A determined group of businessmen are in the advanced stages of investigating the possibility of providing an alternative ferry service for Arran with the possibility of purchasing a third vessel on the main route for use by commercial traffic.
Residents and visitors have faced another difficult week of disruption due to the weather, and because the MV Isle of Arran still out of service and the MV Caledonian Isles is operating with a single ramp before going into dry dock.
The redeployment of the MV Hebridean Isles has helped and she will be in service along with the returning Caley Isles for the September weekend, with the Isle of Arran is due back on Monday.