August began with Pimmy and I recording a radio interview for Farming Today about changes in Mallaig as the fishing industry has changed, and the impact of new industries using the Harbour. It was broadcast on 22nd August so you might just catch us on BBC Sounds if you are interested. The piece was quite short but Kathleen and John from Yamal, who recorded us have promised a slightly longer edit, which we will share on our website and social media when we have it.
The weather has continued to be mixed, with much more rain than would be expected for August. The unseasonal weather, and the visiting vessels all heading off elsewhere has seen a drop in landings in July and August compared to May and June. However, the Harbour has continued to be relatively busy with other vessels.
We had hoped to have the MV Loch Fyne back in Mallaig prior to the Lochnevis heading off for refit, but the latest information is that she is unlikely to return this season. This means that for the period while the Lochnevis is away (2nd to 21st September) the Coruisk is operating the Mallaig -Armadale route as a single vessel, and the Loch Bhrusda, supported by the Sheerwater and Larven, will be servicing the Small Isles. The Lord of the Isles suffered an engine fire on 6th August, which led to engine failure, and her having to be removed from service for repairs, returning on the 22nd August. Thankfully no-one was injured in the fire and the vessel was able to make her way to Armadale to await a tug to escort her south for repairs. This did mean, however, that the Armadale berth was out of service and so the Mallaig/Armadale ferry couldn’t operate for a couple of days.
August’s unsettled weather has sent most of the yachts south early, so the Marina has quietened down a bit. We said goodbye to Kenny at the end of July, but welcomed Ruaraidh Fothergill and Katie McCaig, who kindly stepped in at short notice to cover some hours for us for the month. We’ve had some plans drawn up to add five new fingers to the pontoon, which we hope to be able to do over the winter months. The ‘Eda Frandsen’ has left to begin her trips south for the winter, but as I mentioned last month, the ‘Grayhound’ has been in a couple of times. Her first trip was delivering Isle of Eigg Brewery Beer from Eigg to the Old Forge in Knoydart!
We had another unusual visitor to the harbour this month, in the form of Tom McClean’s whale, ‘Moby’, which was in transit from Loch Nevis to its new home in Fort William. It was in the Harbour for a couple of days, having been towed in by Milligan Transport, and was quite a talking point!
Unfortunately, our Deputy Harbour Master has resigned from the post, having been on unpaid leave since the beginning of July due to family issues. We are obviously disappointed that he is unable to continue in post, but wish him all the best for the future. As a Board, we are going to have a think about exactly what is required before re-advertising the position.
We were also disappointed to learn that Harland and Wolff are likely to dispose of the Mallaig Boatyard as part of their restructuring. Our understanding is that works to bring the boatyard up to a modern operating standard were estimated at between £2 and £3 million, which will be challenging for anyone hoping to re-open the site as a boatyard.
We were all surprised and saddened to hear that Gillie (John Gillies) had been made redundant from his post managing the MOWI Harvest Station in Mallaig this month. Gillie had been at the Harvest Station for over 20 years, as well as being instrumental in setting up Shinty training locally and getting involved with various other community fundraisers.
In more positive news, we had a visit from Finn Buchanan, whose family have a house in Morar, and who recently graduated with a Masters Degree in Architecture in Denmark. Finn chose Mallaig Harbour as the basis for his thesis, and has kindly given us some of the models he made as part of this. Finn is going to write a bit more about this for West Word himself, so look out for that.
Finally, while we always try to be accommodating, new rules from The Highland Council about the disposal of soft furnishings containing persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which includes sofas, chairs and beanbags, mean that we cannot accept any soft furnishings in the skip. We have put up signs to this effect, and would remind people that the skip is monitored by CCTV. If you do try and dispose of something on the list of POPs, it will be taken out of the skip and returned to you for disposal through the Council’s bulky waste uplift service.
Jacqueline McDonell
