The visiting fishing vessels continued into April, which has been a good boost for the Harbour, and has made it look pretty busy on occasion! March’s landing figures were the highest March figures since 2017, so we’ll be delighted if visiting boats continue to land throughout the year.
The challenges with ferry services continue. The MV Loch Fyne has been operating a single vessel service since 14th April, and we haven’t had any sailings of the Lord of the Isles since then either. There have also been some days this month that the Loch Nevis has been unable to sail due to technical issues, so it’s been a quiet start to the season. Today we have been informed that there are further delays to the MV Finlaggan’s annual overhaul, and that she is not now due back on service until at least 15th May, which will mean a delay to the return of the Coruisk and Lord of the Isles. We are still working towards our plan for another overnight ferry berth, and the project is out to tender at the moment. The closing date had to be extended until 8th May, and we have spent part of the last month showing prospective contractors around the works and answering queries so fingers crossed for affordable tender submissions! We met with Transport Scotland on 22nd April to talk through the proposals for the berth, and some of our other concerns about ferry infrastructure locally.
Our new Deputy Harbour Master, Arijit Mukherjee, started at the beginning of April, and many of you will have already met him out and about with Pimmy. Arijit has spent time at sea, but also lectured in ship stability in Glasgow for a number of years, so brings a wide range of experience to the Harbour Authority. We are members of the British Ports Association, and their Scottish Ports Group meeting took place in Bishopton on 18th April, so this was a good opportunity for me to introduce him to colleagues undertaking a similar role in other Scottish Ports. We’ve taken the opportunity of having to reorganise the office to accommodate Arijit to give it a much needed coat of paint and get new flooring. This has led to complete disruption for a week or so, but will be worth it in the end!
Another project for the wider Harbour Buildings has been the redevelopment of the former ‘An Cala’ Café into the West Highland Tea Studio. Rachael and her team have worked hard to get the building organised and area almost ready to open the new tea studio. Even the exterior has had a makeover with composite cladding to make it stand out. It’s looking really good, and we wish Rachael good luck for the opening later in the month!
The Marina has re-opened for the season, and although it has been a fairly quiet start, it has been nice to see yachts back. It’s also great to have Gena back for the season, and Kenny Harris, who has returned to cover days off. There’s lots of work going on at the pontoons, with planks being replaced on the walkways, and a visit from North West Marine to check mooring chains and anchors. Anyone who has used the Marina since it opened has probably come across Jim Fowler, who was one of the first berth holders and who sailed round the pontoons when they were installed making sure all the berths were accessible. Jim and his wife Pat have sold their house locally to move closer to family, so we’ll be sad to see their yacht Seraphia depart the pontoon for the final time in early May.
The RNLI Gala day will take place on 25th May. This will be the first year in many where it hasn’t been a joint Gala with the RNMDSF, but the plans are well advanced, and it should be a great day. There will be some restrictions on the Harbour that day to ensure everyone’s safety, but those who have parking spaces behind the Prawn Market / shops will still be able to access these.
This is also the time of year where we look at Board membership in advance of our AGM in June. This year, we have three Board Members who have just completed their first term and are eligible for a second term. All three have indicated that they are keen to remain on the Board, and have re-applied. However, we are always interested in hearing from others who would like to apply to become a member of the Board. If you are interested, then please drop me an email at jacqueline@mallaigharbourauthority.com and I can send on some details.
Our AGM this year is on Friday 14th June, and we always open this meeting to the wider public. This year we have invited Mark and Leeanne from MKA Economics to come and talk through the findings of our Economic Impact Assessment, which has now been finalised to include some case studies, and which we hope to share more widely after its approval at our AGM.
Jacqueline McDonell
