letter of the month
So CalMac have chartered the catamaran Alfred from Pentland Ferries to bolster their flagging Western Isles services. However, now Pentland Ferries’ other vessel, Pentalina, fresh out of drydock, has run aground. Thankfully there were no reported injuries but with Alfred on duty elsewhere, and with the possibility that Pentalina could be out of service for some time, there are likely to be some disgruntled Pentland Ferry customers.
It does seem that the long-standing problems with supporting the Scottish Isles are far from being resolved, and if Pentalina is out of service for an extended period, we could possibly see the bizarre situation where CalMac have chartered Alfred from PentlandFerrieswho, inturn, sub-charter it from CalMac.
I have often worried about catamarans operating in areas exposed to extreme weather; the topsides present a large sail area to the wind and their relatively shallow draught and propulsion
