Bon Accord

You shouldn't say things like "keep up" when you clearly haven't even bothered to read the article you're quoting. The tendering process hasn't begun - it clearly states that in the article, it's merely expressions of interest at the moment. No contract has been awarded to anyone, that's not expected to occur for at least 6 months - it also clearly states that in the article. The title of the article also clearly states that no less than 13 different shipbuilders have expressed an interest, so that's FMEL plus 12 others have expressed an interest in bidding. Yet despite that really quite clearly worded article you've somehow managed to come up with "Plus they've already committed to even more new ferries from the same place (Ferguson).". Would you care to explain just how you've arrived at that conclusion?

No they haven't. The next phase of the ferry replacement plan hasn't even started the tendering process yet.

Ditto. I'm glad I had my time when I did and whilst in some ways I would do it all again, I'd be doing it from back then; I certainly wouldn't do it starting today. A very good friend of mine retired a few years ago after spending 52 years at sea, of which the latter 39 years of that time were spent serving as Master. When asked if he missed the life, ever the wordsmith, his response was "I miss the crack with the lads, but I certainly don't miss the viscosity of the s**t".

It got upto £1600 at one point, then obviously bids were retracted.

I think if I was paying over a grand for four 6 wheel coaches they'd be of the brass built variety... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/135213253156

There's actually 17 ferries per day to Arran at the moment across two routes and three vessels. But it's a wonder just how the 5000 folk who live on that rock can cope with being so cut off from civilisation, or at least that's what the media would have everyone believe.

Yesterday was our annual 'jolly boys outing' to Brodick aboard WAVERLEY. Not much point adding photographs, but here's a short video of her main engine on the homeward leg. We were running slightly late due to berthing clashes with the ferries at Brodick, so she was running a little faster than normal in order to make up time.

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Looks to be a larger version of our own LRIC - carbon fibre, high speed, low radar signature boats used by those nice people at Poole. Not cheap, which makes me surprised to see what looks like a Furuno X band perched on top.

The former RRS Ernest Shackleton in the background of the penultimate picture, now named Laura Bassi and operated by the Italians.

She's the former Brecon; since being decommissioned in 2005 she's now used as a static training vessel with HMS Raleigh. Dartmouth college also has a similar vessel, in their case the former Sandown class vessel Cromer, now renamed Hindostan.

Wrong thread.

They've already built three electric small vessels of exactly this type for Calmac, the only difference being in their case they were also hybrids. They were delivered in 2013/2014/2016.

It has to be remembered that we're looking at a quote from 150 years ago. Any expression of sentimentality and/or emotion was looked upon very differently back then - if conveyed at all - as it simply wasn't the done thing in public. If it was required, then it would be done so in what to modern eyes would be considered as a very restrained if not cold manner, particularly by what we'd now call "senior management" speaking at an official, minuted meeting. Indeed what we consider unfeeling or cold in today's world could easily have been considered an outburst of emotion back then. In that vein it should also be remembered that the individual making the remarks was very likely a child of the 1820s or before. My own point of view is that the Chairman's remarks were quite compassionate for the time, particularly when it came to praise for his own workforce.

As I remember it was circa 1995 that the last steam crane still on the network was disposed of (at Toton or Bescot?) - I remember reading an article about it. When it had last worked though I have no idea.