The North Boat (Northlink ferries)

[Far Haaf]

Donkeys years ago Shetland Produce could feed everyone on the Island .

Now with the influx of much needed incomers this is no longer possible .

Whenever you hear a ferry has been cancelled people tend to panic buy .

I personally have a family member that needs certain foods and medication due to an ailment , so I do panic when ferries are cancelled or delayed .

I don't quite understand your point about incomers.

In the past the population of Shetland has been very much higher than it is at present (if I recall correctly, about 50% higher in the mid 19th century), but it still survived on local produce. Are you saying that incomers can't/won't eat local produce?

If Shetland produce could feed 30+ thousand folk in the 19th century, why can't it feed 20+ thousand now?

Any answer apart from "I will only buy from Tesco" will be accepted.

[beachcaster]

^ Agree with crofter, I have lost two days work this week, as I am waiting on parts coming up from Aberdeen. Luckily my employee had a couple of days off or I would have been paying him to stand around and do nothing for the past two days.

 

Next week will be a nightmare, as I am already two days behind schedule before the week even starts. Thats if the parts get on the ferry, as there will be a backlog of trucks in Aberdeen waiting to come North so there is no guarentee that the truck with my stuff will get on the ferry, when it does eventually sail.

 

Food is not worring me in the slightest, as if you don't work, you don't have money to buy food in the first place.

 

Edited for a typo.

[Muppet]

Where did anyone say we were all going without until Shetlandpeat assumed we were?

 

In fact the post before his referred to just the opposite!

 

As subsequent posters have said, we rely on the ferries for more than just having plenty of fresh pizza's in the supermarkets.

[Far Haaf]

^ Agree with crofter, I have lost two days work this week, as I am waiting on parts coming up from Aberdeen. Luckily my employee had a couple of days off or I would have been paying him to stand around and do nothing for the past two days.

 

Next week will be a nightmare, as I am already two days behind schedule before the week even starts. Thats if the parts get on the ferry, as there will be a backlog of trucks in Aberdeen waiting to come North so there is no guarentee that the truck with my stuff will get on the ferry, when it does eventually sail.

 

Food is not worring me in the slightest, as if you don't work, you don't have money to buy food in the first place.

 

Edited for a typo.

But, why are you worse off with the current ferry service, compared to the days when there were only 2 ferries per week, or less?

Too many people here seem to forget when times were harder, but nevertheless accepted as a fact of island life.

 

And, if your income depends on a spare part arriving on schedule, try air freight. I've done that many times to ensure that a job will be completed on time, rather than fail to meet a promised deadline.

[beachcaster]

^ I don't even know where to start with that question, but here goes.

 

I am ordering parts from Aberdeen every day, wit the expectation that they will arrive in Lerwick the following day or the day after if the parts have to travel from further afield.

As a result of this expectation, I organise my diary with whatever work I expect to have the parts for. If those parts then don't turn up I have to try and fit the delayed work into another day/week in an already full diary.

 

I wasn't in business when the ferry only came a couple of times a week, so I don't think it is relevant. My job would be a nightmare for me and my customers if I only recieved parts twice a week.

 

As for air freight, the costs would be too excessive due to the wieght of some of the parts I recieve, so it would end up being passed onto my customers, who would then accuse me of ripping them off due to them living on an Island.

 

The simple facts are that we now expect a ferry every day, and I do know that there are going to be days when the ferry can't sail, but when it is cancelled for any reason it has knock on effects that are greater than a shop having slightly less wares to sell.

[paulb]

far haaf there isone diffrence between now and 50-100 years ago. most crofts grew enough food to feed themselves apart from a few they now don't. lerwick has grown and we have become conditioned to fresh products. obviously the country stores are there but half the time the veg are not always great. of course we all can manage without for days and even a week. but we have lost the skills of the earlier crofter. maybe there should be extra support to promote shetland grown veg. after all with a decent polytunnel you can grow most things.

[MuckleJoannie]

In the days of two ferries a week there used to be a stock response to anything not being available "It's on da boat". We didn't live in a 24/7 society then.

[shetlandpeat]

You could buy a small chest freezer and stock up on frozen. I only remember prepacked goods being short and the sticky price label over the original price adding a few pennies.

But they did used to use a crane to get the goods off, and cars...

[MJ]

Anyone got any idea how to find out when the Northboat is due in, AIS has it just about at peterhead? Not sure what time it left Aberdeen as the information given on the website is quite obviously wrong, thay were talking 11pm last time I heard for departure last night.

Scrap that found them, they're at sumburgh.

[Mutton]

Ferry cancelled from Aberdeen tonight, that's a strange one.

[misty25]

Both the boats have been in here all day

[Malcolm]

Northlinks website says no sailings to or from Aberdeen due to bad weather tonight.

[MuckleJoannie]

We went by the Northlink terminal about 4 this afternoon and one of the boats was loading as if it was going to sail. Looking at the AIS website just now it has the Hrossey off Peterhead. Are they having a fast run South to miss the weather in Aberdeen?

[JAStewart]

Will they be going tomorrow?

[trooter]

Looking at the AIS website just now it has the Hrossey off Peterhead. Are they having a fast run South to miss the weather in Aberdeen?

If you look closely that was a report from almost a week ago. Can't find where it's at just now but last report was off Mousa at 19.41