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 Main
Crossings
Small Isles Tender |
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Small Isles Tender @ Eigg |
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Crossing Time:
few minutes |
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Last Ship:
Laig
Bay |
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ROUTE TIMELINE: |
 Ships to Serve: |
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Pre 1980: Various Small Vessels
1980 - 2000:
Ulva
2000 - 2004:
Laig
Bay
Additional Ships:
1984 - 1988
Iona
(relief) |
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Terminal Facilities: |
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Eigg: Newly completed purpose-built terminal to allow
transfer of passengers and goods from ship to shore without the aid of a
flitboat. The slipway is located at the end of a long causeway set out
into a bay on the south of the island. A local tractor is used to offload
the crates of supplies brought in by the ferry.
Various Vessels Calling:
Facilities for loading / unloading ranged from doors cut into the side of
larger vessels where good could be 'passed' onto waiting vessels, to
Hydraulic
cranes on vessels such as Pioneer.
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Route History: |
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Although Eigg is one of the largest of the Small Isles, its approach to
the only main pier is not one for a large cumbersome vessel to attempt!
The necessity for a Tender in the days before Voith Units was well
apparent to get goods to the Island as this operation was highly dependent
on the weather amongst other things. Passengers, livestock and cargo all
had to be transferred from small flitboats onto an awaiting vessel and
vice versa while canting off the islands in open seas. As can be imagined
this could be a bit heart stopping at some points! Never the less the
experienced Crews handled this set up for many years. Even before the
flotilla of MacBraynes vessels there was always a flitboat in operation –
sometimes its self sailing to the mainland for the goods in fair weather. |
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One of the earliest MacBrayne's vessels was the Ulva
who became the very last of the rather cute MacBrayne “red boats” and
would, remarkably, set the post-war record for company service, surviving
almost into the twenty-first century. She was originally ordered by David
MacBrayne Ltd to replace the little Soay at Iona and Staffa but in
September 1980 was transferred to Eigg to serve as flitboat in succession
to the rather old Kildonan, acquired by CalMac in 1975 but built as
long ago as 1923.
Ulva
was a little workhorse for the fleet but by early 2000 her deteriorating
hull finally forced the Company into building her replacement, and
Ulva
made her last tendering run at Eigg on Wednesday 20th December. |
Pioneer
unloading to FB
Laig Bay via side door |
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The following day her brash replacement
Laig Bay arrived from her builders and, under tow by
Loch Linnhe, Ulva left Eigg on Friday 22nd and was later berthed at Tobermory,
awaiting sail. The Laig Bay was to only last a few years until a revolution in the islands
took place. With the help of a European Union grant the Small Isles were
to get a service like they had never seen before. This transformation came
in 2004 with the arrival of the
Lochnevis' (in 2000) and her finished slipways which allowed her to
berth at all the islands and unload her cargo via her huge stern ramp. She
offered a new level of passenger accommodation and comfort that wasn't
even seen on her predecessor the 'wee'
Lochmor.
Greatly improving the service also sadly marked the end of a long list of
loyal, faithful and often forgotten about flitboats and closed another
chapter in Scottish island shipping. |
Hive of activity loading onto the awaiting Pioneer |
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There is however one last time where you can occasionally see a flitboat out
there. During a brief time in the winter it is usually up to one of the
Island Class
and a small chartered vessel to keep the link open while the
Lochnevis is off for annual overhaul - possibly not many of the islanders themselves will miss the flitboats but one or two will look back
on there heyday... |
 Photos by Ian Robertson & Graeme
Phanco |
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SoC
Links |
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Crossings:
Small Isles |
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To see a more detailed description of the islands and photos, visit
Undiscovered Scotland and click on a place. |
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