Sunday 12 January
Due to strong winds and sea swell locally, the today’s last scheduled sailings between Barra and Eriskay have been brought forward by around 90 minutes.
Monday 13 January
Due to strong winds and sea swell, the 07:15 sailing from Ardmhor and the 08:10 from Eriskay are cancelled.
Multiple island ferries are braced for disrupted sailings with rough seas and wind speeds in excess 50mph on the cards.
Current forecasts show a force eight gale brewing for Sunday continuing into Monday
Both inter-island services are on yellow alert with the Sound of Barra crossing at a heightened risk of cancellation at short notice.
MV Hebrides plans an early start to cram in as many sailings as possible before the worst of the gale appears. The vessel is departing Harris two and a half hours ahead of schedule and detouring to pick up traffic in Lochmaddy before going to Skye. She intends to call in at Uist on her way to Tarbert in the afternoon to transport waiting passengers to their destination.
The Skye triangle service on Monday is liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice.
An amended timetable will operate on the Ullapool route on Sunday with the ferry departing Stornoway at 8am instead of 2.30pm. Travellers should check-in by 7.15am. MV Loch Seaforth will leave Ullapool at 11.30am. Citylink will have a bus connecting for the amended sailing times.
MV Loch Seaforth plans to operate a combined passenger and freight service departing Stornoway at 3pm and any new or disrupted passengers can travel on this sailing. The late Sunday night freight crossing is cancelled. Foot passengers are advised to travel on the 8am sailing to meet onward bus connections.
The Seaforth’s Monday morning passenger departure from Lewis is cancelled. Monday’s mid-morning run from Ullapool and the lunchtime ferry from Stornoway face disruption.
Due to the forecast of strong winds and associated sea conditions outwith the vessel’s
Western Isles ferries face weather disruption from southerly gale
11 January 2025
