MV Argyll Flyer is a passenger ferry in the Argyll Ferries Ltd

Argyll Ferries Ltd

Argyll Ferries is a ferry company formed in January 2011 by parent company David MacBrayne Ltd to tender for the Dunoon to Gourock route. They were announced as the preferred bidder at the end of May 2011, with the service due to commence on 30 June of that year, subject to exchange of contracts on...

 fleet, which along with provides a service from Dunoon

Dunoon

Dunoon is a resort town situated on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. It sits on the Firth of Clyde to the south of Holy Loch and to the west of Gourock.-Waterfront:...

 to Gourock

Gourock

Gourock is a town falling within the Inverclyde council area and formerly forming a burgh of the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It has in the past functioned as a seaside resort on the Firth of Clyde...

 across the Firth of Clyde

Firth of Clyde

The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...

 in Scotland.

History

She was constructed by OCEA, Les Sables-d'Olonne

Les Sables-d'Olonne

Les Sables-d'Olonne is a seaside town in western France, by the Atlantic Ocean. It is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Vendée department.-Events:...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 in 2001 for Aran Island Ferries, and under the name Banríon Chonamara (Queen of Connemara) provided a service to the Aran Islands

Aran Islands

The Aran Islands or The Arans are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. They constitute the barony of Aran in County Galway, Ireland...

 in Ireland. In May 2011 the David MacBrayne Ltd

David MacBrayne Ltd

David MacBrayne Ltd is a company owned by the Scottish Government. Formed in 1851 as a private shipping company, it became the main carrier for freight and passengers in the Hebrides...

 subsidiary Argyll Ferries Ltd was announced as the preferred bidder for the tender for the Dunoon–Gourock service; they bought the ferry which was renamed Argyll Flyer for the new service commencing 30 June 2011. On 15 June she arrived at the Ardmaleish boatyard on the Isle of Bute

Isle of Bute

Bute is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. Formerly part of the county of Buteshire, it now constitutes part of the council area of Argyll and Bute. Its resident population was 7,228 in April 2001.-Geography:...

for survey work.

Layout

Argyll Flyer is a monohull boat of aluminium construction. She has capacity for 244 passengers on two decks with onboard facilities including a snack bar, wheelchair lift and accessible toilets. There is no booking office at Gourock Ferry Terminal now and you 'Pay Onboard', with a return ticket costing £6.60 , you can either go ashore at Dunoon Linkspan or stay onboard for the return leg. Her entry into service was delayed by some 3 weeks by an ongoing computer glitch , being a highly technical vessel. Once this new-look ferry service 'beds-down' , people from Dunoon in Argyll would be able to enjoy a night out in Glasgow without having to worry about overnight accommodation in the city , as they will be able to get a train back to Gourock and sail back home around midnight , due to the new extensive timetable , which the car ferry never had , almost stopping the service around 9pm.
Note, to date (20 November 2011), the Argyll Flyer has yet to complete a full week's schedule without a breakdown or cancellation for weather. Highly unsatisfactory and unreliable service.