, Thursday 20^th.

 

CalMac Ferries Ltd signs Public Service Contract to provide Clyde and Hebrides Ferry services

CalMac Ferries Ltd (CFL) has today (Thursday, September 20, 2007) signed a Public Service Contract (PSC) to provide the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS).

 

 

MV ARRAN was built by Wlliam Denny & Bros for The Caledonian Steam Packet Company and was launched on Tuesday 22^nd  September 1953. Although she was built by Denny, she was fitted out at Troon by Ailsa shipbuilding Co in October .

After extensive service on the Clyde ARRAN was sold to David MacBrayne in 1969, then returned to CSP and chartered back to MacBraynes to operate their Islay service from January 1970. This was in response to the new service introduced by Western Ferries, who were operating out of Kennacraig.

In December 1972 she was withdrawn and converted by Barclay Curle into a stern loading ferry. Between April 1973 and August 1974 she operated between West Loch Tarbert and Port Ellen until the new PIONEER appeared on the route.

Between 1974 and 1979 she was used as spare vessel  throughout the ferry network.

In 1979 she was withdrawn from service and was eventually scrapped in 1993.

Source: Clydesite/Ian McCrorie-Royal Road to the Isles.

 

CalMac clarifies seven-day Sailings discussion

Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne has, in response to a number of communications from individuals in Lewis, Harris and beyond, discussed its position in relation to seven-day sailings to and from Lewis and Harris.

 

The eight-year process costing £15 million of public money, which resulted in  Caledonian MacBrayne securing the contract to run it’s own routes has been attacked as an appalling waste of resources by a leading Western Isles councillor.

Donald Manford, the Barra councillor  who chairs the Western Isles Council transportation committee, said the controversial tendering process had “seen significant sums of money that should have gone into providing highways for island communities being spent instead on bureaucracy and legal wrangling.

Meanwhile the islands have been held back for a decade allowing no improvements to take place”.

He warned that routes must now be developed or island communities “will cease to exist as we know them today”.

He identified Oban to Castlebay in Barra, Uig in Skye to Lochmaddy and Uig to Tarbert in Harris as main routes requiring improvements, and said there was also a strong case for establishing a Mallaig to Lochboisdale sailing.

Source: The Oban Times, Thursday 27^th.

 

 

The cruise ship, HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS, will be calling at the following ports of the Western Isles during the month of October.

Oban 4^th, 11^th, 18^th and 25^th 08.00-19.00. Armadale 1^st, Rum 2^nd, Kilchoan 3^rd, Rum 5^th, Gairloch 6^th, Ullapool 7^th, Portree 8^th, Eigg 9^th, Tobermory 10^th, Sheidaig 12^th, Gairloch 13^th, Loch a’Chairn 14^th, Ullapool 15^th, Eigg 16^th, Tobermory 17^th, Rum 19^th, Gairloch 20^th, Kyle of Lochalsh 21^st, Eigg 22^nd, Iona 23^rd, Tobermory 24^th, Rum 26^th, Plockton 27^th, Gairloch 28^th, Eigg 29^th, tobermory 30^th, Lismore 31^st.

Source: Ships Monthly www.shipsmonthly.com

 

As HEBRIDEAN ISLES arrived at Port Ellen at lunchtime on Saturday 15^th she found SATURN lying just outside the bay. SATURN then followed Heb Isles in to  berth at the linkspan with Heb Isles  at the other berth. At one point she was down to six knots on her crossing from Brodick.

HEBRIDEAN ISLES departed from Port Ellen light for Port Askaig at 12.45 where she was to change over rosters with ISLE OF ARRAN.

SATURN was at Port Ellen from 12.15 until 12.50. When Heb Isles departed she moved to the other berth for ramp trials then departed. She was asked to take Heb Isles crew’s cars to Kennacraig as there was no room on the 15.30 service.

HEBRIDEAN ISLES arrived at Port Askaig at 14.50 and left at 15.20.

ISLE OF ARRAN  quickly unloaded and followed her down the sound for Port Ellen.

It was planned for HEBRIDEAN ISLES to take up the 07.00 ex Kennacraig but she got a rope wrapped round her propellor. She was down to eight knots at one stage when sailing back to Port Ellen on Friday.

SATURN arrived at Kennacraig at 18.40 and unloaded the crew’s cars. She then moved round to the other berth and made fast at 19.10.

On Sunday 16^th both ISLE OF ARRAN and SATURN left Kennacraig at the same time with SATURN following ISLE OF ARRAN  down the loch.

CANNA arrived back at Oban. She remained there because her crew  were required for LOCH RIDDON. EIGG and CANNA now have cages fitted for the carrige of petrol. EIGG has her’s on the car deck whereas CANNA has her’s on the boat deck. This is because she doesn’t have doors on the car deck like EIGG.

CANNA left Oban at 08.00 on Monday 24^th and arrived at Rathlin at 18.00.

Also on the 24^th,due to technical difficulties with CLANSMAN, the 15.10 service to Barra was  delayed by around two hours. LORD OF THE ISLES returned as normal from Coll and Tiree at 16.15 and then sailed for Castlebay. The loading time in Oban was longer than normal due to the bow visor being unavailable for use on this vessel. The next day’s afternoon return sailing left Barra on time but was approximately one hour late into Oban due to the vessel being slower than CLANSMAN.

The afternoon's 17.00 sailing to Colonsay, normally operated by LORD OF THE ISLES operated from Kennacraig with a departure of 18.00. HEBRIDEAN ISLES sailed via Islay to Colonsay and berthed there overnight. The following morning's return sailing departed from Colonsay at 07.00 and returned to Kennacraig (10.35) via Port Askaig (08.10-08.30). As a result the morning 07.00 ex Port Ellen left from Port Askaig as part of this return leg from Colonsay. The 09.45 from Kennacraig to Port Ellen departed around 11.15. Upon arrival at Port Ellen HEBRIDEAN ISLES sat until her 18.00 sailing and so resumed her normal timetable at this point.
HEBRIDES was subject to delays to accommodate traffic diverted from Barra via Uist.
LOCH ALAINN ran late with her 11.10 sailing leaving at approximately 1200. Again this was for technical reasons.

On Tuesday 25^th the additional sailings on the Sound of Harris route (LOCH PORTAIN) were cancelled due to tidal conditions.

LORD OF THE ISLES sailed early from Craignure on the morning of Saturday 29^th   in order to take the Lochboisdale sailing slightly ahead of schedule. The reason for this was the anticipated very low tide at Lochboisdale early in the afternoon.

RAASAY is once again back at Corpach. She called into Oban between 1730 and 1800 on Friday night. Her reasons for being there are not clear at the present time.

Source: Ships of CalMac/Caledonian MacBrayne.

www.shipsofcalmac.co.uk www.calmac.co.uk

Many thanks to Iain McPherson for additional information.

 

Monday 1^st October 2007.