Skye ferry welcomes first female skipper
Izzy, 21, lands dream job on last sea-going turntable vessel
From the moment she first set foot aboard the Glenelg to Skye ferry, Isabelle Law dreamed of one day being its skipper.
And now, aged just 21, Isabelle, or ‘Izzy’ as she is known, has just become the first female captain of the world’s last sea-going manually-operated turntable ferry.
The MV Glenachulish operates from Easter to October and can carry six cars from Glenelg to Kylerhea on Skye.
From the age of 10, Isabelle worked summer jobs across the 50-year-old ferry in the hope of one day qualifying to become its skipper.
The current service has been run by a community-owned company since 2007 after long-time ferryman Roddy MacLeod retired. Portree native Isabelle says she realised she wanted to help to keep the ferry service going while working on board during school holidays. She told the Lochaber Times: ‘I started on the ferry at the age of 10 when I had to get something from Glenelg. From that day on, I would spend all my spare time on the ferry, I enjoyed it so much. At 16, I started on the rope and then at 20 I started my training to be skipper. From the age of 10 I knew my dream was to be the skipper of this ferry one day.
‘I had to get hours of wheel time and being aboard the vessel, then go to Oban and Glasgow and do fire fighting at sea, first aid and sea survival tickets. Then there were practical and theory exams.
‘The ferry is just incredible. For it to be the only turntable vessel left in the world is unbelievable and I want to help keep her going.’
Isabelle says no two journeys on the ferry are the same and that she gets to meet some ‘amazing’ people.
‘It’s hard to describe but I just love it. There has been mostly surprised reactions from the passengers, positive, but they wonder why I want to do it.
‘I’m not sure what the future will hold, but at the moment I am very happy just to live in Skye and be on the MV Glenachulish.’