The plucky residents of the neighbouring island of Colonsay have mutinied.

Faced with the cancellation of 2 out of 3 ferries last week owing to winter gales, the islanders’ village store was down to just a few jars of caviar and bottles of single malt. Life could be worse I suppose.

While resigned to the vagaries of the winter weather, the islanders criticised CalMac for not organising extra relief sailings in the more clement weather between gales. A vessel did finally made the journey on Wednesday -  the first for a week – but on returning to the mainland the ferry was diverted to the Island of Mull instead.  Angry Colonsay residents had had enough and mutinied when told that they would be marooned on Mull overnight.

The mutineers, led by the island's community council chairman Shirley Johnston and local laird Alex Howard, informed the skipper that they refused to leave the boat in Mull.

Mrs Johnston said: "We were all furious and decided we needed to take drastic action to make sure we were taken to the mainland. We had about 18 cars on the boat, so we decided to refuse to move them off.  I told the captain this was Colonsay's crossing and we would have to be physically removed if he wanted us off."

Eventually the situation was resolved  and the islanders were taken on to Oban, their destination. Mrs Johnston said: "It was a great relief to get there. However, it should never have come to this and our treatment was utterly disgusting."

"If we had a moan it would be the inflexibility of CalMac. They have access to the long-range forecast like everyone else and should put on relief services when  they have available ships and crew.”

Calmac  insisted the lack of a ferry for a week was entirely due to the weather. A spokesman said: "We could not put on a boat last Sunday as logistics defeated us."

Ah yes, logistics – that old Calmac bete noir - more like attitude.