Archie Burleigh of Largs has written a letter to the Largs and Millport News about the recent coverage concerning the Loch Shira breakdown during the Easter weekend.

Archie said: "I was disappointed in the hysteria evinced by your front page Headline in the Largs and Millport edition of 8th April 2015.

‘Easter Weekend Chaos on Cumbrae!’ As such I would offer the following comments.

Firstly in defence of the ferry Loch Shira, she was built at Ferguson’s on the Clyde and commissioned in June 2007 and has a well proven and reliable Voith-Schneider propulsion system ably powered by two large Caterpillar engines. The propulsion system was first utilised in Britain on the Isle of Wight ferry in 1938.

MV Loch Shira is without doubt the most reliable vessel in the Cal Mac fleet and furthermore is British built. It is indeed unfortunate that she suffered a double whammy with a hydraulic cylinder burst then a main engine failure during the Easter weekend. The engine repair required a manufacturer’s technician but being Easter everyone was on holiday. However Cal Mac did pull out the stops and got additional ferry support on station in a reasonable timescale.

Regarding the fog causing sailing disruptions, it is undoubtedly safer to stay in port rather than risk vessel and passengers by heading off into very poor visibility. I doubt if any of the Cal-mac skippers are homichlophobic and were just using common sense. Some of the older Cumbrae residents might recall the high drama during the fog in March 1953 when the Waverley was unable to sail from Millport and fifty passengers slept on board overnight. On the same day the Marchioness of Graham sailing from Arran to Fairlie via Millport ran aground at Farland point next to Marine Parade. Much excitement indeed! Is this what the Cumbrae ferry users group are advocating?

People that choose to live and visit Islands must realise that they are at the mercy of the weather and the ferry service and there is no point in griping about it. After all is that not one of the wonderful things about Island life that makes it doubly exciting: The sense of uncertainty and inevitability of the experience.

Finally I would have thought that Messrs Gibson and Hill would have realised the Loch Shira is owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited which is a wholly owned Public Corporation of the Scottish Government. Over to you then boys!" Archie Burleigh of Largs has written a letter to the Largs and Millport News about the recent coverage concerning the Loch Shira breakdown during the Easter weekend.

Archie said: "I was disappointed in the hysteria evinced by your front page Headline in the Largs and Millport edition of 8th April 2015.

‘Easter Weekend Chaos on Cumbrae!’ As such I would offer the following comments.

Firstly in defence of the ferry Loch Shira, she was built at Ferguson’s on the Clyde and commissioned in June 2007 and has a well proven and reliable Voith-Schneider propulsion system ably powered by two large Caterpillar engines. The propulsion system was first utilised in Britain on the Isle of Wight ferry in 1938.

MV Loch Shira is without doubt the most reliable vessel in the Cal Mac fleet and furthermore is British built. It is indeed unfortunate that she suffered a double whammy with a hydraulic cylinder burst then a main engine failure during the Easter weekend. The engine repair required a manufacturer’s technician but being Easter everyone was on holiday. However Cal Mac did pull out the stops and got additional ferry support on station in a reasonable timescale.

Regarding the fog causing sailing disruptions, it is undoubtedly safer to stay in port rather than risk vessel and passengers by heading off into very poor visibility. I doubt if any of the Cal-mac skippers are homichlophobic and were just using common sense. Some of the older Cumbrae residents might recall the high drama during the fog in March 1953 when the Waverley was unable to sail from Millport and fifty passengers slept on board overnight. On the same day the Marchioness of Graham sailing from Arran to Fairlie via Millport ran aground at Farland point next to Marine Parade. Much excitement indeed! Is this what the Cumbrae ferry users group are advocating?

People that choose to live and visit Islands must realise that they are at the mercy of the weather and the ferry service and there is no point in griping about it. After all is that not one of the wonderful things about Island life that makes it doubly exciting: The sense of uncertainty and inevitability of the experience.

Finally I would have thought that Messrs Gibson and Hill would have realised the Loch Shira is owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited which is a wholly owned Public Corporation of the Scottish Government. Over to you then boys!"