Plain sailing in Arrochar as new village pontoon set to open

The Loch Long Jetty Association’s new floating pontoon on the east side of the loch will be officially opened this Saturday, July 27, by the area’s constituency MSP, Jackie Baillie.

The completion of the pontoon – which actually attracted its first visitor in early June, when sailor Eric Sweeney brought his yacht alongside – marks the end of a four-year journey for the members of the association, who hope that the facility will add a new string to Arrochar’s bow as it aims to attract seaborne visitors to the area alongside the thousands of land-lubbers who stop off in the village each year.

The association was formally established in early 2018, though the desire to install a facility to make Arrochar more attractive to sailors exploring the Clyde’s sea lochs goes back a good deal further than that.

Dawn Gourlay, the group’s secretary, said: “The idea was first thought about in December 2015 and we became a charity in November 2017.

“We’re all volunteers, and we’ve worked tirelessly towards the pontoon’s completion – we’re really looking forward to Saturday.

“We’ve had lots of people using the facility so far – boats, people fishing, children playing and looking for crabs, paddle boarders, open water swimmers, and everyone is really pleased.”

The pontoon, manufactured by Argyll firm Fusion Marine/Gaelforce at their base at Barcaldine, near Oban, is 48 metres long from the shore to the berths, and features a ‘hammerhead’ which is 12 metres long, enough for two berthing spaces.

The project – which also includes two visitor moorings in the loch, as well as two berths at the pontoon itself – had a budget of £109,000 and was funded by grants of £84,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation, £20,000 from the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, and £5,000 from the Hannah Stirling Loch Lomond Charitable Trust.

Dawn and her husband Norman also raised funds for the project by running two marathons, in Malta and Cyprus, last year.

Dawn continued: “The project came in under budget, which gives us a little bit of funding to support the facility.

“Our next project is a new triathlon event, with the swim section replaced by a kayak section, which in the long run we hope will financially support the operation of the pontoon.

“We’re calling it the Loch Long Adventure Trail and we’re hoping the first one might happen next spring.”

Planning permission for the pontoon was granted in 2017 by the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, which said the principle of the proposal was supported by local development plan policies relating to “support [for] new or improved visitor facilities within the town and village context”.

The park authority’s report on the application stated: “The proposal is small scale and it is not anticipated that it will lead to a significant increase in noise or litter. Anti-social behaviour such as this should be reported to the police.

“Similarly, good practice by users will ensure that oil or chemical spillage does not arise.

“The pontoon is a small scale development and the lack of surrounding amenities is not viewed as an obstacle to development.”

The cost of a marine licence – required because part of the pontoon extends into a ‘marine protected area’, with special requirements relating to the impact of building work on the foreshore – was met after a successful application to the authority’s Supporting Communities Fund last year for a grant of £2,025.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s official opening, Ms Baillie said: “The official opening of the new pontoon in Arrochar of the new pontoon in Arrochar has been a long time coming. The positive impact that the pontoon will have on the community is immeasurable with it providing an area for visiting yachts to dock and for the community to use.

“I am delighted to be involved in the opening and want to take the opportunity to praise those in the community who have put in a lot of hard work to get the pontoon installed, in particular Dawn Gourlay who was the driving force behind the project.”