Sound of Iona Harbours Association

Ever since the re-building of Iona Abbey church which was completed in 1910 , and further works that continued until the late 1960's, there has been a steady rise in the number of visitors to Iona. At one time , a small motor boat ferried up to a dozen passengers at a time across the Sound of Iona. This left Fionnphort from a now derelict landing stage behind the existing slipway. This was later replaced by a slipway and breakwater to the North to enable a Caledonian MacBrayne 'Island Class' ferry to take over the run. Limited in capacity for both passengers and vehicles this too was replaced in 1992 by our current ferry the Loch Buie which in summer months can carry up to 250 passengers . The slipway was widened to accommodate this ferry at the same time.

On the Iona side , the slipway has been extended slowly and piecemeal froma small stone slipway to the present size. Whilst the Fionnphort slipway has a small breakwater just the length of the ferry, there is no protection at all on the Iona side either for the ferry or it's passengers.
tourists land on Iona

Photo John L. Paterson.

In February 1997, due to increasing concern regarding the existing transport link with Mull, and the long term viability of the island's population, Iona Community Council set up a Sub-Committee to look at the feasibility of replacing the ferry service with a fixed link. The Fixed Link Sub-Committee formed a partnership with Argyll & Bute Council, The National Trust for Scotland and Argyll and the Islands Enterprise, and in April 2000, as the first step in the investigation, the partnership commissioned Halcrow Fox to conduct a Socio-Economic Assessment of the impact on Iona and the surrounding area, of three different scenarios. The three options considered were, doing nothing, upgrading the existing ferry service by providing proper breakwaters and berthing facilities, or building a fixed link.
The final report concluded that the "do nothing" option was not tenable, as operational need, and evolving health and safety legislation, would require that improvements be made to the existing harbour facilities. The report also concluded that, subject to environmental and engineering studies, there was a socio-economic case for supporting a fixed link over the upgrading of the existing ferry service. However, following publication of the report and further local discussion of the issues, it was decided that there was not enough local support for the investigations to continue and the Fixed Link Sub-Committee was subsequently disbanded.

Then, in December 2003 Councillor Alastair MacDougall called public meetings in Fionnphort and on Iona to discuss the possibility of upgrading the harbours on both sides of the Sound of Iona. The meetings were well attended and the idea received unanimous backing. A committee was formed to promote the project. There then followed further public meetings on Iona and in Fionnphort to confirm the level of support, as it was felt important that there should be broad support for such a move before any further efforts were made. Again, the support was unanimous and the committee felt that the project could now be pushed forward with full local backing.

The Current Problems

The Sound of Iona is comparatively shallow and has very strong tidal flows. In periods of bad weather, particularly from the South and South West, a swell is set up which affects the Iona slipway , washing completely over it in Southerly gales. The bay to the north of the Iona slipway also has numerous small craft moorings which limit manoeuvring in bad weather. There is no shelter for passengers .

On the Fionnphort side, the slipway is shared by the ferry, local fishing boats and tourist boat operators which at times causes problems with congestion..

Fishing boats use moorings in the bay during the summer months but cannot do so during the winter as it is completely open the SW and W and suffers from swell. Even during the summer months it is rare for the swell to subside sufficiently for the bay to be attractive to visiting yachtsmen.Apart from a small waiting room there is no shelter for passengers.

The ferry is berthed at night on a custom built pier against the nearby island of 'Eilean Nam Ban'. This necessitates the crew getting to the ferry in a dinghy, often in the early hours of the morning in the dark. This can be quite dangerous when there is a strong Northerly wind . The pier itself was badly damaged in a storm during the winter of 2001/2002.

The Aims

Whilst details are still being discussed, it is fair to say that the primary aims of the committee are to promote the building of harbours on either side of the Sound of Iona to ..

1)Improve the safety of passengers and ferry crew travelling to Iona.
2)Improve the reliability of ferry connections to Iona through the provision of safe moorings for the ferry and sheltered slipways for the transfer of passengers.
3)Improve safety and facilities for fishermen, visiting yachtsmen and other local boat users by providing safe and sheltered mooring areas.

As well as achieving the basic aim of creating the harbours it is hoped that the project can include various elements that will enhance the harbours and the surrounding areas. At the moment it is envisioned that these might include

a)Upgrading the potential for expansion of the fishing effort by providing separate storage and landing areas.Also to separate the fishing and passenger useage of Fionnphort Slipway.
b)Provide berthing ,re-fuelling and other facilities for both fishing vessels and visiting boats.
c) Provide improved facilities for passengers.
c) Incorporate as many improvements that will benefit the areas of Iona and Fionnphort as possible.

It should be stressed again that plans are at the earliest stage and that any comments and further suggestions for the improvement of Fionnphort and Iona that could be incorporated into this plan are most welcome.You may email our secretary Mr Colin MacDonald by clicking on his name below. If you would like to see any additions or alterations to the website please contact Ian Slade by clicking on his name below.

It is intended that this web site be developed as a medium to advise all parties of the ongoing progress of the project.

The Sound of Iona Harbours Committee

The Current Problems

The Aims