Three cheers for Sunday ferries

By Greigg Adams

There was only one placard protesting against the sailing.

Talk of a massive protest by campaigners against Sunday ferries out of Stornoway in the end came to nothing as the MV Isle of Lewis left the Lewis port this afternoon heralded by cheers from the quayside.

The ferry which has had undergone repairs to its engine exhaust system left at 2.30pm – bang on the expected departure time and a huge crowd of around 300 cheered her off.  One chap shouted: “Three cheers for Sunday ferries!” and the crowd duly responded with the Hip-Hip-Hoorays, as the vessel slowly manoeuvred out of port.

In the end there seemed to be no organised protest with only one placard on show which read: ‘Remember the Sabbath and Keep it Holy’.

One local who had come to watch the historic moment summed it up for those who have supported Sunday ferries: “We are in the 21^st century now and it’s good that it’s happening, the people who were shouting against the ferries do not speak for everyone on the islands – that’s rubbish – they only speak for themselves.”

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