JOHN O’GROATS FERRIES
Another successful independent
operator, John O’Groats Ferries
provides a passenger service from
John O’Groats to Burwick, Orkney,with three return trips a day until the
end of August and a single circuit in
September by the 250-passenger
Pentland Venture (1987/186gt).
Crossing time is 40 minutes, withbicycles carried free of charge, and
there are also coach connections
between Burwick and Kirkwall, with
free car parking in John O’Groats.- 01935 611353, http://www.jogferry.co.uk
http://www.shipsmonthly.com • Summer 2018 • 29
the nine-strong Orkney Ferries fl eet
runs to 13 island destinations. The three
largest units, Varagen (1988/928gt)
taking 144 passengers and 33 cars,
and 771gt sisters Earl Sigurd and
Earl Thorfi nn, were delivered by
McTay Marine in 1990 and carry 190
passengers and 26 cars on North
Isles services linking Kirkwall with
Eday, Stronsay, Sanday, Westray, Papa
Westray and North Ronaldsay.
Two other larger units are Hoy
Head (1994/358gt), running from
Houton to the South Isles of Hoy and
Flotta, and Thorsvoe (1991/385gt),
serving Shapinsay and the South
Isles. The remaining ferries are
Eynhallow (1987/104gt), Graemsay
(1996/90gt), Shapinsay (1989/199gt)
and the passenger-only Golden
Mariana (1973/33gt).
- 01856 872044, orkneyferries.co.uk
PENTLAND FERRIES
Founded by Andrew Banks in 2001
using former CalMac vessel Iona as
Pentalina B to establish a passenger/
vehicle service from St Margaret’s
Hope, South Ronaldsay, to Gills Bay
near John O’Groats in Caithness,
Pentland Ferries quickly became
a Scottish ferry success story, with
Saturn, another ex-Cal Mac ferry,
introduced as Orcadia in 2015.
A fi rst new vessel was ordered from
FBM Maritime in the Philippines and
debuted as Pentalina in 2008, carrying
345 passengers and up to 70 cars. The
Pentland Firth is crossed in around an
hour, with up to three return trips a
day. The efforts of managing director
Banks were recognised with the award
of an OBE presented by the Queen at
Buckingham Palace in March 2014. The
company is now awaiting delivery of a
new 430-passenger/98-car catamaran
designed by BMT Nigel Gee and
being built at Vung Tao, Vietnam by
Strategic Marine.- 01856 831226, pentlandferries.co.uk
SHETLAND FERRIES
Like its Orkney counterpart, Shetland
Island Council is responsible for a big
ferry network, with eight different
services covered by 11 vessels. The
largest are 1,861gt/2004-built sisters
Dagalien and Daggri, which took
over the route from Toft, Mainland
to Ulsta, Yell, with up to 26 crossings
a day, each built at Gdansk, Poland,
handling 145 passengers and 30 cars.
Three other vessels can carry up
to 100 passengers, with Hendra(1982/248gt) and Linga (2001/658gt) on
the Laxo-Symbister route, while Leirina
(1992/429gt) links Lerwick with Maryfi eld,
Bressay. The longest sailing is four
hours from Fair Isle north to Grutness,
with some trips continuing to Lerwick
using Good Shepherd IV (1986/76gt),
which mainly carries agricultural
vehicles and is hauled up on a marine
slipway in Fair Isle after each voyage.- 01806 244234, shetland.gov.uk/
ferries
RIVER TYNE
NEXUS
The South Shields-North Shields
passenger service is the only remainingTyne link from river crossings which
date back to 1377. Operated by
Nexus, the Tyne and Wear Passenger
Transport Executive, there are half
hourly services taking seven minutes
operated by the Swan Hunter-built
220-passenger Pride of the Tyne
(1993/222gt) and Spirit of the Tyne
(2006/174gt), built at South Shields by
TGS, with a design based on Gosport
Ferries Spirit of Gosport and Spirit of
Portsmouth. She replaced Shieldsman,
which enjoyed a 30-year Tyne career.
Excursion cruises from South Shields
normally operate in August and
September, but 2018 details were still
awaited as we went to press.- 0191 202 0747, http://www.nexus.org/ferry
Hamnavoe crossing the Pentland Firth and heading for Scrabster in 2013. Pentalina, near home port St Margaret’s Hope, is due to be replaced soon.