You wouldn't be getting very far in the Pentalina in this:
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Here's a good ideological rant about Scottish Ferries:
http://www.leithermagazine.com/2014/04/15/pays-ferryman-notes-scandal.html
In the case of Northlink they miss so many vital points, the Pentalina is smaller and nimbler because it has to be to operate between the points it does, the flip side of that is that by Pentland Firth standards she's a 'fair weather' craft. The Pentalina doesn't sail through storms, it can not stand in for a turn to Shetland and back, all factors on the design and specification of the Hamnavoe. The Scrabster Stromness route also connects in with public transport which is relevant to the many heated debates on here about the economics of the Far North Line.
Much is made about the shorter crossing from Gills Bay, the greater frequency is it's main benefit, the time saving only exists if the 30minutes saved on the boat isn't spent driving at either end. The claim that the Pentland Ferries has never had any public support misses out that the Gills Bay infrastructure was built by the Orkney Islands Council in the failed attempt to introduce a short sea crossing of around 30mins from Gills Bay to Burwick.
Building the Pentalina took longer than planned and half way through it's journey to Scotland it had to return to the shipyard.
The mentality and attitude towards rural connectivity and communities is so poor in the UK compared to much of the rest of Europe, certainly when you look at the more enlightened attitudes in Nordic countries. It has improved somewhat with the return of the Scottish Parliament, but if this was a Nordic country we'd not be having this debate because either the railway or A9 or more likely both would already extend to Kirkwall.
Much of your post is inaccurate and very misleading. The picture you show of the Hamnavoe heading to Orkney shows it heading in through the Firth using much of the Gills - St Margarets Hope route, in poor weather it has to take the much longer route via Scapa Flow into Stromness, mirroring much of the Pentalina route, which tells its own story.
Pentland Ferries are currently building a replacement for the very successful Pentalina. The MV Alfred will be on the route for next summer offering increased capacity for both passengers and freight to meet seasonal demand. There is no need to increase capacity on the Northlink route. Nor is there a need to book ahead at any time of the year. There will probably be need next year though to increase the subsidy yet again to Northlink as passengers take advantage of the increased capacity offered via Pentland Ferries.
The infrastructure at Gills Bay was not provided by Orkney Islands Council. The ill conceived and poorly delivered service they tried to introduce utilised infrastructure that wasn't fit for purpose, that is why it failed. The terminals now in place In Gills and orkney were built and are constantly being improved by Pentland Ferries. With not a single penny of support from the taxpayer and considerable obstruction from officialdom at every single step of the way.
Gills bay does have a connecting bus service to Wick and Inverness. Your point about driving times is pertinent, most people visiting Orkney will be going to Kirkwall, not Stromness. Journey time to Kirkwall from Inverness via Gills is about an 90 minutes quicker than via Scrabster. Hence why the Gills service carries more passengers and more freight, at no cost to the taxpayer.
Your point around the delays to Pentalina entering service are also mistaken, yes the ship was delayed due to contaminated fuel supplies loaded en-route. However again this was fixed with no taxpayer support. The vessel has run very reliably on the route it was specifically designed for. It is interesting that taxpayers fork out a subsidy of around £140 per passenger on the North link Ferry. If that subsidy were available to Pentland Ferries the owner has stated he would not charge for the service at all.
Northlink ferry last year had the pretty much the same reliability figures as the Short sea route, Pentalina runs as many days as the Hamnavoe. It also does with a much smaller crew, (less than half) and a third of the fuel costs. Some would argue that is much more efficient and is what happens when you design the correct vessel for a route, not an over-specified ship that requires a massive crew and drinks diesel. Passengers seem to be voting with their feet, as are freight companies. Pentalina is full all summer long and busy over the winter. I am sure the new vessel will continue to expand tourism in Orkney and increase the local economy. Pentalina has proved a very suitable vessel for this route, she is certainly not a "fair weather vessel".
It is possible that you could see Pentalina in Lerwick, that is a potential summer route being considered. A welcome boost to the Shetland economy if it happens. Hamnavoe has made very few trips to Lerwick in its operational life. Certainly wouldn't be value for money for its build cost, £28m. Pentalina cost £7.5m. We paid for Hamnavoe, we paid nothing at all for Pentalina.
As to Calmac, Ferguson may be building their ships, but they are built to a Calmac design. Goodness knows what that debacle is costing the taxpayer as everything about Calmac finances are shrouded in secrecy and no-one actually knows how much they cost the taxpayer. They have recently frequently run vessels on routes that are not suitable, with severely reduced capacity due to breakdowns. You don't have to search far on Google to find serious complaints about the services Calmac provide.
The Pentland Firth routes are clear indication of why governments shouldn't run ferries.