We approached the pier at Kennacraig cautiously. It was 12:22 and the ferry was not due to leave until 13:00 but they do sometimes fit in extra sailings... So we went along the shore and before heading out past her stern noticed 3 things. 1. the MV Finlaggan was securely moored.. 2. They had not started loading the long queue of cars and lorries. 3. We were being watched from the bridge. So...
...we nipped round her stern without delay. The MV Finlaggan is one of the newer ferries in the Calmac fleet. She was built in Poland in 2011 specifically for the Islay route but she also provides winter relief for the Skye/North Uist/Harris route. She is 90m long with a gross tonnage of 5,209 tons and can carry 550 passengers and 85 cars.
Once past Kennacraig we still had to keep a sharp lookout for other maritime traffic...
...such as FV Silver Lining III (TT37), a 16.6m wooden scallop dredger that was heading out from the quay at West Tarbert at the head of the loch. Her home port is Kilkeel in Northern Ireland and she was built in 1973.
