BLUEMOMENT

There's a Notice in the Oban Times looking for contractors to develop pontoons at Lochaline. There's not much detail and searching the web found only a couple of bureaucrats' documents that shed no more light. For yotties, I think this is unnecessary but there are many divers in the area so they might be the main target. Is there money for this sort of public development just now?
Derek

There is some enthusasm in Lochaline to try to get economic benefit from the yachties they see going up and down the Sound of Mull.

I like the anchorage at the upper end of Loch Aline, but it is not convenient for getting to the pub, the shop or the White House restaurant. I think the hope is that if they had a couple of visitors' pontoons it might bring more money into the village (particularly now that the sand-mine has closed).

Alan_D wrote:(particularly now that the sand-mine has closed).

I didn't know that. Was the entrance dredged for the ships? What about the bouyage. I assumed that was for the ships. Will that remain - it's a few years since we were there but I doubt Yachts need it.

http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index. ... eLochaline" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I despair. 11 "proper" jobs gone, plus I assume some peripheral economic boost. Can an entire nation exist on nothing but selling each other Chinese products? We're going to find out I guess.

Mark wrote:Was the entrance dredged for the ships? What about the bouyage. I assumed that was for the ships. Will that remain - it's a few years since we were there but I doubt Yachts need it.

I think the CalMac Ro-Ro ferry to Fishnish (Mull) is the chief user of the buoyed channel, and it is not under threat.

Alan_D wrote:I think the CalMac Ro-Ro ferry to Fishnish (Mull) is the chief user of the buoyed channel, and it is not under threat.

Mind you, the trees obscuring the leading line could be cut back a bit, what with that big jaggy rock on the starboard side, just before the entrance....

Shard wrote:

Alan_D wrote:I think the CalMac Ro-Ro ferry to Fishnish (Mull) is the chief user of the buoyed channel, and it is not under threat.

Mind you, the trees obscuring the leading line could be cut back a bit, what with that big jaggy rock on the starboard side, just before the entrance....

The point Don didn't stress, is that the above-mentioned bits need to be combined and considered as one big hazard to yotties, since the ferry ALWAYS reaches the narrows at the same time as the trees, rock - and you.
AND it seems to need to go at full pelt to maintain steerage in the current.
Nae prisoners here then.

I see from the latest issue of Dé tha dol? ("A paper for Moidart, Ardnamurchan and Morvern") that work has started on the pontoons and they are advertising for a manager for "... a new 24 berth pontoon installation..." to start at the end of May or beginning of June.

Do any forumites know where the pontoons are to be sited?

Alan_D wrote:I see from the latest issue of Dé tha dol? ("A paper for Moidart, Ardnamurchan and Morvern") that work has started on the pontoons and they are advertising for a manager for "... a new 24 berth pontoon installation..." to start at the end of May or beginning of June.

Do any forumites know where the pontoons are to be sited?

We were in Lochaline last weekend and there was no sign of anything happening that I noticed.

I was there week before last, and it looked like there was a new small gabion jetty just north of the mine pier: looked like the header for a linkspan?