Boat formerly based at Benbecula Airport to be repurposed as safety vessel at Lochboisdale Harbour
Abigail Taylor
Lochboisdale Harbour has secured a new safety vessel from Benbecula Community Council, which was previously held at Benbecula Airport. Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) last year donated the boat to Benbecula Community Council.
Now the six and a half foot humber rib boat will serve as a safety boat along Lochboisdale Harbour and work with the coast guard in any accidents and emergencies in the vicinity.
Benbecula Airport manager Roddy Mackay said: “The craft was gifted to Benbecula Community Council, which was able to liaise with other island community groups to see who could benefit from an addition to their fleet.
“Lochboisdale Development Ltd expressed interest in the craft and subsequently purchased it from Benbecula Community Council. We are delighted the rib is staying locally and will be used by local people, while the funds from the sale will be used to benefit the community in other ways.”
Rona Mackay, chair of Benbecula Community Council, explained that the plans were put to the joint group, Uist Association of Community Councils, in order to decide the next steps.
“We asked if they were interested in making it a joint project as the airport doesn’t just serve Benbecula, it is used by people from across the islands. We put out information about the vessel and asked if anyone had any interest in the boat in the community.”
Benbecula Community Council and Lochboisdale Development Ltd agreed the price of £6,500 for the vessel, which was then approved by the association before a payment was made.
Donald Currie, Harbour Master at Lochboisdale, explained the use of the vessel: “It will be a safety boat in the harbour area. We are a harbour authority so we have to manage the inlet into the harbour and make sure the channel is clear for ferries and fishing boats to get through. The vessel can be used in order to make sure the channel is safe and clear at all times.”
A group of volunteers have already got together to prepare for the arrival of the boat at the harbour. They, alongside Donald, will train to work with the coastguard in the event of emergencies.
As harbour master, Donald was already receiving calls from the coastguard if there were incidents nearby, but now with the new arrival on the docks, he will be able to assist wherever possible.
“The coastguard would still send a lifeboat and then if we could assist in any way, we would take guidance from them and, if we had people available, we were able to help.
“Barra lifeboat is about an hour away from the harbour, plus the time to get the crew sorted on the boat. There have been incidents before where the lifeboat had been deployed but it was fishermen who got to the incident first. It’s an extra blanket of safety to have here, that we can send our vessel to help in these situations.”
This season is expected to be busier at Lochboisdale Harbour if restrictions from the pandemic are lifted. With more people in the area, there is a much higher chance of accidents in the water. The crew at the harbour is hopeful that some events will be able to take place and therefore are grateful that the vessel will be on site if needed.
Donald explained: “We would normally have to hire a safety crew for events like regattas but now we are able to provide this service ourselves with the volunteers here.”
He expressed his gratitude to HIAL and the fire service for maintaining the boat and allowing it to be placed into the hands of the community.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank HIAL for donating this vessel to the community council and allowing us to take it on. I would like to thank the fire service for looking after and maintaining the vessel as well. Benbecula Community Council and Cllr Iain MacNeil also, for all their support.”
