Kayakgate

[Foxglove]

Does 'Seil Chat' include Easdale island? If so then..what is going on over there? Seems like there is an awful lot of bad feelings among the residents. The 'suspected' cutting loose of a kayak being the latest topic. Why can't people just get along?

[NickB]

Does 'Seil Chat' include Easdale island? If so then..what is going on over there? Seems like there is an awful lot of bad feelings among the residents. The 'suspected' cutting loose of a kayak being the latest topic. Why can't people just get along?

Two groups with different views of the island's future. I think one or two Easdale islanders may post on here occasionally, but they now have their own website for discussing these issues at EasdalePeople.org.uk, which is a fairly recent development. I don't know whether having the new site as a forum to discuss these issues will help to resolve matters - let us hope so.

[Foxglove]

So, looks like it's 'split'. Having lived locally for many years I have seen so many people leave the island having encountered some serious aggro. Seems to me there is some BULLYING going on there. Maybe it DOES need a bridge to bring it into line with the rest of 'normal' society?

[Beetlejuice]

Erk!! No!! Then they'd all be able to get OFF!

[Foxglove]

Err..good point! I didn't think of that

[brodie]

Don't worry the Easdale Island Politbureau have now appointed a highly qualified and highly paid Harbour Master whose job it is to keep sea-faring tourists out and to make sure that there are no more of these highly dangerous kayaks in the territorial waters of Easdale Island.

[Foxglove]

Hilarious! no wonder the 'saner' folk over there are up in arms!

[Beetlejuice]

Looks like the harbourmaster will have his/her work cut out over the 1st May weekend marshalling the 46 (so far) RIBS that are apparently going to descend on us, along with 4x4s, motorhomes and trailers parked up in all our car parks including the hall one, and all the RIBS moored overnight in Easdale Island harbour.
See here http://www.easdalepeople.org.uk/
and here http://www.easdaleribrendezvous.org.uk/?page_id=59

And 46 RIBS presumably equate to at least 92 people, most of them needing to use the public john.

Can you IMAGINE ......... ????

Just off to book a long weekend away .........

[MonaLott]

What a negative outlook!

[brodie]

Yes, the public toilets on Easdale Island are going to be extremely busy, maybe they will have to open the Community Hall to provide access to their unused public toilets!!!

[NickB]

.
For once I agree with Mona. The RIB event is a good idea - RIBS are playing an increasingly important part in keeping the scattered communities of Argyll connected. The Jura passenger ferry (hopefully soon to be reinstated) was a RIB, the Coastal Connections RIBs provide a valuable water taxi service (scheduled 1-hour service Oban-Tobermory being trialled for the next three weeks) and the Kintyre Express is running between Campbeltown and Ballycastle.

SeaFari brings plenty of visitors to Seil as well as taking people to Iona and Colonsay to spend their 'tourist dollars' in these communitites, and while there may be some reservations about the contradictions inherent in whizzing rapidly and noisily through the environment in petrol-hungry speed machines overall it would seem to be a 'Good Thing' that should be encouraged.

This event will bring trade to several local businesses, and I am sure that the minor inconveniences re. roads and car parks will not bring the end of the world as we know it.

[Shuggie]

Felt obliged to support the rib rendezvous event, a BIG welldone to the organisers, it has to be a good thing for bringing visitors and their 'new' money to the area?. I do appreciate that we don't all share the same opinion, but, if we didn't have visitors to the area as a whole (Seil,Easdale,Colonsay etc) then alot of us would suffer in one way or another, after all, the visitors season and the increase in business allows our pubs, shops, ferry's, hall's and so on to function all year round, thus giving us a good strong community to live in and making this the best (in my humble but honest opinion) part of Scotland to live!

Bring on the visitors, bring on the organised events, get involved, and, most importantly, enjoy making a positive input to our community.

There you go, said my bit,....been reading the boards since not long after they began but never posted, I must feel strongly about this!!

[Pentlandpirate]

Nice to read something positive.

[brodie]

I concur, hope the event is successful in bringing a tourist boost to the area.