Orkney Image Library

Its the wheel house of the GUIDE

Thanks Annom. Can you say more about the GUIDE?

Former Pilot cutter brought to Orkney by the late Jimmy Newlands then sold on to the Pottinger family who operated her as a hire vessel with a certificate for 30 (I think but maybe 36) passengers. They fitted the larger wheelhose & cabin which I actually thought was earlier than 89. She sometimes did relief work for OISC on Hoy/Graemsay and Shapinsay services but with Outer N Isles Ro/Ro services coming into service in 1991 she was in much less demand. She was sold to Keith Bichan about mid 90s who uses her as mother ship for his R O V trips to the German Fleet but I believe he has a new boat under construction.

Was that the Jessie Ellen you mentioned, If so did Jimmy Newlands do passenger trips on Loch Ness with her? Iremember her on Loch Ness a long time ago.

This wheelhouse was not put on the "Jessie Ellen" but another boat later brought to Orkney by the same Jimmy Newlands who had the "Jessie Ellen" on Loch Ness many years ago- after that Jimmy operated her out of Helensburgh and then sold her on when he went into coasters & fishing vessels. That "Jessie Ellen" built by White's in Cockenzie, originally fitted with an 84 hp Gardner engine, was brought back to Orkney by a local consorttium in 1975 to run passengers to the Flotta Oil Terminal construction. In later years she was operated in summer to North Hoy & Graemsay by Steve Mowat until Orkney Ferries took over the route and the "Graemsay" was built in the 90s. That vessel was sold to Scarborough for sea angling I think.

That's not a Heddle Haulage Trailer either - it's a P@O Ferries trailer being towed by a MAN tractor unit most likely driven by Johnnie Thomson.