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The Firth of Clyde ferry route to Brodick on Arran is set to resume today (10 February) - weather permitting - but sailings to the island will be departing to and from Troon Harbour, and not the usual port of Ardrossan.

Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) had made the switch to Troon earlier week with the MV Isle of Arran. The reason for the call to this port was due to the strong easterly winds ruling Ardrossan Harbour out of action until Monday.

These same strong wind conditions led the ferry operator however to cancel Troon sailings that were to take place on Thursday.

Services on the south-west Scotland route had remained out of action yesterday, Friday, but, if the weather is kind today, MV Isle of Arran will operate the main Brodick service out of Troon.

As there is a change of the mainland port, a shuttle bus service will be put on so to take passengers between Troon - where parking is limited - and Ardrossan.

The routine service from Ardrossan Harbour to Brodick should resume on Monday.

More from Ardrossan&Saltcoat Herald on the changing ferry scene.

As for the latest information on sailing updates from the CalMac website here.

Published in Ferry

The Coastguard co–ordinated a multi-agency response to rescue a paraglider who crashed into a cliff on the Isle Of Arran yesterday.

Belfast Coastguard was contacted at 4pm by Police Scotland for assistance after a mid air collision between two paragliders on the Isle Of Arran. One of the paragliders managed to land but the other crashed into a cliff at Catacal about half a mile inland, sustaining injuries and suspended in an inaccessible location on the cliff.

Belfast Coastguard sent the Arran Coastguard Rescue Team and requested the Royal Navy Rescue Helicopter from Prestwick to attend. Members of Arran Mountain Rescue team were transferred to the cliff top by the rescue helicopter and will attempt to recover the paraglider using cliff rescue equipment.

Arran Coastguard Rescue Team are providing the on scene communications between airbourne and land based responders. Police Scotland and Scottish Air Ambulance are also on scene.

Published in Coastguard
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About the Melges 15 Dinghy

The Melges 15 was designed by Reichel/Pugh and built by Melges.

The design prioritises stability, comfort, ease of use, and performance. 

The Melges 15 is built to be sailed by everyone from friends and couples to families and kids. The design offers performance, comfort, and stability in one sleek package.

The Melges 15’s stable hull shape and ergonomic cockpit make it a suitable layout for adult racing and educational sailing. Easy conversion from a club configuration (non-spinnaker) to a one-design setup, provides more versatility to club programs and options for individual owners.

“The Melges 15 creates a clear pathway for junior sailors to get started and stay excited about sailing while also being comfortable and accessible enough for adults to learn, race, or cross-train,” according to Harry Melges III.

With the main design goals focused on stability and performance in various conditions, the boat features a narrow overall beam and a flat cross-section shape for stability, righting moment, and ease of planing. For a more forgiving feel upwind and to navigate larger sea states, the Melges 15 has just the right amount of fore and aft rocker.

Melges conducted extensive research and product testing to produce this layout factoring in cockpit depth, backbone height, and floor plan. The result, they say, is a comfortable environment for both the skipper and crew. The deeper cockpit takes the load off the sailor’s knees helping them feel locked into the boat while the high boom and gnav vang system work together to make the boat easier to manoeuvre.

The asymmetric spinnaker offers an additional performance element, while the single-pull launch and retrieval system makes handling the sail easy and fast.

 

At a Glance - Melges 15 Specifications

  • LENGTH 15 ft 
    BEAM 5 ft 6 in
    DRAFT 2 ft 7 in 
    HULL WEIGHT 230 lbs
  • SAIL AREA
    MAIN 93.6 sq ft 
    JIB 39.8 sq ft 
    ASYMMETRICAL SPINNAKER 156 sq ft 
  • CREW 2

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