The overnight ferry berth works are progressing – some of them quite visibly, and others not so visibly! Several of the king posts have been driven in for the berth itself. Meanwhile, works have started on the second phase of filling in the scour hole at the linkspan berth. 600 tonnes of materials have been brought in, and are being placed over the side by digger and positioned by divers working under the water. There are another 900 tonnes due, which will be placed using a long reach excavator with GPS to ensure that the top layer can be accurately placed to maintain safe access to the berth. The infill is due to be completed by the time the Lord of the Isles returns to service on 10th December, and the piling shortly after.
The Caralisa has switched to Sprats for the season, with the first landing on 18th November. It is always good to see the activity on the pier when the Sprats are being landed. The Primrose is also back at sea this month, after a long period tied up in the Harbour.
More good news this month is that the new Coxwain of the Lifeboat, David Ferguson, has completed all his training, and is officially ready to take the boat to sea under his own command. This, and the fact that several crew members have been passed out as mechanics, and that there are a number of new Deputy Launch Authority’s ready to step up, means that the lifeboat is in a much stronger position to move forward after a period of uncertainty.
We were delighted earlier in the year when the Mallaig, Ardnamurchan and District Pipe Band announced that they were holding a tune writing competition in honour of the support that Mallaig Harbour Authority have provided them since their inception. It was agreed that the tune would be a March, and after a bit of debate, we decided to keep the name simple, and call the winning tune ‘The MHA-rch’. There were sixteen entries in total, and the Pipe Band gathered on Saturday 22nd November in the West Highland Hotel to announce the winner and celebrate with a wee afternoon ceilidh. The Harbour Authority was well represented, with myself, Audrey and John from the staff, and two of our Board Members, Karen and Helen attending. We were delighted to be presented with a framed copy of the winning tune, which was composed by Dougie Beck, and in return presented Dougie with a bottle of Mallaig Harbour Water, and all the other entrants with a miniature, and a pen for their next composition!
We hosted the Sound of Sleat Ferry Users’ group AGM, in conjunction with Sleat Community Trust on 12th November. At the meeting CalMac indicated that there would be more disruption to the Mallaig Armadale route, with the Loch Fyne potentially not being available until July of next year to run alongside the Coruisk.
British Marine Scotland have commissioned a study, funded by Crown Estates Scotland, to support the long-term growth of Scotland’s leisure marine sector. The project aims to better understand the challenges around skills, training, and workforce development across the industry and arrive at a series of recommendations and a strategy to enhance the economic viability of the marine sector in Scotland. As a Harbour Authority, we are really keen to see the sector thriving, and were happy to participate in the study. We have also shared a survey on our Facebook page, as part of the study, so if you have views about the challenges around skills and training, then please take a few minutes to complete the survey. The link for it is https://forms.gle/bzBJEtP6h1xGdpF57.
I was also kindly invited to the Scottish Shipping Benevolent Association annual dinner in Glasgow as a guest of CMAL. The SSBA gives funding and grants to people with current or past links to the shore-side maritime sector in Scotland. They can provide one-off lump sums or ongoing financial support to SSBA members, appropriate individuals and/or their families for many different reasons, and can also award grants for training and education within maritime related disciplines. You can find out more information on their website, https://scottishshippingcharity.org/.
Our staff once again supported the Mallaig Community Council to ensure that the Christmas lights and tree were all in place ready for the switch-on on Friday 28th November. We are lucky to have a good team of staff who will roll up their sleeves and get involved with community efforts including the Christmas lights, and we are very grateful to them for everything they do!
Finally, we would like to extend our usual good wishes to all Harbour Users and the wider community for Christmas and New Year when it comes.
Jacqueline McDonell
