Summer ferry link announced for Kintyre peninsula

[Mary G]

John, in this thread http://www.kintyreforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=13721 from last year you make it plain that you believe the service will be a subsidised one, with RET applying. You even stated that it would be cheaper that the mainland to Arran service:

WC the proposals ARE for a subsidised service using RET (Road Equivalent tariff) so it would be cheaper even than the current Arran Service.

These are your own words, John. So I'd be grateful if you withdrew your accusation that I'm making it up.

I also agree with WC1. There are major legal and financial hurdles to overcome in trying to adopt RET for a mainland-mainland service. That's why I am asking - again - for the published commitments and assessments from Transport Scotland on this. I'm beginning to think they don't exist.

[paranoid android]

The service thst mary g suggests to troon would be wonderful, even if it is complete fantasy to suggest something like thiscould ever happen. How exactly do you employ all crew from kintyre? Is thereca glut of unemployed certificated sea farers in kintyre that i dont know about?

[Mary G]

I do think that - in the right circumstances - something very similar to what I've suggested could work. But I also think that we'd need to compare the 'bang for buck' and look at the road/ bridge investment that's needed too.

Is thereca glut of unemployed certificated sea farers in kintyre that i dont know about?

There's quite a few in Kintyre that work with CalMac already - on the local routes. Then there are the locals who work for them in remoter corners, doing weeks on/ weeks off shift patterns. This way they could stay at home.

Some qualified local folk have moved away and would come back for the right, year-round job. Others might move here for the first time for a good opportunity. And - best of all - we could offer training and jobs to our youngsters - or older people who want to work

So I don't see it would be a problem getting the jobs filled - if we went about it the right way.

[John S]

Mary, what don't you understand about this?

Mary you are making this up, its clever political spin, put words in my mouth and treat them like fact, at no point do I say that the route would have RET from day one, indeed in the ferries review it was only suggested that an option for the enhanced Arran Service might be a leg to Campbeltown with no firm commitment. RET will be implemented on the Clyde routes in 2015.

Is New Labour so desperate to paint every supporter of the YES campaign as a liar that facts no longer matter in pursuit ? I suppose you will be telling us next you have no interest in negative campaigning or the referendum.

[WC1]

John, I have no New Labour axe to grind, but I think your earlier reply to me does very strongly suggest RET was going to apply from day 1. Now you say it's going to be applied to Campbeltown-Ardrossan along with all the other Clyde ferry routes from 2015, not day 1. Impressive bit of back-pedalling there. Either way, you haven't answered my question about the Western Ferries route or the legal position regarding mainland-mainland routes. I wait with bated breath.

[paranoid android]

Mary, again all of what you are saying sounds good on paper but I don't think you understand fully how the crewing of these boats works.
Your points about fast boats and all year round 7 days a week sailings sounds good, but would cost an absolute fortune.

The trial that will be underway this summer makes sense if only from a financial point of view as it is costing the Scottish government next to nothing to run. The vessel being used will, i believe, be doing the summer back up service on the brodick - ardrossan run as well as the Campbeltown - ardrossan run. This is a service which it would have been doing anyway regardless of whether it did the campbeltown run. Essentially the boat would be fully crewed anyway and all they wil be paying for is the extar fuel and the extra berthing fees in campbeltown.
IF people use the service as it is then the government will hopefully extend the service and maybe even get a designated boat for it. However to suggest that they commit to spending the money it would take to carry out your proposals would be foolish without first testing the water in a very cost effective way.

[MacMel]

This is really great news.
The price is set a little high but RET should resolve that.
We regularly make the trip up from mid Wales but it is a 10 hour drive door to door with minimal stops, this means two days off work on either side of a week-end. The ferry will mean we can do the "drive" in five and a half hours and rest for a couple of hours - we can take a half day for travel up on the Thursday (Friday I can work "at home") and have most of Sunday before setting off back.
A real big saver in time for us though the journey will cost approx £50 more taking into account fuel costs.
We have already bought a multiple ticket to maximize the savings (had to convince the clerk that these existed ) and booked our first crossing.
This doesn't work for a lot of people but for us it is a definite benefit and will improve the access to the area for tourists and the economy in general.

[maxmix]

Mary, again all of what you are saying sounds good on paper but I don't think you understand fully how the crewing of these boats works.

Good on you MacMel

Just had a five hour drive round from Ayrshire.... Caravan Chaos lol, Can't wait for the new Ferry to start !

Hope the road signs will be in place soon !!! Never noticed any the whole way from Dumbarton....

Right enough going by these Caravans at 120mph everything is a bit of a blur anyway

maxmix

[howlsatthemoon]

Hope the road signs will be in place soon !!! Never noticed any the whole way from Dumbarton....
maxmix

Why would they advertise a ferry from Adrossan to Campbeltown at Dumbarton

[EMDEE]

I see the Isle of Arran is to be the vessel providing the service.

A good workhorse, but certainly not the pride of the fleet.

[Mary G]

Mary, again all of what you are saying sounds good on paper but I don't think you understand fully how the crewing of these boats works.

Good to see your wit hasn't deserted you, maxmix .... and I know plenty abut crewing, since you ask so politely

Personally, I'd like to see more of the wages from from these CalMac jobs staying in the communities served by the ferries. At the moment it's entirely possible for all these earnings to leave all the areas served. It's a concern that the crewing models preferred by CalMac for the larger vessels in their fleet are such that it's entirely possible NONE of the wages are earned by people living in Argyll, Arran or Ayrshire, in this instance.

But crewing models are tangential to the discussion here, and a few days had passed before I noticed paranoid android's post. Having already stated that my preferred system would use locally resident crews - a model used by other ferry services - I didn't reply.

You happy with the current arrangements, maxmix, where that potential for income leaves the area?

[Niander]

Calmac wont listen to you Mary...they will run their business as they see fit wont they

[Tom B]

.....have just booked on to come down on Friday evening ferry , and away again on Sunday late afternoon ferry at 4.55pm...very much looking forward to it! - forecast even looks good for the sailing on Friday evening - good to hear the MOKRUN and Songwriters festival getting a shout out on radio Scotland this morning too!

[4th gen Suthen']

well done TomB

'mon the ferry!

[DOUBLE A]

Hoping to be on the first sailing on Thursday