“Mr Fulton points out that, although rare, it …

Comment posted CalMac lists some summer madnesses around water by ferryman.

“Mr Fulton points out that, although rare, it is not unknown for people to suddenly decide to jump from a ferry into the sea. The plain fact is that this is almost never survivable.”

This kind of madness is presumably more likely to happen when boats are busy, people are having a bit of “fun” and perhaps a few drinks. That would be the sort of thing that might happen say around the Cowal Games or perhaps the Mod?

The Ali Cat on the Dunoon Gourock route does not carry a rescue boat for dealing with somebody falling overboard. As a result she has a restriction that she should only sail in fine, clear, settled weather. It is a good job we always get that kind of weather in August (Cowal Games) and October (Mod) isn’t it?

Obviously CalMac would not dream of breaking restrictions. It is really quite surprising what exceptionally good weather we have been having this past year, fine, clear and settled almost every day.

Last August, just in case it rained, the MV Saturn was used as a backup to the bathtub boats. This year she is not available, it seems CalMac let her fall into disrepair. So at the moment nobody known what the ferry arrangements will be in August. Presumably a decent ferry (and some money to pay for it) will be pulled from somewhere – or maybe not.

Recent comments by ferryman

• Reminder: Argyll Ferries on ‘refit’ service schedule
  The scottish Government has failed to deliver on the transferable ferry tickets it was going to setup. The bus scheme is a bodge that adds anything upto two hours to travel time.

  Any news on what they are going to do for Cowal Games or are they just going to try another gamble on the weather.

• New Campbeltown ferry pilot – a whale beached before it starts
  They did not refuse to give car/ferry passenger service to Dunoon – they took it away!

  They went back on a maniefesto committment to provide new vehicle ferries and then to cap it all they made an incompetent botch by putting in a totally and uttery unreliable passenger only service.

• Inexplicable blame game from MSP on lack of cross-ticketing on Dunoon ferries
  “no carrier could justify running a heavier and thirstier craft than necessary”

  The “than necessary” is the critical point. If you are specifying a commuter service to get people to and from work, hospital college etc. then it is necessary and perfectly possible to specify vessels able to operate reliably on the Clyde.

  What you do not do is accept vessels which regularly and repeatedly fail to run for days at a time.

  Newsroom wrote “physical facts are the physical facts”, they are indeed and the current bathtubs are far too small for reliable operation. In any case the Ali Cat was operating unreliably on the route already so her current performance is no surprise.

• Inexplicable blame game from MSP on lack of cross-ticketing on Dunoon ferries
  I take exception to your statement that “The Argyll Ferries’ passenger boats, being necessarily lighter craft, are more prone to delay and cancellation in a bit of a blow”.

  Transport Scotland should have specified vessels able to provide a reliable service. They did not hence the problem.

  Also the gentleman referred to in the article in the Observer concluded by saying he did not want a lot of energy devoted to cross ticketing etc he wanted it devoted to the getting his town centre ferry service taking him to the trains to work.

  That of course makes sense because even if he could transfer totally reliably to and from Western at no cost at all he would still be late for work.

• Western Ferries: new sailings, inflation rises in fares – and protection for concessions
  “the consensus seemed to be that they would be too expensive to be used as passenger only ferries”

  Exactly. Here you have ferries known to be reliable in the sea conditions on the route, able to operate at a fantastic profit when carrying vehicles but not economic carrying only passengers.

  AF are suspended again today, they were off all day yesterday, because they use bathtubs not remotely suited for the purpose to which they are being put.

  The sensible thing is to use larger ferries on the town centre route and let them carry vehicles. As CalMac demonstrated, before the Government of the day stopped them, putting on more sailings increased revenue and cut subsidy.

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