MV Argyll Flyer ferry won't return in time for Highland games

The MV Argyll Flyer ferry will not return to service in time for the Cowal Highland Gathering, a transport official has reported.

The vessel, which has been out of use since March, has suffered a delay to its overhaul as mechanics await a part for the repairs.

It is now anticipated that the Calmac route linking Gourock with Dunoon will continue to operate with a single vessel until the end of September.

However, officials are working on a contingency plan for the Cowal Highland Gathering, which sees thousands visit Dunoon, from Thursday, August 28 to Saturday, August 30.

The discussion took place at a meeting of the Cowal Transport Forum on Monday, August 11. MV Ali Cat is currently the only vehicle operating for Calmac on the route.

Victoria Shaw, resilience and standards manager with Calmac, told the meeting: “The unfortunate news regarding the Argyll Flyer is that we have a delay to the return to service, and it is now looking like the end of September.

“One of the parts we are waiting on for the repair has been delayed and has pushed everything else in the repair plan.

“At the moment we are looking urgently at our contingency options for the Cowal Gathering, and we will report back as soon as we have any plans, hopefully in the next day or so.

“We have everything else in place to support the gathering, like having staffing in place, and we have drafted customer messaging on ticketing.

“But we need to know what service we are proposing, especially for the Saturday, which seems to be the busiest.

“We have another meeting with the organisers and will flag our service status, if we are a single vessel we will liaise on that with our colleagues at Western Ferries.”

Gordon Ross, managing director of Western Ferries, raised the question of whether Calmac would put on a replacement bus for the Cowal Gathering.

Ms Shaw responded: “We want to ensure we are not adding to the traffic, because it is so heavy for the Cowal Gathering. If we put a full bus on they will need to cross the road and get on the ferry.

“We must ensure we are not adding to the pressures and that our customers can get on the designated ferry.

“It was only on Friday we started pulling everything together after hearing the unfortunate news.”

Western Ferries operates the ferry service from McInroy’s Point, nearly two miles away from Gourock Ferry Terminal, to Hunters Quay.

Hunters Quay is around a mile and a half from Dunoon Stadium, where the Highland Gathering is held.