Sunday ferry set to arrive early

The controversial first Sunday ferry sailing into Stornoway on Lewis will now take place in darkness - just three hours into the island's Sabbath.

The usual vessel on the route from Ullapool to the Western Isles has suffered an engine exhaust fault.

A backlog of hundreds of would-be passengers has built up at the mainland port and a replacement vessel will make four crossings on Saturday to catch up.

These will culminate in an arrival in Stornoway at 0300 BST on Sunday.

Sabbath day

The replacement ferry, the MV Isle of Arran, can only carry half the vehicles of the original boat, the MV Isle of Lewis.

It will also take 45 minutes longer to complete the crossing of the Minch.

The new ferry will therefore conduct a shuttle service between Ullapool and Stornoway throughout Saturday.

It will arrive in Stornoway in the early hours of Sunday.

It is not yet clear when it will leave the Lewis port on the first official Sunday crossing or how many sailing will be made during the day.

The plan for a sailing on the island's Sabbath day has been controversial.

Supporters of the crossing have said family life will be improved in the Western Isles.

Uisdean Macleod said it would allow people with relatives on the mainland to see them more often and oil workers to spend longer at home.

But Peter Lynas, of the Keep Sunday Special campaign, argued that it would see islanders working more at weekends.

Mr Macleod was among islanders who campaigned for the ferry between Stornoway and Ullapool on the mainland to run on Sundays.

He said it would mean tourists taking weekend breaks on Lewis and this in turn generating more money for the local economy.

"The Western Isles have long maintained Sunday as a day of rest to protect relationships and preserve community"

But he also expects significant benefits for island families.

Mr Macleod said: "One of the reasons I campaigned so fanatically for the service is that my two-year-old son Rowan has cystic fibrosis.

"It is a degenerative condition and his care centre where he will have to spend is Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

"We would have moved if this had not happened."

He added that his partner Lesley's mother lives in Ullapool - about 40 miles across the Minch from Stornoway.

Mr Macleod said: "Sailing on a Sunday means our son will see his grandmother more often. Until now, leaving the islands has meant taking time off to get the Monday ferry, or flying which is not cheap."

Islanders working in the oil industry will also have greater flexibility on when they leave Lewis to go offshore, Mr Macleod added.

He said: "Many who work in the oil industry have left the islands to live in Inverness or Aberdeen because it is so difficult to travel from here."

'Lost time'

However, the national Keep Sunday Special campaign said it was concerned people were being forced to accept Sunday sailings against their wishes.

He said: "Given that taxpayers have an interest in CalMac, the legal advice they received should be made public as their decision may have serious consequences across the UK."

"The Western Isles have long maintained Sunday as a day of rest to protect relationships and preserve community. Sunday sailings will inevitably lead to more Sunday working.

He added: "The evidence is clear that parents who work on a Sunday see less of their children that day and most do not make up for the lost time on another day. The sailings will also change the nature of the entire community.

"Keep Sunday Special believes in having time for family, friends and community. Culturally, Sunday has provided a great time to do this."

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