The coming Easter weekend is set to be a massive financial setback for tourism related businesses in Uist, Benbecula and Barra…while there's still great uncertainty about the pattern of ferry services over the coming month.

And bad weather over the weekend is only going to make things worse. The UK Met Office warned yesterday (Wednesday April 1) that a spell of very strong winds later on Saturday and overnight into Easter Sunday morning may cause some damage and travel disruption throughout the Western Isles – which are all covered by a Yellow Warning for strong winds. 

CalMac CEO Duncan Mackison said yesterday (Wednesday April 1) : "The ongoing challenge of vessel availability is likely to be compounded by severe weather over Easter weekend.

"MV Glen Sannox will return on Thursday, providing further relief after MV Isle of Islay's entry to service. That being said, I know island communities still face disruption and I apologise for that continuing.

"We recognise that services on the Outer Hebrides and across Coll, Tiree and Colonsay are the most heavily disrupted, and we are working towards restoring a level of normality to those by the middle of next week."

"Our plan for Easter weekend is:

• MV Glen Sannox will, subject to successful trials, return to service on Troon-Brodick on the afternoon of Thursday 2 April
• MV Isle of Islay will remain on Kennacraig-Port Askaig 
• Current deployment plans will remain unchanged from previous updates

• send MV Glen Sannox to Oban-Castlebay to carry out berthing trials and, subject to these being successful, put her in service for Barra
• Redeploy MV Isle of Islay to the Uig-Tarbert/Lochmaddy route

"This will allow us to:

• End the Uig-Tarbert/Lochmaddy/Castlebay shared service and restore services on Barra and the Little Minch to what they were planned to be
• Redeploy MV Clansman to Oban-Coll/Tiree/Colonsay, which she is much better suited to than the currently deployed MV Isle of Mull 
• Redeploy MV Isle of Mull to Oban-Craignure and enhance services on that route

"It does mean that Islay will be a single-vessel service with MV Finlaggan, and Arran will be a single-vessel service with MV Caledonian Isles until MV Alfred returns from overhaul to operate Troon-Brodick.  It also assumes MV Isle of Arran and MV Lord of the Isles, our two major vessels currently off with technical issues, remain unavailable.

"This deployment plan would remain under review, and would be in place until MV Hebrides returns to service from planned annual maintenance, which is scheduled for Wednesday 15 April."

Torcuil Crichton MP renewed his calls for swift compensation after meeting with businesses in Uist yesterday (Wednesday) which heard details of the mounting losses being felt across the Western Isles.

The Labour MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar said the tourism sector in Uist was open and eager for business but the £4 million Resilience fund to help those affected by the impact of previous ferry disruption had to be opened again, simplified and delivered swiftly.

Mr Crichton said: “Easter trade is the stepping stone to staffing and refurbishment in the hospitality industry and many other businesses are facing supply and logistical issues thanks to the loss of ferry services.” Only three of 13 self-catering units in Eriskay are booked over Easter and how hotel in North Uist has only one booking over the weekend which usually marks the beginning of the tourist season.

Mr Crichton and Scottish Labour candidate Donald MacKinnon met with members of the South Uist Business Impact Group to discuss the crisis.

Mr Crichton said: “ Every conversation we had in Uist on Wednesday reflected how confidence has taken a real knock because of repeated ferry failures.”

Donald MacKinnon, Labour’s Holyrood candidate, said: “Change is needed at the top. A Scottish Labour government would scrap CalMac and CMAL and deliver a new ferry agency with islanders on the board and accountability at its core.

“The blame for the current situation falls directly at the door of successive SNP ministers who have ignored the warnings of islanders and have let the service deteriorate to where we are today.”