ONE of the Torpoint ferries will be out of action for around two months from mid-March while its five-yearly refit takes place.
Weather permitting, the Lynher II will come out of service on March 16 and will be towed to Falmouth’s dry dock facilities for a major overhaul. All being well, the ferry will be back on the River Tamar by May 20.
The Lynher is one of three vessels operated by Tamar Crossings which provide a 24 hour chain ferry service for up to 8,000 vehicles a day. Achieving this requires a significant planned maintenance programme, says the operator, and while the majority of maintenance is carried out while the vessels are afloat or during off peak periods, some of the work can only be done in dry dock conditions.
With the recent run of storms in mind, general manager David List has warned motorists ahead that bad weather could impact on the schedule.
‘The ferries can only be towed in relatively calm sea states and low wind conditions,’ he said.
‘This means that adverse weather can, and has in the past, significantly impacted on the actual dates of the towing operations in both directions.’
This week work was carried out to replace the main chains on the ferry which needs to be done ahead of the refit. Ferry chains need to be replaced every three years and, where possible, Tamar Crossings tries to do this just ahead of the refit programme to avoid damaging newly recoated deck surfaces.
Each chain is over 650 metres long and weighs 23 tonnes, so a chain change is a major exercise that can take up to three days.