Excerpts from issue 53/02 1 November 2025
Testing, testing
The MV Hebridean Isles set sail under tow to Denmark, on her last sea voyage before being dismantled. As many parts of the vessel as possible were saved to use as spares for several vessels still in service. The ship's bell is currently on display at the Museum of Islay Life.
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Statement from Port Ellen Juniors FC Club
Addressed to CalMac and the Scottish Government
Port Ellen Juniors would like to express their disappointment at the continued disruption to the ferry services that have led to multiple cancellations in this current season. We have had no less than twelve cancellations or missed fixtures since August, and the disruption last weekend has led to a missed tournament and another cancelled fixture. CalMac are continually unable to get children to a football competition that they themselves sponsor!
Our Disrupted Season
Our 2025 team have only had one fixture this season, with four cancelled fixtures and tournaments. The other teams have had another six cancellations, and the children are simply not getting the football they deserve. The way the service is being run means the Scottish Government and CalMac are in contravention of the UNCRC charter signed up to in 2024 - island children are not getting to the fixtures they have every right to play.
We fully understand that weather plays a part in island life and so understand that we cannot sail in unsafe conditions, however, we feel that the current debacle goes far beyond the weather, and to the heart of why islanders are frustrated with the current ferry situation.
This also has a major impact on mainland teams, as they are also impacted by our last-minute cancellations, lack of game time, and are losing faith in travelling over for fixtures.
The Impact
This lack of game-time has a huge impact on children, and on our community; our children are being denied the same sporting experiences of other children across Argyll. Sport is a key part of childhood, and despite the best efforts of volunteers and parents, our children are not getting the experiences they are training for. Add on to this the level of disappointment for our children and it all leaves a very bitter taste.
Our club is run by fundraising, donations and volunteer time. Every rearranged fixture needs more planning, more booking transport, and more time by our hardworking coaches, volunteers and parents. Cancelled fixtures impact everyone right through the chain and has an impact on all the mainland teams and their volunteers too. It also causes major financial issues: our costs are already much higher than all the mainland clubs with expensive ferry costs, and then onward travel. To add all these cancellations is an additional burden we could do without.
Last Weekend
Last weekend saw inexplicable last-minute changes in going from a one vessel timetable to a two-vessel timetable, altering travel plans for our fixtures away. This has then been compounded by windy conditions. Despite now having two vessels, there was one vessel sailing from Islay at 6:35pm, but it wasn't seen fit to enable one to go back to Islay at 6pm as timetabled, meaning another cancelled fixture. Both vessels sat in the mainland port of Kennacraig, and our children are let down again.
It is simply not acceptable to have twenty minutes notice to change later sailings when it is clear that sporting teams are making day trips away. We had people on the way to the ferry, and who had made overnight stays from Jura in order to make the fixture, Between the club and the parents, this fixture alone has cost over £100 in money that we won't see again, and this is not the first time we have been financially hit by cancellations.
Timetabling
The current timetable is not suitable for any children playing sporting fixtures. Away teams cannot come over on a Sunday, nor can we travel away on a Saturday in the winter timetable. Saturday home fixtures face being shortened in playing time because the timetable simply does not work. For away Sunday fixtures, the limited ferries means that even our closest fixture involves a twelve hour round trip to play.
We also face the issue that our children on Jura cannot attend away Sunday fixtures because of the ferry timetabling; they are being denied their basic right to attend sports fixtures.
We have had to turn down entry to the Scottish Cup for all our teams because the ferry timetabling does not allow it.
Last weekend, we were given another boat to enable a two-vessel service, but not a two-vessel timetable. There is still no 7am boat from Islay and it remains wholly inadequate for islanders and their children.
Service inconsistency
Living on the west coast, we are used to windy weather and understand it has its risks, but we also expect CalMac to be used to those conditions, therefore employing staff who can handle inclement weather. We have experienced continued deployment of staff to the Islay route who are not willing to sail on the Islay route beyond a stiff breeze. We are not saying that we wish for sailings in unsafe conditions and fully understand the Master's decision is final. This is not a criticism of the Master; however, it is entirely a criticism of CalMac for continually deploying a Master who is unwilling to sail this lifeline service.
The timetable changes happening at the last-minute, show an utter disregard for the plans of sporting teams and islanders, and this cannot be allowed to continue. We understand decisions need to be made with changeable weather conditions in mind, but no thought seems to be given to the islanders in these circumstances. It impacts anyone with public transport or onward bookings and causes massive upheaval in people's lives.
The New Ferries
We are aware one of the new ferries will shortly enter service, but we want to ensure that both CalMac and the government do not dole this out as an excuse for the failings this season. This is an issue of incompetency in management from the highest level, and needs to be sorted out.
The huge irony here is that CalMac are the ones responsible for getting our teams to the League that they sponsor, but they cannot get us there.
Our Demand
We call upon those in charge to examine this case with the utmost urgency, as they are failing our island children, and failing to live up to their legal obligations under the Charter they signed up to.
We need better timetables and better service management for our sporting teams and all our islanders.
Our children deserve better.
The Port Ellen Juniors FC Coaches, Committee and Children
A second open letter, sent to CalMac CEO, Duncan Mackison, on behalf of Islay Rugby Club, Islay & Jura Highland Dancers, Jura Badminton Club, Port Ellen Football Club, Islay Karate Club, Islay Badminton Club and Islay Dolphins Swimming Club stated, "Collectively we wish to raise serious concerns regarding the current weekend ferry service. The existing timetable, combined with frequent last-minute changes, has made it increasingly difficult for our young athletes to participate in sporting events across the region. Running a club under these constraints is becoming untenable.
"Travel to nearby communities should not require multi-day journeys. For example, for a child from Islay to compete in a Highland Dancing competition in Tarbert - less than 25 miles away as the crow flies - travel would currently necessitate two overnight stays. A recent football competition in Campbeltown was only reachable by public bus service on a Sunday, yet a sudden timetable change meant that the children had to withdraw entirely."
Going into more detail, but similar to those outlined in the letter published above, the letter ended, "Thank you for considering these concerns. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss potential solutions that protect the future of youth sport on Islay and Jura."
We and they would hope for an early and satisfactory response from Mr Mackison.
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Fit for purpose
CalMac finally released the results of their berthing trials with Arrans new ferry, the MV Glen Sannox, and Kennacraig berthing with the catamaran, MV Alfred. These became available at the beginning of last week.
At Kennacraig, the Glen Sannox appears to have been successful across both the ramp and the linkspan, stern in and bow in, but CalMac expects there may be issues with passenger/crew gangway access on both north and south berths.
At Port Ellen the Glen Sannox berthed successfully on the linkspan side, stern in, but the report indicates that, considering the narrow width of the linkspan, there is very little margin for error in rough weather.
Because the Glen Sannox has a deeper draft, tidal restrictions would need to be in place if the ferry were to be in routine service.
The Glen Sannox was also able to berth at Port Askaig, but due to an overhang of almost 22 metres, CalMac said they would only consider berthing in emergency situations and not for regular service.
Following the upgrade works completed at Kennacraig in advance of the two new, Turkish-built ferries, CalMac opted to conduct berthing trials with the MV Alfred.
Apparently trialled solely on the north berth, the catamaran was reported as successful, with vehicle trials involving cars and HGVs not highlighting any potential problems. However, with no passenger/crew gangway access possible, the vessel would "need to be solely island-based", and the ramp fingers would need adjustment to integrate with the linkspan at Port.
Photo: Martyn Chandler
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In this week's issue:
Islay wins big at the National Mòd, Inver Hydro hit with huge rates bill, Margaret Storrie book launch, Distillery planning extension, Port Ellen Primary School page, Port Ellen Juniors FC statement, Rugby pitch vandalism, Craig Walker's Walk on the Wild Side, Visitor Levy, Islay Sessions return, Perry Green, MachairWind and renewable energy, Guy Fawkes story, Fitting the Glen Sannox at Islay's piers, Heb Isles heads for destruction
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Gearach Ltd seeks planning extension
Sara Parkin writes:
If you rummage around in your carefully stored copies of Ileachs past, you will find in Issue 50/09 11 February 2023 a perspicacious article about the confusions and perversities of the planning process written by, I suspect, the editor.
Using the example of the successful application to build what will be (if it happens) the 13th distillery on Islay at Gearach, on the back road from Port Charlotte to Portnahaven which was agreed by the A&BC planning committee despite 24 objections and only twelve supporters, he pointed out the lack of any firm definition of what is, and what isn't, a "material consideration" to guide both objectors, supporters and the planning committee.
When the committee met to discuss the Gearach Distillery proposal, none of its members had been to Islay, nor knew how many distilleries there were on the island already. Nonetheless, the committee decided to vote for the distillery - site unseen! - but did ask for a site visit to a proposed driveway enlargement in Rhu.
Now Gearach Limited is applying for a 'variation' to its original, approved Planning Permission (21/02718/PP) which will run out next year. A successful application to 'vary' some of the conditions of the original permission will, in effect, give the whole thing another five years of validity. You can see the new application (25/01636/PP) on the A&BC website. None of variations, however, alter the core objections against the original application in 2022. Rather the contrary; they confirm them.
1. The ecological impact on a site already much diminished of wildlife, despite being of international (Ramsar and EU Habitat), national SSSI and SPA) and local (corncrakes, fritillary butterflies and general gorgeousness) importance is crazily large. Not least because missing from the original application, was the fact that the development will cut in half a very narrow corridor between two huge commercial forests – dead zones for biodiversity - so very damaging to the movement of birds, flowers, insects and animals. Not to mention that the UK is already amongst the world's bottom 10% of countries in the world's biodiversity rankings, so we should be defending every last inch. Amazingly the new application claims an updated Ecological Report demonstrates that the proposal will not result in unacceptable impact on the natural environment of protection areas!
2. The environmental and health impact on the conservation village of Port Charlotte and its residents Significantly, the only household considered of relevance to this application is Gearach Farm, the owner of which, Bertram Herman Nesselrode, is listed at Companies House as having 'significant control' over a company called Gearach Ltd. Not one Port Charlotte resident was considered worth consulting by A&BC, either originally or this time round, though every single lorry during both construction and operation of this distillery will have to pass through most of the village, then, at its centre, take an acute turn onto the back road to Portnahaven, pass in front of the primary school and through a tight chicane before going up a lovely, narrow road, much loved by walkers and cyclists.
3. The risk to Islay, economically and socially, of over-dependency on the high-end whisky industry. In a cloth-eared way, the proposal to keep the Gearach Planning Permission alive, cites the "community wealth-building opportunities" of Islay's 13th distillery -"£1.2 million and the creation of 23 jobs by year ten". Mr Nesselrode has perhaps not noticed the belt-tightening, job-shedding of the distilleries currently operating on Islay, nor the increasing alcohol-abstemiousness of younger generations. And A&BC obviously does not understand the dangers of a single cash crop either; just as diversity in nature is a strength, so it is in any human society and economy. Be it rice, potatoes or whisky, if the single crop fails, the local economy collapses.
I hope readers will log onto A&BC Planning and look at 25/02718/PP and will object, using the grounds above, and encourage friends and neighbours to do so as well. This is not only about a delightful patch of Islay's fragile natural environment, but also about the culture and the economy of the whole island. If you are in favour of a variety of employment opportunities, and to enhance rather than diminish the nature around you, please object. The deadline is 9 November, but if you let A&BC know you will be putting in an objection, I am assured that they will wait for it to arrive. The planning officer is Stewart Ramsay and his phone number is 01546 605 518 if you need more information.
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