MV Iona at Port Askaig

This palette-knife painting attempts to show the former CalMac car-ferry, 'Iona', at Port Askaig, Islay, in the late 1980s.  The 'Iona' was built by Ailsa Shipbuilding, Troon, in 1970, and was heralded as a revolutionary ship at the time.  She was intended for the West Loch Tarbert-Islay route, in response to Western Ferries' strong and effective challenge.  She was MacBrayne's first drive-through car-ferry, but proved too large and deep for the existing pier at the West Loch.   After deployment on other services, including Oban-Tiree etc., she was able to go to her design route 8 years later!  She was sold to Pentland Ferries in 1998, becoming the 'Pentalina-B', serving the Gills Bay - St Margeret's Hope route.  With the acquisition of the new 'Pentalina', she was then sold to interests in Cape Verde, and had various adventures in the Bay of Biscay late in 2009, where her engine-room flooded.  She had to be towed into Brest, but eventually, after some publicity regarding underqualified crew, reached her destination.  What has happened to her since then is not known.  The 'Iona' was not a pretty ship, and she was a bit spartan inside - but she was a good, reliable workhorse.