Text By Dave Wolstenholme

A cold and damp morning in mid September 2004 and Oban and the surrounding area is once again covered in the familiar blanket of mist and cloud; drizzle making sure I got totally drenched without even realising it. I was almost at the end of my week's holiday in western Scotland and a full day's cruise beckoned me to Oban ferry terminal. 

Having found a parking space on the sea front I made my way round to the Railway Pier in the bustling town. Even at 8.00am it was bustling, with people making their way to work, parents taking children to school and of course tourists just milling about having finished their breakfasts and left their hotels or B&Bs.

When I arrived on Oban pierside three ferries were lying there waiting for their turn of duty. Lord of the Isles was idle at the fuel berth, bow facing towards the main berth. The little Eigg was stirring into life as the chargehand turned on the engines and readied her for the day's work. She was untied from her overnight berth near the linkspan and made her way over to the slipway, bow ramp being lowered into the water and onto the concrete incline. By far the largest vessel around was Clansman which was sitting patiently at the linkspan, visor raised yet devoid of passenger activity. This was my ship for the day and in less than half an hour she would sail for Castlebay on the Isle of Barra, via Scarinish on Tiree and the Gunna Sound.

Having bought my ticket from the haven that was the warm and dry information office and ferry terminal building it was on up the gangway and onto the Clansman, entering through her port side. The thought of breakfast was tempting but no, unlike the other sensible souls boarding at the same time, instead of turning left and heading up to the cafeteria at the bow, I headed aft and upstairs - destination open deck! From here I was able to look down on the Eigg as she backed away from the slipway, spun around and headed off for Lismore. 

Shortly before 9.00am an alarm could be heard from down below on the car deck as the watertight bow ramp was secured in preparation to sail. The engines suddenly roared into life, causing vibrations to resonate through the steel structure of the hull and at the appointed time (9.01am) the order was given to cast off and our tether to the pier was no more. A quick spin round and off towards the northern entrance to Oban Bay, dodging the marker buoy for the Corran Ledge and Lord of the Isles was left all alone as she moved into our place and loaded up for Colonsay.

As we left Oban the captain welcomed all onboard and filled us all with confidence as he proceeded to advise that weather conditions were expected to be rough once we left the shelter of Mull, with a force 7, possible as strong as force 9 severe gale forecasted for later on in the morning. There was an ominous hint that all may not go to plan as he proceeded to utter the words 'We hope that you enjoy the sailing and in view of the wind, we'll see how we get on later shall we?' A less than subtle hint if ever there was one! 

Northern entrance to Oban Bay

ISLE OF MULL returning to Oban

We swept round Kerrera's north end and it was out into the Lynn of Lorn. Not far out we passed the Isle of Mull which was making her return to Oban from Craignure on the island after which she is named. Passengers on her outer decks seemed sparse from what I could see - sensible people indeed!

As the Isle of Mull disappeared into Oban Bay, we continued out past Eilean Musdile lighthouse, perched on the rocks at the southern-most tip of Lismore to our starboard side, past Lady Rock and its little beacon to our port side and on towards the Sound of Mull. At this point in the journey the wind was nowhere to be found - had they got the forecast wrong? Thirty five minutes out of Oban and with Duart Castle behind us we entered the Sound of Mull, with Craignure on our left and the beginning of the Morvern peninsula, just visible through the mist to our right. 

Eilean Musdile lightouse marks the southern tip of Lismore

Duart Castle stands guard over the entrance to the Sound of Mull

Looking into Loch Aline from the ferry

We'd been at sea for nearly an hour now and were well into the Sound of Mull. The Clansman pressed on past the mouth of Loch Aline to the right. From here runs the ferry to Fishnish on Mull. Only the day before, when the weather was scorching hot I might add, there were lengthy queues for the crossing and the relief ferry Loch Riddon (normally found at Largs) was sailing full on most of her departures. I couldn't see that being the case today somehow. We passed Fishnish on our left and the old steamer pier at Lochaline on our right and continued towards the dog-leg opposite Salen. With my stomach now complaining rather loudly it was time for one of the best breakfasts I've ever eaten, down in the restaurant on the deck below.

Feeling fully fortified I had a quick browse round the onboard shop. Ideally suited for tourists, with little trinkets and souvenirs of Scotland, I was a tad surprised that one of the best-appointed ships in the fleet had such a small shop. Nevertheless, with a full day on the ferry ahead of me I bought the obligatory postcards and of course the necessary pen. Following this it was back up onto the open deck for a look down the Sound of Mull. By this point we were now approaching Tobermory on the left and Loch Sunart to the right. The weather had also seen a marked improvement and as a result the deck was much more well patronised by budding photographers. We passed Calve Island, which makes Tobermory the safe anchorage that it is, and a clear view into Balamo... er, sorry Tobermory main street could be had from the port side deck.

Across on the starboard deck there was a magnificent view right up Loch Sunart on offer. I remember thinking back to the weather announcement as we left Oban and dismissed it almost completely given the weather we were now experiencing. In the distance the Loch Linnhe was plying her way across the Sound of Mull and the mouth of Loch Sunart to Tobermory on her return journey from the exposed slipway at Kilchoan on Ardnamurchan Peninsula.

Tobermory Harbour

LOCH LINNHE crossing to Tobermory

Leaving the Loch Linnhe to complete her crossing, Clansman next passed the Rubh na Gall lighthouse off to the left and then it was out past the north-western end of Mull - and into the wind! From the sheltered starboard deck a clear view could be had of Kilchoan in the distance whilst a bit nearer was Ardnamurchan - the most westerly area of the British mainland.

As we headed south-west the wind speed increased dramatically and it became quickly apparent that the weather forecasts and announcement at the start of the day were totally accurate after all. It was becoming difficult to stand up out on deck. As we progressed the sea became more lively as white crests were forming on steadily more waves. Clansman herself remained stable thanks to her stabilisers and at this point there was just a gentle up and down motion.

I headed back inside and made my way to the observation lounge at the front of the vessel, overlooking the bow. The forward windows were by this point lined with passengers looking out at the swell we were heading into. At this point it was still dry outside and the view ahead was still clear. To the left was the north west of Mull, to our right was the low-lying island of Coll and beyond it was our first port of call, Tiree. The weather was dull and grey ahead and it looked like rain but I wasn't bothered. I headed back downstairs to get a drink from the cafeteria. By the time I returned upstairs things outside were very different. Clansman was no longer just moving gently up and down. As we came across the swell the ferry started rocking back and forth considerably in the peaks and troughs outside. The two pictures below show the view forwards from the observation lounge.... 

There was an air of anticipation and excitement in the forward lounge. Walking was increasingly difficult as I experienced for the first time a true sense of weightlessness. A number of fellow passengers had reached for the sick bags and had acquired the tell-tale shade of green on their faces. Today was not the best of days to be travelling if you happened to suffer seasickness...! Most of the movement of the Clansman was fairly gentle, however every so often she would ride up on a large peak before plunging sharply and subsequently hitting the next wave - at which point there would be a bang that reverberated around the whole vessel. It was these such waves that created the spray that can be seen in the photograph above right.

Things remained as they were for the next hour or so. Mull quickly disappeared into the next blanket of mist, as did Tiree, Coll and the Treshnish Isles which would normally be seen to the port side. There was little to see until Clansman was nearly at Tiree. Fortunately there was Sky TV available in the lounge and those reclining seats are great to fall asleep in (should I be admitting that?!?) 

As we made the final approach to Scarinish pier on Tiree the public address system woke me up as it came to life. The captain once again addressed the passengers and advised that we were approaching Tiree. Vehicle passengers were recalled to the car deck ready to disembark and those remaining on board for the sailing to Castlebay were 'treated' to a further announcement...

To the dismay of a fair number of passengers the captain advised that due to the very windy conditions  we would not be sailing forth to Castlebay upon leaving Tiree (and I mean windy to the point that several extra mooring ropes were required to keep the Clansman from being blown off the berth and damaging the linkspan). Instead we were advised that the ship would make for the Sound of Mull once more and seek shelter before returning to Tiree to attempt a call there later on in the afternoon as scheduled. I had though about leaving the ship and having a look round Tiree but then there was an addition to the previous message: 'Due to the weather conditions we are unable to guarantee getting berthed at Tiree again this evening. Passengers should bear this in mind before leaving the vessel.' The thought of being stranded on Tiree in a force 9 with no accommodation sorted was enough to send me out onto the rear deck to watch the loading operations - completely the opposite direction to the gangway!

Upon departing Tiree the Clansman was like a ghost ship and it felt like the crew to passenger ratio was almost 1:1. With the Castlebay leg of the journey abandoned the next task was to update the Ships of Calmac news page with information regarding the disruption. The trusty mobile was brought out and the relevant details were texted to Steve and Alan. Sure enough the obvious comment of 'Is it a bit rough then?' came hurtling back my way... Can't remember which of them was the culprit for that one!

In hindsight it was probably the sensible decision to make to curtail the Barra portion of the journey - after all, crossing The Minch would have seen the ferry take the gales and associated swell side-on and so inevitably a lot more rolling would have been encountered!

Having braved the outside deck once more I headed back to the restaurant for a very filling lunch. Although not on the same scale as the fish and chips from The Oban Fish and Chip Shop, the meal was very nice and hit the spot just right. With the wind behind us as we made our way north-east for the Sound of Mull, the ship was much less prone to rocking about and lunch was eaten in comfort.

Passing Coll on the return journey and the mist and rain had cleared somewhat and I headed back onto the open deck. I actually managed to see Lunga and the Dutchman's Cap (aka Bac Mor) over in the Treshnish Isles through the rapidly dissipating mist although the first couple of attempts at photos didn't exactly work. With the Clansman back to gentle rocking as we came into the shelter of Mull I headed back down to the TV lounge and those reclining seats. We were now back within range of the nearest mobile phone mast and my Nokia came alive with texts asking for updates on the crossing and news on any other disruptions.

The Loch Linnhe was still going strong as we passed her on our way into the Sound of Mull. I saw some waves crash over her ramps but it was nowhere near rough enough to force her to back to Tobermory. The Sound of Mull was like a mill pond in comparison to what we had sailed through previously. After three hours of near-constant back and forth rocking motion it was a shock to the system when I could stand up and not have to prepare for the next movement. On the way back from Tiree and into the Sound of Mull I got talking to a couple of fellow passengers about the events of the day so far. One had been intending to travel to Barra as part of a tour of the islands via public transport and consequently the announcement at Tiree was an inconvenience to say the least! (Hello if you are reading this - I hope the rest of your trip was a success!) 

Looking up Loch Sunart from CLANSMAN

View down the Sound of Mull

After a quick trip out onto the deck to get photos of the Sound of Mull I hit the recliners once more - this time they got the better of me and the next thing I remember was an announcement informing the 30 or so passengers that we had turned and were now heading back up the Sound on our way back to Tiree again.

As we passed the Loch Linnhe for the third time I couldn't help wondering what her crew must have been thinking as they saw us pass her for the third time in four hours... I did go outside to look for Lord of the Isles which was scheduled to follow us up the Sound on her crossing to Lochboisdale during the afternoon - but alas the cloud in the distance was obstructing the view.

Looking for LORD OF THE ISLES

One thing about the weather in Scotland is that it can be relied on never to stay constant. When we made the turn and headed back up towards Tobermory it was cloudy and misty. Once we got out into the open sea again however, it was starting to brighten up - sod's law I suppose. The wind was still present and the ship did go through the motions, so to speak, but it was nowhere near as rough heading out to Tiree this time as it had been this morning. 

A token gesture from Calmac was to offer a free meal in the restaurant to all the passengers who had been intending to sail to Barra - typical given that I'd eaten an hour earlier!!! That'll teach me to think through my stomach I guess...

Blue sky!!!

As we pressed on past Coll once more and on to Tiree again the skies became brighter the further we went. As we pulled into Scarinish for the second time that day I began to wish (with the benefit of hindsight of course) that I had got off and gone for a look round the island after all. 

Tiree itself was windy once more (living up to its well-deserved reputation as the windiest place in the UK) and extra mooring ropes were once again used to hold Clansman at the linkspan.

Our return journey saw us conveying four lorry-loads of sheep back from the sales which had been taking place on the island. To say the stern open deck was smelling a bit ripe is an understatement!

The return leg of the journey was largely uneventful. The ferry had filled up and it was strange being amongst lots of other people after five hours on a deserted ship. Passengers took advantage of the Clansman's very limited open deck space in order to enjoy the now dry and largely calm weather. Parasails could be seen on Tiree as we pulled away for the last time yet the wind was nowhere near as strong as it had been this morning.

We were treated to a lovely sunset in true hebridean style as we passed Coll and as the sun slipped down over the horizon we passed Ardnamurchan for the fourth and final time of the day.

Tiree terminal...again

The sail back down the Sound of Mull was totally calm. The ship was overflown by several RAF fighter jets out for a spot of night training, although attempts to get some photos failed miserably and flattened my camera battery in the process! Down past Lochaline and Craignure and we were on the home stretch with the glow of Oban's lights illuminating the sky over Kerrera. It was by this time pitch black with only Lady Rock and Lismore lighthouse giving a clue as to where we were. Nearer to Oban and the beacons on Kerrera and near Dunollie Castle identified our entrance to the bay and we were berthed at the linkspan in next to no time.

As I walked down the gangway onto Oban pier I had time to reflect on the experience that today had been. There was I expecting to sail out to Castlebay in the morning - no problem, lets get aboard and go! But when we were in the thick of it on our first trip out to Tiree in the morning I began to appreciate that big though Clansman and her consorts may be, they are still at the mercy of the sea at the end of the day. It was only after I left the ferry that I appreciated the judgement of the captain all those hours ago.

All in all it was a very enjoyable day out. Shame about not getting to Barra but - you win some, you lose some! At least I wasn't seasick...

Sunset over the Hebrides

Sailing back in darkness

All photos taken by Dave Wolstenholme