CONCERNS have been expressed that a ferry service in the Southern Isles may jeopardise important school exams when it was revealed that pupils were asked this week whether they wanted to get ashore to South Uist in a rubber dinghy.

The Barra passenger ferry was unable to make its full crossing to Ludag in South Uist on Tuesday morning because the tide was too low.

Parents were asked whether they wanted to send their children across in a standard dinghy to which they refused.

Three adults - including a woman in her late seventies who had to catch a plane - chose to pile into the inflatable dinghy to get ashore.

The parents and children were taken back across to Eriskay where they had to wait until 12.30am before getting across on the car ferry which was making its scheduled run.

Assistant director of the southern divisional education office, Mr Richard Woolford, said that the "situation was extremely worrying" especially with the run-up to preliminary exams at Sgoil Lionacleit in Benbecula which begin next Monday.

He added: "I am relieved that this has happened before the start of the exams as previously I was not really aware of the problem.

"We need to talk with the ferry operators and everybody to make arrangements and co-operate to make sure that this doesn't happen next week."

Mr Woolford said that he was in the process of putting together figures and data of tide times to see whether a feasible solution can be put forward.

Mr Peter Armstrong from the Eriskay Community Council said that it was a "ridiculous situation" which had not improved since their meeting with Comhairle nan Eilean representatives last month.

But the Council's Technical Services Director, Mr Murdo Murray, gave reassurances that the services will be operating smoothly for school pupils next week.

He said that Eriskay car ferry was being organised to take the pupils across to the school at 8am on Monday and added that they did not foresee any problems with the tide levels.

Regarding the incident on Tuesday, he said: "As soon as we realised that the ferry was unable to sail into Ludag because the water was too shallow, we asked parents whether they wanted to allow their children to go ashore on a rubber dinghy but they didn't want to which is their choice.

"We then immediately made alternative arrangements for the pupils to get to school."

He added: "We will endeavour to get the pupils to their preliminary examinations next week and we have repeated this to the Eriskay Community Council."

Original article Stornoway Gazette Jan 10 1997.