Pontoons prove boon for marine visitors
WHAT a month August’s been so far. We’ve had visits from three cruise ships with another arriving on Sunday August 20, and for three of them it’s been their first visit to Oban but hopefully not their last, writes Oban town ambassador Kay MacDonald.
The Balmoral was the largest of the ships and the first to have the benefit of using our new pontoons to land visitors, which was fabulous. It meant their crew were able to set up on the breakwater and not be in anyone’s way and gave us so much more room at the top to greet everyone and be able to provide directions and advice without the hustle and bustle of everyone trying to get past us on the pavement.
The Balmoral brought us more than 1,000 visitors for the day, with about a fifth of that number taking advantage of the half- day trips provided by the cruise company and spending the rest of the day in the town.
Thankfully, it was a beautiful day and, with the extra room available to us, it was easier for Joe and I to spend time speaking to people and telling them about the joys of our wee town and then getting feedback as they returned to the ship.
I have to say, Oban, you did a great job: everyone was delighted with their visit with more than a few saying they would return again for longer.
The Seabourne Quest has visited Oban before and will undoubtedly be back.
This visit, I was invited onboard to speak to the guests before they came ashore, which I really enjoyed. The majority of them were American and they were really looking forward to exploring the town and sampling our seafood.
Our next visitor will be the Crystal Symphony for her first visit to Oban, with more than 900 passengers. Let us pray for another lovely day and another lot of visitors who return to the ship determined to return to Oban for a longer holiday.
Last week’s photo must have been too easy as my uncle phoned from Manchester to tell me where it was, so this week I hope it will challenge you a bit more. For most of you this is something you won’t see every day.