Tag: adventure

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CalMac has one of the youngest ferry fleets in the developed world

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From the Herald (SoS) today, the above and: This is a new low for Maritime Williams, the Herald’s Captain Hogwash. ’15 of 33 vessels now at least 30 or over?’ There 37 CalMac ferries in service and there are 15 in that age range. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caledonian_MacBrayne_fleet Who to compare with? Washington State Ferries, operating out of Seattle to a comparable island archipelago in the USA and British Columbia Ferries, operating out of Vancouver to a comparable island archipelago in Canada, but both areas with a GDP far higher than in Scotland. Isle of Wight and Channel Island ferries are far too … Continue reading CalMac has one of the youngest ferry fleets in the developed world

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Storm Boelo today is further evidence that Scotland does not need cheap, unseaworthy, catamaran ferries – Why on earth do Liberation Scotland support them?

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The combination, above, of adequate crew, decently paid, and the stability of employment needed to learn such skill, along with the superiority of well-built, at times ‘expensive’ mono-hulls over the cheap catamarans some would foist on us in a politicised media campaign against the SNP in government. Storm Boelo reminds us of this tragic event in August 2026: Widely broadcast this morning and from BBC Europe yesterday, the above and: At least eight people have died and 18 others are still missing after a passenger boat [a twin-hulled catamaran] capsized off northern Cyprus, the head of the Turkish administration there … Continue reading Storm Boelo today is further evidence that Scotland does not need cheap, unseaworthy, catamaran ferries – Why on earth do Liberation Scotland support them?

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UK Labour promises a tiny 2.2% increase in tree planting in a sad effort to catch John Swinney’s 35 million tree lead

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Before the crowdfunder finishes tomorrow, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at:Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingOr by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 In the Guardian today: Half a million trees will be planted across England in the next three years to protect against extreme weather, the environment secretary, Angela Eagle, will pledge on Wednesday morning. Mayors, local authorities, charities and grassroots groups will be given new funding and responsibilities for restoring natural landscapes such as wetlands, river edges and meadows, which can provide natural flood management and reduce the damage done by droughts. The … Continue reading UK Labour promises a tiny 2.2% increase in tree planting in a sad effort to catch John Swinney’s 35 million tree lead

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Cyprus catamaran ferry turns over and sinks losing up to 26 in wind speeds far below those felt daily by CalMac boats with no loss of life ever while UK-based Townsend Thoresen have lost nearly 200

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Yesterday’s tragedy in Cyprus caused me to wonder if any CalMac ferry had ever sunk with the loss of life? When you look at the far worse weather conditions around the West Coast of Scotland, surely there have been incidents? You can see below that many CalMac vessels sail in far stormier conditions than you would find in the Eastern Med. Yesterday, off Kyrenia, winds were gusting at up to 22kph, high for the area, but way below what CalMac mono-hulls can manage. Have … Continue reading Cyprus catamaran ferry turns over and sinks losing up to 26 in wind speeds far below those felt daily by CalMac boats with no loss of life ever while UK-based Townsend Thoresen have lost nearly 200

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Further evidence that Scotland does not need cheap catamaran ferries – ‘a mono-hull’s seakeeping and residual stability characteristics would have given passengers a markedly better chance’

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Widely broadcast this morning and from BBC Europe yesterday, the above and: At least eight people have died and 18 others are still missing after a passenger boat [a twin-hulled catamaran] capsized off northern Cyprus, the head of the Turkish administration there has said. Ünal Üstel, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Turkish republic on Cyprus, said the ferry had been carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members when it began taking on water after departing the coastal town of Kyrenia on Sunday. and: Üstel … Continue reading Further evidence that Scotland does not need cheap catamaran ferries – ‘a mono-hull’s seakeeping and residual stability characteristics would have given passengers a markedly better chance’

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Another nail in the coffin of the Herald’s cheap catamaran plan for Scotland

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From Fox News yesterday: Tourists hopping between Greece’s islands on high-speed ferries are reporting rough rides and brutal bouts of seasickness along the way. Across social media, travelers this summer have been opening up about stories of rocky crossings, ill passengers and crews handing out sickness bags. Given all the reports, the ferry has been dubbed the “vomit comet,” according to The Wall Street Journal. High-speed ferries are a popular choice for travelers looking to move quickly between Greece’s islands, said Mina Agnos, founder and president of luxury travel company Travelive. “We see most clients looking for the quickest point from A to B,” she … Continue reading Another nail in the coffin of the Herald’s cheap catamaran plan for Scotland

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For the West Coast of Scotland’s island routes, mono hull ferries are still generally better suited due to their stability in rough seas, higher capacity for passengers and freight

johnrobertson834

I fully support Liberation Scotland‘s UN mission to have Scotland recognised as a colony. Who ever thought it wasn’t? However, their other agenda to abuse the SNP and everything it has achieved in government, is risible and divisive. Here’s the latest – bloody catamarans again! By no measure, based on evidence globally, is Scotland’s ferry system failing. It’s the best in the World. https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2025/03/06/tory-mp-with-worst-local-ferry-service-in-the-uk-feeds-labour-opportunity-to-lie-about-best-ferry-service-in-the-uk/ https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2025/12/23/calmac-youngest-ferries-best-funding-and-most-staff/ Simlarly, catamarans are not the answer. Here’s the answer: Throughout much of 2024, the Herald worked with opposition politicians in a campaign aimed at undermining CalMac and, by association, the SNP’s competence in government. We, at TuS found several … Continue reading For the West Coast of Scotland’s island routes, mono hull ferries are still generally better suited due to their stability in rough seas, higher capacity for passengers and freight

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Largs to Millport ferry, four times every hour, with capacity for 6 million passengers and three quarters of a million cars only used one eighth and one third of that capacity in 2024 – who pays for such generosity?

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Every year, thousands of drivers, often in SUV’s, try to get on to a tiny island which thousands of others walk and cycle round, their potentially lovely day spoiled by those same drivers. There’s a well-run bus service from the ferry slip to the town with hundreds of bicycles for hire and lots of wee cafes to relax in. I’ve been there more times than I can remember and never felt the need to take a car. These days, I’d struggle to get round the island on feet or wheels but there’s no way I’d be bullying my way round … Continue reading Largs to Millport ferry, four times every hour, with capacity for 6 million passengers and three quarters of a million cars only used one eighth and one third of that capacity in 2024 – who pays for such generosity?

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South Uist Business Impact Group appears to be inventing problems that, in reality, are not there

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By stewartb Media coverage of ‘ferries’ news has left a lot to be desired. This is true of local press coverage as well as national. In the run up to the Holyrood election there was local press coverage in the Western Isles that seems to exemplify the problem. From Hebrides News online (April 3, 2026): ‘Island economy struggles ‘turning into a nightmare’ due to CalMac ferry crisis’. Firstly readers are told this: ‘South Uist Business Impact Group (SUBIG) have raised concerns over reduced animal welfare as a result of CalMac’s cuts to ferry services’ and ‘The ferry action group said: “CalMac’s cuts mean … Continue reading South Uist Business Impact Group appears to be inventing problems that, in reality, are not there

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The Great Scottish Ferry Inconvenience Media War

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Lesley Riddoch in her early April 2026 podcast said on the ferries crisis (literally) I’ve got to say personally, I’m sick of hearing people on the mainland ‘attack islanders’ for simply expecting that they can be connected. Just to remind you we all live on an island, and it would be a bit like saying Scotland’s a bit too expensive to include in UK national systems so let’s just charge them more. We wouldnae, would we?’ Who are those ‘people’ attacking islanders then? Turns out it’s me! ‘I’m probably gonna lose some friends on this because I am absolutely sick … Continue reading The Great Scottish Ferry Inconvenience Media War