Help us name the new Islay vessels!

Voting is now open to help us name the two new vessels to serve Islay and Jura. Below is a shortlist of names to choose from, each of which has ties to the landscape and history of Islay and Jura:

• Isle of Islay—the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.
• Pioneer—a ferry built in 1974 serving West Loch Tarbert and Port Ellen on Islay. She was the longest vessel to operate this far up the loch.
• Loch Gruinart—a sea loch on the north coast of Islay.
• Loch Indaal—a sea loch south of Loch Gruinart, and inspiration for the folk song “The Lights of Lochindaal” by Iain Simpson.
• Laggan Bay—home to ‘The Big Strand’, a five-mile-long beach, located on the southeast entrance to Loch Indaal.
• Machir Bay—a small bay on the west coast of Islay.

Anyone with an interest in the ferries is welcome to vote—remember they are sister vessels, so you’ll need to select two names from the list.

Voting closes at midnight on 14^th May 2023.