Ferries Diversions Due To Bad Weather

20th February 2020

MV Hamnavoe diverts via Inner Sound/Gills Bay for passage between Scrabster & Stromness early this afternoon 20.02.20.

This route has been chosen by her Captain as it offers better shelter that attempting to 'direct' 28 mile route to West of Hoy that would have been judged as unviable due to comfort matters ... perhaps even unsafe ... with the recent prolonged Westerly winds/gales leading to big incoming swells from the open Atlantic Ocean.

From Gills Bay the vessel will follow the 'Short Sea Route' across the Pentland Firth, ... the one taken thrice-daily by Pentland Ferries's vessels ... until the calmer waters of Scapa Flow are achieved. When there she will steer a course for Stromness.

The brand-new Alfred has had a better recent record of weather reliability than Hamnavoe in recent weeks covering the period of two Met. Office named recent storms and those have forced strong winds whipping up 10m+ waves into the Pentland Firth.

While diversions for Hamnavoe via Cantick Sound ... an entrance to Scapa Flow from the Pentland Firth ... are regular when strong Westerlies blow over the Far North of Scotland ... re-routing via the Inner Sound/Gills Bay are rare averaging less than one per annum since the present Scrabster to Stromness route was adopted in 1945.

Yesterday Pentland Ferries combined its two scheduled afternoon sailings from Gills Bay into one for mid-afternoon, because of weather conditions /... so the vessels did not 'meet'.