Demand for Sunday ferry crossings between the Western Isles and the mainland shows no sign of letting up, with operators Caledonian MacBrayne reporting bookings for crossings on the Sabbath for “many, many weeks in advance”.
Almost a week on from the historic first Sunday sailing between Lewis and Ullapool, the next is already more than half full.
And the company expects the service to become a year-round fixture when its winter timetable takes effect in October.
CalMac, however, is not counting its chickens.
A spokesman for the firm said: “Last week was, obviously, exceptional, although there were people who went on the ferry because it was there.
“This week is obviously still very busy, but we really aren’t drawing too many conclusions from the figures at the moment. We had the Hebridean Celtic Festival people last weekend, which was one of the reasons for putting it on.
“We have been slightly surprised at the volume of traffic going to Stornoway. We’d always thought the most likely demand was the Stornoway to Ullapool crossing.”
He said there had been no negative feedback as a result of last Sunday.
“We completely respect people’s views, and we understand them. But, because of the legal ruling and the other capacity issues, we feel there is really no alternative but to provide the service,” he added.
Last Sunday’s crossing followed an approach to the Equality and Human Rights Commission by a number of islanders on Lewis and Harris who complained that, by not offering a Sunday ferry, the firm was in breach of the 2006 Equality Act.
CalMac added the service after seeking legal advice from a specialist QC, who concluded that the absence of a Sunday service left the company open to potential prosecution.
Speaking yesterday, Back Free Church minister Iain Campbell, of the Lord’s Day Observance Society, said: “The thing is with us now and we’re going to have to accommodate it, saddened as many of us are that our traditional Sabbath has been further eroded. But CalMac is still providing a good service to the island and we’re supportive of them, even if we disagreed with them on that point.”
The MV Isle of Lewis, which was packed last Sunday, is capable of carrying almost 1,000 passengers and 114 cars. The crossing attracted about 25 protesters, mostly from the Free Church Continuing, who stood in silent condemnation as passengers filed on board.