The month started with our public meeting on Thursday 5th November as part of the Marine Licencing process for the Outer Harbour Development. Although the formal consultation period has now passed, the information is still online, you can access this through our website, and if anyone has any comments, then please feel free to send them to me. We’ve been having conversations with some of the key users of the Harbour to see what their requirements might be for any new development. There will obviously be financial constraints to what we can and can’t do, but any feedback allows us think strategically about the development.
November has seen the Outer Harbour being very busy with Aquaculture vessels, reinforcing the need for additional berthing and quay space. In some instances this has been due to vessels seeking shelter from the bad weather, but there have been a range of activities ongoing throughout the month.
The first landing of Sprats was 5th November, and the fishery has continued throughout the month – the weather hasn’t been very consistent, but there have been some landings so it at least has been a bit of a boost to the end of the year. The sprat pump and the way they are landed always generates a lot of interest and activity on the Harbour.
Although the Marina is technically closed, we had a yacht arrived on Sunday 15th November, which was accompanying a Stand up Paddleboarder! Jordan Wylie is attempting to circumnavigate Great Britain on a Stand Up Paddleboard, raising money for Frontline Children. As he reached Mallaig, he was on day 114, and had travelled just over 2,000km! Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t kind that week, and there were a few days that he was unable to make progress. If you want to follow Jordan’s progress, you can do so at www.thegreatbritishpaddle.com.
We also had the ‘Orca III’, the latest addition to the Mallaig Marine fleet on the pontoons for a few days.
We were due a visit from the Screen Machine this month, but unfortunately the weather scuppered this too, as the ferries were cancelled. I suspect that we must be the only place on the mainland that the Screen Machine can’t access without coming by ferry!
Some of you may have seen the posts from Lochaber Archive Centre in October, some of which focussed on Mallaig and the Harbour. There were two entries from the Mallaig Police Daily Occurrence Book. The first was from 27th July 1914 and states that the Skipper of a steam drifter had ‘called at my station, and reported to me that two herring nets belonging to him had been maliciously cut with a knife while … drying on an old mast on the fore-shore at Mallaig, value for £2:13: each, found no trace.’ This generated a fair bit of discussion in the office about nets drying around the Harbour – something I can’t remember, but some of you might!
The second entry dates from 07th September 1914. PC MacLean records:
‘…At 11am received a telephone message from Mr Durie, Stationmaster, Morar, that two men who had the appearance of Spys were then at Morar, photographing Morar Bridge etc. I proceeded there and on making enquiry learned they were two Glasgow men who had a Yacht in Mallaig harbour.’
It’s interesting to think that yachts were arriving in Mallaig over 100 years ago – no dedicated shore facilities for them then!
It definitely feels like Winter has arrived – the Marina is now closed for the Season and CalMac are back on their winter timetables, so after what has felt like a very short season, things have quietened off again. The weather over the last two weeks of October was awful, which felt like it brought everything to a halt anyway! On the positive side, the Sprat Pump has been installed on the Harbour, and two of the local boats, the Caralisa and the Rebecca Jeneen are all geared up for the Sprat fishery, and hopeful of starting on 2nd November.
We’ve been getting used to the changes to the fish feed loading this month – with the Aqua Senior away, we have more regular but much smaller loadings of feed onto Ferguson’s Shipping landing crafts, rather than one large loading every few days as it was with the ‘Aqua Senior’.
Some of you may have noticed our Harbour Scarecrow which was part of the Scarecrow Trail – we made him from buoys, and called him ‘Bobby Buoy’ – it was great to see so many scarecrows throughout the area – especially when we have been unable to have any other community events this year.
By the time you read this, STV will have shown ‘Don’t Rock the Boat’ which filmed in Mallaig in August. At the time, we weren’t allowed to share this photo, as it was still a secret as to who was in which team, but it’s too good a photo not to share now!
Our public meeting on the proposals to develop more space in the Outer Harbour took place on 5th November, and you can view the presentation and download a copy of the consultation questionnaire from Affric’s website. http://www.affriclimited.co.uk/News/Consultations.php.
Our intention is to reclaim the area of the Outer Harbour that was previously earmarked for a relocation of the boatyard. We have considered various designs, but the existing construction of the breakwater is such that the most cost-effective design is to take a diagonal line from behind the old ice factory to where the piling begins on the outer breakwater. This design will:
Provide 60m of additional quay length capable of taking boats of up to 500 tonnes.
Provide 4000m2 of additional laydown
Ensure no reduction in the workable length of the Ice and Breakwater Quays.
In addition, we are considering deepening an area of the Outer Harbour. Current water depths in the outer harbour are -4mCD, however the existing infrastructure could facilitate water depths of -6m CD. It would however require dredging, including blasting of rock and clearly that would have cost implications. It would also cause some disruption to the operation of the Harbour while the works were in progress.
If, having seen the proposals, you wish to make representations on the proposed development, please contact: Fiona Henderson, Affric Limited, Lochview Office, Loch Duntelchaig, Farr, IV2 6AW, consultation@affriclimited.co.uk by the 20th of November 2020.
As well as the proposals for this major development, we have also been working on some smaller proposals, including working with the new South Knoydart Community Council to apply for funding to install a shelter at the top of the new passenger access pontoon. Westwheels have also completed the installation of their electric charging point for their new electric van, which is within one of the Harbour car parks.
Mallaig Harbour Authority held a pre-application consultation event on Zoom on Thursday 5th of November 2020. Thank you to those who attended on the night. If you were unable to attend, and would like to watch the Video of the event please click here.
If you would like to view the presentation slides only then please click here.
Click here to download a copy of the consultation questionnaire. Completed forms can be emailed to consultation@affriclimited.co.uk or posted to Affric Limited, Lochview Office, Loch Duntelchaig, Farr, Inverness, IV2 6AW: Please return forms by the 20th of November 2020 to ensure your views can be taken account of.
Please note, representations made to Mallaig Harbour Authority or Affric Limited are not representations to the Scottish Ministers. Once the Marine Licence Application has been submitted there will be an opportunity for representations to be made to the Scottish Ministers on the application.
Notice is hereby given that Mallaig Harbour Authority intends to apply to Scottish Ministers for consent to construct a splay berth quay between the Ice Quay and the Outer Breakwater Quay and create additional laydown space in the Outer Harbour area.
Mallaig Harbour Authority will be holding a pre-application consultation event online via the video conferencing application ‘Zoom’. The event will be taking place on Thursday 5th November 2020, starting at 7pm. The event will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to consider and comment upon the prospective application, and is open to anyone with an interest in the development. To participate in the meeting, visit https://zoom.us, select Join a meeting and use the meeting code 958 4810 9482. If you wish to be emailed these event details, please contact:consultation@affriclimited.co.uk
If you wish to make representations on the proposed development, please contact: Fiona Henderson, Affric Limited, Lochview Office, Loch Duntelchaig, Farr, IV2 6AW, consultation@affriclimited.co.uk by the 20th of November 2020.
Please note, representations made to Mallaig Harbour Authority or Affric Limited are not representations to the Scottish Ministers. Once the Marine Licence Application has been submitted there will be an opportunity for representations to be made to the Scottish Ministers on the application.
September seems to have passed quickly – which is always a good sign! The Marina has continued to be busy throughout the month, although unfortunately we didn’t have enough space for the ‘Ngoni’ – which some of you might have seen passing into Loch Nevis on the 21st and 22nd September. For those of you who didn’t, ‘Ngoni’ is one of the largest sailing yachts in the world, at 190 feet (58 metres), with a 71metre high mast – so just a bit big for our wee pontoons! She was quite a sight though, and did send in a tender to offload some passengers in Mallaig.
The pandemic has meant that we haven’t been able to welcome back the ‘Eda Frandsen’ this summer, and she has now been sold by James and Chloe to new owners, Mungo and Stella. Mungo is originally from Ballachulish and Stella grew up on the Helford river. We look forward to welcoming them next year, when hopefully things will be a bit more ‘normal’!
The month began with the arrival of the ‘Arwen’, the newest addition to the Western Isles fleet. ‘Arwen’ is an ex-Mersey class lifeboat, which has been re-painted and re-fitted by A.Noble and Sons, and will be used primarily for the transport of High School pupils to and from the Small Isles.
We then had the Taumar, a newly-built Norwegian well boat operating out of the Harbour for a fortnight, harvesting fish from Grieg Seafood sites on Skye.
On Saturday 26th September, we bade farewell to the ‘Aqua Senior’, which has been a regular fixture in the Harbour over the past few years, loading fish feed for EWOS / Cargill to be taken to sites around the West Coast. Ewos sent the ‘Ulla’ to do one loading in the following week. The ‘Ulla’ is bigger than the Aqua Senior, and loads on the opposite side, so it took a bit of juggling, but we managed!
We had another ‘virtual’ Board Meeting on 11th September, at which we approved the Annual Report and Accounts for the y/e 31st March 2020. As usual, the Annual Report highlighted some of the activity on the Harbour, and I have included some excerpts from it below.
Fish Landings/Dues
Landing volumes and monetary values for the current year, the two previous years plus two other random years (for comparative purposes) are listed:
Volume in tonnes
Year ended 31st March
Herring
Sprats/ Mackerel
Whitefish
Shellfish
Total Value
1978
9,483
10,425
3,712
887
£7,640,036
1984
405
1,582
5,373
1,055
£5,195,726
2018
410
1375
566
1184
£7,642,865
2019
0
0
397
752
£4,746,544
2020
0
121
292
683
£4,480,546
Mallaig Harbour Ice:
In our first year of operation, we have sold 1,017 tonnes of ice, and the chart below shows the distribution of this by month. During August, September and October we supplied ice to MOWI, while they were awaiting their own new ice plant being commissioned.
Fish Feed
During the year ending March 2020, 45,043 tonnes of fish feed was shipped through Mallaig a 9% increase on the previous year.
CalMac/Tourism
The volume of cars and passengers conveyed on the CalMac ferries based at Mallaig during the year – MV “Loch Bhrusda”; MV “Loch Fyne”; MV “Lochnevis”; and MV “Lord of The Isles” – indicates an upturn when compared to the previous year, and more significantly, given the disruption in the y/end March 2019, also an upturn on figures for 2018. Commercial vehicles are down on all three routes, while passengers were up 9.6%, cars up 15.4% and coaches up 4%.
Year end
31 March 2020
31st March 2019
31st March 2018
Passengers
365,164
332,944
343,847
Cars
89,069
77,181
82,230
Coaches
2,464
2,367
2,375
Commercials
662
825
851
It is worth noting the increases on the Mallaig-Lochboisdale route in particular, where both passenger and car numbers were up over 38% on the previous year. This service is obviously becoming more established and well-used, but again suffers from the challenges facing CalMac with regard to their fleet, and the need for the Lord of The Isles to be redeployed to cover when other vessels on different routes are not operational for various reasons.
Previous years have noted the disruption to the services from Mallaig, and 2019 was no exception, with 54 days of tidal restrictions leading to over 200 scheduled cancelations, and 177 cancelled sailings for April – September 2019, with a further 84 in October. The unreliability of the timetable makes it less attractive for commercial vehicles, and for much of the summer, the Mallaig-Armadale route operates at capacity, making further growth without a dedicated vessel extremely challenging.
March 2020 saw the introduction of a three-year pilot of additional sailings between Mallaig and Armadale, utilising the ‘Loch Bhrusda’. These were timetabled from the 6th March until the Summer timetable was due to start on 27th March, and were initially well utilised. Unfortunately, restrictions on travel imposed with ‘lockdown’ associated with the Coronavirus mean that the first year of this trial will not be representative.
Developments
West Bay Road Access: After procurement, the contract for the West Bay Road Access was awarded to Fion Construction, and work started on 22nd August, continuing until the end October.
Energy Efficiency: Resource Efficient Scotland undertook an energy survey of the Harbour, and produced a report highlighting potential energy saving measures that could be implemented, some of which would attract an interest free loan. Quotes are being sourced for LED lighting throughout the Harbour, and consideration is being given to other energy saving measures to be incorporated into any future developments.
Renunciation of Denholms Office and Ice Factory: In December the renunciation of the leases for the empty office upstairs in the Harbour Buildings and the old Ice Factory was completed. Plans have been drawn up to convert the office into three smaller offices, and provide welfare facilities for those using the building. The old Ice Factory provides an opportunity to create more industrial space quayside, and to potentially provide new workspace for Harbour Authority staff, but these options need to be investigated further.
Re-facing of the ‘Splay Berth’
Work started to remove all the metal rubbing strips from the piling on the ‘Splay Berth’ (which is mainly used by the Loch Nevis), to re-galvanise and replace these. Whilst most of the work was undertaken prior to the financial year end, and the berth has been left safe to use, Coronavirus restrictions meant that this work is not complete, and will be a priority when restrictions are lifted.
Future Developments
I mentioned last month the proposals to develop more space in the Outer Harbour, which will be discussed at a public meeting on 5th November. I have included a drawing of the proposed development, which is effectively designed to fill in the ‘corner’ in the outer breakwater.
The public meeting will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to consider and comment upon the prospective application. Full details on how to join the event will be displayed at https://www.mallaig-harbour.com/news/ , 10 days prior to the event. If you wish to be emailed event details, please contact: consultation@affriclimited.co.uk. If, having seen the proposals, you wish to make representations on the proposed development, please contact: Fiona Henderson, Affric Limited, Lochview Office, Loch Duntelchaig, Farr, IV2 6AW, consultation@affriclimited.co.uk by the 12th of November 2020.
August has seemed a much busier month now that lockdown has eased a bit, with more activity around the Harbour, and the Marina welcoming a number of visiting yachts throughout the month. We’re still not able to welcome as many yachts as we would in a normal year, but it’s been nice to see the masts bobbing about in the Harbour again. All our staff are now back at work, and we were able to help Simon celebrate his big birthday on 14th August, by having a ‘socially distanced’ slice of cake with him!
We’ve also been busy with celebrities passing through – Romesh Ranganathan took the ferry from Mallaig to Armadale, during filming for ‘The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan’, to be broadcast around Christmas. It then felt like the whole village came to a standstill on Wednesday 26th August, as we welcomed two teams of celebrities who were rowing the length of Britain for a new ITV series ‘Don’t Rock the Boat’. The two rowing boats arrived on the pontoons late on Tuesday evening, after a few changes to the schedule because of the weather. The picnic area at the top of Cameron Avenue was taken over by the film crew, and those celebrities who weren’t rowing, while another crew filmed those celebrities who were in the boats from the pontoon. Audrey and I presented those on the pontoons with a miniature each of ‘Mallaig Harbour Water’ as a souvenir, and although the production crew weren’t very sure about the rowers setting off with whisky in their dry bags – the rowers themselves were determined it was coming with them on the boats! I’m sure that there will be better photographs elsewhere this month, but I have included some of mine. We were asked not to give away who was on which team, but, in no particular order, those who left rowing from Mallaig were, James Cracknell, Denise Lewis, Victoria Pendleton, Kimberly Wyatt, Fleur East, Jodie Kidd, Adam Thomas and Jack Fincham. For both days of filming, the weather was beautiful, so hopefully it will showcase the area at its best!
As well as celebrities, there has been a lot of wildlife around this month, so much so that I could watch the dolphins playing in the Harbour from the office window at lunchtime on 25th August!
One of the advantages of lockdown has been that many meetings and training events, which would normally be too far to travel to, have been held online. I was therefore able to attend the British Ports Association (BPA) AGM ‘virtually’ this month, and undertake some Health and Safety training organised by the BPA as well. Throughout lockdown the BPA have provided support and guidance, and have lobbied the Government on behalf of Ports, so it was great to have the opportunity to attend the AGM.
We were also finally able to hold interviews and appoint new Board Members. We’re very grateful to Allan Henderson and Johnny MacMillan, who should have finished their term in March, but agreed to stay on until we were able to recruit new Board Members. Both Allan and Johnny have served three terms on the Board since it was reconstituted in 2012, although both have longer associations than that with the Harbour. During their time as Board Members they have made significant contributions to the operations and the development plans for the Harbour, and both will be missed. We’re delighted to have appointed two ladies to replace them, Niki Robertson, who is based in Mallaig, and Shona MacLeay, who is based in Fort William but has worked on a range of Harbour Projects throughout the Highlands and Islands. This means that we now have a perfectly gender balanced Board, with four males and four females (excluding me!).
Our next Board meeting is Friday 11th September, and we had hoped that we would be able to have an open AGM and invite members of the public to learn more about our development plans. However, restrictions still in force mean that this will not be possible – we’ll try again in mid -November. In the meantime, some of you may have seen in the Oban Times on Thursday 27th August, an advert for a public meeting to be held via ‘Zoom’ on Thursday 5th November 2020, starting at 7pm. Mallaig Harbour Authority intends to apply to Scottish Ministers for consent to construct extensions to the Ice Quay and Outer Breakwater Quay. This is effectively to provide more quay space in the area of the Outer Breakwater which is rock armour at the moment. This development was included in the Masterplan, but as a later phase. We are awaiting detailed drawings from our Engineer, and as soon as we have these, we will share them on the website and on Facebook.
The public meeting will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to consider and comment upon the prospective application. Full details on how to join the event will be displayed at https://www.mallaig-harbour.com/news/ , 10 days prior to the event. If you wish to be emailed event details, please contact: consultation@affriclimited.co.uk. If, having seen the proposals, you wish to make representations on the proposed development, please contact: Fiona Henderson, Affric Limited, Lochview Office, Loch Duntelchaig, Farr, IV2 6AW, consultation@affriclimited.co.uk by the 12th of November 2020.
It’s hard to believe that it’s August already! Things are starting to feel a bit more normal on the Harbour, and especially in the office. Audrey, Pimmy and I are all back to working normal hours in the office, and Grace is in every morning to cheer up our days with her singing as she cleans the building to keep us all safe!
The Marina re-opened in mid-July, with reduced capacity, and some changes to the shore facilities so that we are able to maintain physical distancing. We’ve had visiting yachts most nights since re-opening, although obviously it not as busy as we would normally like at this time of year. We’ve welcomed back Michael MacLellan to help Chris with the Marina, and Gena MacLean is in charge of the shore facilities for this season.
One of the yachts that we have welcomed in this month was the ‘Good Dog’, being sailed round the United Kingdom by Mark Ashley Miller, who is raising funds and awareness for the charity Seafarers UK by circumnavigating Great Briatain meeting as many Harbour Masters as possible. We were the 81st Harbour, but only the 3rd of 2020 that Mark has visited, and he spent the morning on the Harbour, and was kindly given a tour of the MOWI salmon factory by Gillie. You can follow his story on Instagram @harbourmastersailingchallenge. Mark’s original intention on leaving Mallaig was to sail round Skye to Portree, but we suggested he could meet another Harbour Master if he called in at Canna on the way!
We have had North West Marine replacing all the pontoon chains, and Mallaig Marine replacing the yacht moorings for us, two jobs that we had hoped to have done at the start of the season, pre-lockdown! We are also expecting GSS to come week beginning 10th August to complete the works on the Loch Nevis berth and the Outer Harbour, which had to be paused for lockdown.
Mallaig Harbour Authority has now become accredited as a Living Wage Employer, which means that we pay all our employees at least the real Living Wage. In normal times, we would have had a staff photo with the plaque, but given that we can’t stand next to one another, it’s just me in the photo!
CalMac have been operating a limited service from 1st July, and from the 8th August aim to increase the frequency of sailings to Armadale from four to five, Monday to Saturday and from 2 to 3 on a Sunday. The Lochboisdale sailings are running 6 days a week – everyday but Sunday, arriving at 11am and departing again at 12. The Small Isles sailings are also less frequent than the normal summer timetable would be, and not all of the islands are ready to welcome back visitors at the moment, so check before you plan your travel. Capacity is still reduced on all sailings, so booking is advised wherever possible, and CalMac have opened the bookings for all sailings up until 18th October.
Western Isles Cruises have also reinstated their full timetable from 3rd August, although with limited numbers to enable physical distancing, so again you are better to book ahead. There are also limited facilities open on Knoydart so if you are intending on going for a day trip the Knoydart Resilience Group are asking that you think carefully and plan ahead before doing so. Western Isles Cruises have also been running hour long wildlife cruises to coincide with the Steam Train.
I had a week off in July, which coincided with a visit to Mallaig by Kate Forbes MSP. In my absence, Charlie and Gavin took the opportunity to update Kate on the Harbour’s Masterplan, the outcome of the STAG appraisal, and the next steps that we are hoping to take.
We are pleased to say that we are able to open the Marina earlier than expected. From today (9th July) until 15th July, we will welcome yachts for short stays and, if they are self-contained, for overnight berths. From 15th July, the Marina and Shore Facilities will be open. In all cases please book ahead, as our capacity will be limited. The easiest way to do this is to telephone 07824 331031 or 01687 462406.
We will be operating an appointment system for use of the showers and laundry (which will not be open until 15th July) to ensure physical distancing is maintained. Crews who are aboard a yacht will be able to book to use the shower and toilet facilities as a group and will have exclusive access to the showers or laundry for this period. The building will be open from 8am until 8pm, but we anticipate that it will be closed from 12-1pm for a deep clean, and again from 4pm until 5pm.
Week commencing 20th July, we will have some work being undertaken, which will involve divers in and around the Marina Pontoons for some of the time. We will therefore require vessels to radio ahead before entering or leaving the pontoon so that the dive operations can be conducted safely.
I’m a bit later in writing this month, but things are changing so quickly that it might be no bad thing! It’s the 1st July, and I have just watched the Lord of the Isles arrive, and for the first time there are a few vehicles in the marshalling area waiting to sail to Lochboisdale. It’s a wee bit of normality on the Harbour, which is quite nice to see!
CalMac have published their timetable from the 1st July, which includes four sailings a day on the Loch Fyne between Mallaig and Armadale, and three sailings a week between Lochboisdale and Mallaig – on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Capacity is reduced on all sailings, so booking is advised wherever possible, and at the moment, CalMac are only taking bookings for up to a fortnight in advance.
Western Isles Cruises are still running their lifeline service, rather than a full timetable, and during July will also be transporting visitors who have accommodation booked on Knoydart, but no day-trippers, campers or walkers.
From today, we will have more staff back on the pier – albeit part-time at the moment. Sandy came back to work at the beginning of June, and Danny and Hugh are returning for July. We’ve re-arranged the office slightly, and hopefully Audrey will be back in the office from week beginning 13th July, so it will be staffed again during normal office hours.
The fishing fleet has had another good month of weather, but some of the usual markets are still closed, and one vessel landed prawns throughout the month, only to have the buyer pull out. Some of them were sold locally, but unfortunately, some of them were wasted – it’s unlikely that this would have happened if local businesses had been open and able to make use of them. It’s been a very challenging time for our local fleet – as if the fishing industry is not difficult enough at the best of times!
We have taken the opportunity of things being a bit quieter to take down the ‘white tent’ at the back of the Co-op, which was damaged and becoming unsafe. It’s amazing how much space this has created, and I have included a couple of photographs courtesy of George Henderson. You will also see a bit more activity around the Harbour over the next few weeks as we implement all the safety measures arising from our risk assessments for coronavirus. In general, this will mean increased signage around the Harbour, and hand sanitiser in strategic positions, especially around both the passenger access and marina pontoons. We know that hard surfaces are a risk when it comes to Coronavirus, and that it’s not practical to sanitise handrails etc. after every use, so we will be putting up signage encouraging people to continue to keep their distance, to wash or sanitise their hands after touching surfaces and to be respectful of other users around the Harbour.
White tent half way downWhite tent gone
We’re also hopeful to have contractors back on-site from 9th July to complete some of the works that were in progress when lockdown began. The first priority is to complete works on the pontoon, which we hope will be done in time to allow us to re-open to visiting yachts on Saturday 18th July, slightly later than the date that most tourism businesses locally will be re-opening. If physical distancing remains at 2m, we will only be able to use one side of each finger of the pontoon, which will limit our capacity, so we will be asking visitors to book ahead. We will also need to limit the number of people using the shore facilities at any one time, so will be asking visiting yachts to book a time if they would like to use the showers or laundry facilities. Again, we will keep posting updates on the Facebook page and the website – https://mallaig-yachting-marina.com/news/. We will also try to provide links to guidance from the surrounding communities, as we are very aware that this might vary between communities, and we want any visiting vessels to be well prepared for this.
We had our first ‘virtual’ Board meeting this month, which was a slightly strange experience when you are used to having everyone around the table in the Harbour Office. However, it was good to be able to update Board Members on what had been happening, and Charlie’s years of experience in Chairing meetings meant that everyone got the opportunity to contribute. I’m not sure we will make it a regular occurrence – although it’s good to know we can do it if we need to again!
Not much has changed from last month, although this last week (up to 29th May), there has been a bit more activity. Our staffing remains the same, as there is not enough work for all staff to be on-site, and Audrey, Pimmy and I are still working from home as much as possible. We are trying to keep the office staffed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am until 1pm.
The fishing fleet has been trying to get back to sea. Again, May has been an amazing month of weather which they have missed out on. Some of the boats have a limited market for their catch, and the Caralisa in particular has been enterprising and selling the majority of their catch locally. Lots of people have been enjoying fresh prawns and monkfish! We’ve turned the ice machine back on, and on one day sold the entire 12 tonnes it holds, which is a positive sign!
The CalMac essential lifeline timetable, which means no sailings to Skye, no calls from the Lord of the Isles, and sailings to the Small Isles only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday is operational at least until the 14th June. We did have a visit from the Lord of The Isles on 18th May, and we are expecting her back for a couple of days the first week in June. There is a new skipper aboard who is taking the opportunity to familiarise himself with the Harbour entrance. Although there are no passengers on board, it was nice to see her – a wee reminder of how things should be at this time of year!
Western Isles Cruises are also operating a lifeline timetable, with one sailing to Inverie on a Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Their music videos are a highlight to the week – have a look on their Facebook page if you haven’t seen them! There’s an amazing amount of freight which has to be taken over – and even we are seeing lots of deliveries at the Harbour Office – we’re grateful to the Posties and Delivery Drivers who are keeping everything moving!
As of 29th May, Scotland has entered Phase 1 of the Scottish Government’s Routemap for recovery. As a result of this, we have changed the guidance associated with the Marina, and are allowing LOCAL TRAFFIC to use the pontoon in line with Government advice. The Shore facilities remain CLOSED, and we are not yet ready to welcome visiting vessels back to the pontoons. We have aligned our guidance very much to the RYA guidance, and published full information on the Marina website, https://mallaig-yachting-marina.com/news/. The key points are:
At the moment access is for LOCAL boat owners only – we are not ready to welcome visiting yachts or other vessels. Guidance is that local means within about 5 miles.
Government guidance is NOT to stay away from home overnight – or to visit other communities. You may anchor for a break, for example lunch, but must not go ashore as this will break the 5 mile rule and could put communities at risk.
Be aware that handrails and water taps etc. will not be sanitised after every use so take precautions by washing your hands / using sanitiser.
The Shore Facilities are not open.
Allow for Social distancing on any of the pontoon walkways.
Observe Government guidance about meeting up with other households
We’re also asking people, in line with the RYA, to be Considerate and Conservative: be mindful of the potential impact that you could have on other water users and local communities. Do not place unnecessary extra strain on the RNLI and emergency services, and please ensure that you are able to cope with the conditions before leaving the Harbour. We’re also very aware that the Small Isles and Knoydart are not ready to welcome visitors yet, so we are reminding people of that.
By the time you read this, my first anniversary of working for the Harbour Authority will have passed. It’s been a quick year, and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to grips with everything that goes on around the Harbour – I am lucky to have a great team around me, both in terms of the staff and the Board. There have been several new challenges for me throughout the year – not least those associated with Coronavirus – but I am looking forward to seeing what the next year will bring.
Also by the time you read this, we should have been celebrating the third annual Marina Day – which would have been Saturday 6th June, and last year marked the end of my first week at work! Unfortunately there will be no barbecue or bucking bronco this year, but hopefully it will be back next year.
The 8th June is World Oceans Day, (www.unworldoceansday.org) and this year’s theme is ‘Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean’. Whilst there are no ‘physical’ events this year, there are a lot of resources online, including resources for children – so it’s worth taking a look.
Finally, our boats have continued to rise to the challenge of supporting the #clapforcarers each Thursday evening. We’ve managed to video some of these, and if you haven’t managed to experience them in person, you can see them on our facebook page www.facebook.com/mallaigharbour (you don’t have to have a Facebook account to see them!) Once again, we are grateful to everyone working hard around the Harbour, and indeed throughout the wider community, to keep things moving.
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