The Sea 12 Miles: The Narrow Sea

I'm Helen Mark and I grew up in Scotland,

but for the last 31 years, I've made Northern Ireland my home.

It's making my eyes water.

I have always felt comfortable in Northern Ireland, but I've never

really examined why and I often wonder if the many people

from Northern Ireland who have settled in Scotland, feel the same?

-You're really Glaswegian.

-Oh, don't tell me that!

Your mother's going to be furious with you.

At the closest point,

Scotland and the North Antrim Coast are just 12 miles apart

and the migration of people between the two countries

has been going on for centuries.

-Good test of your sailing skills.

-And your stomach, I think, as well!

But, it's the modern mix of cultures that I am interested in.

Them and us, cheek by jowl.

Just what are the ties that bind us

and are they as strong as ever?

With a Glasgow gig,

if you come out without getting bottled, you've done well.

When they start playing that music, you know,

I feel this Scottishness welling up in me.

It's early morning and ferries in Larne and here in Belfast

are preparing to cross the North Channel of the Irish Sea.

Today, I'm going to get a lift with Ian Caldwell in this truck.

He travels over about three times a week

and I'm hoping I will be able to join him.

-Hello, Ian?

-Hello!

-Hi, how are you?

-Not too bad.

-Where are you heading this morning?

-I'm going to Morecambe this morning.

-And how long does that take?

-Takes about three and a half hours.

-Do you mind if I join you?

-Not at all. Come on ahead.

-And I hear there's a bit of breakfast involved.

-I hope so!

Thousands of people go back and forth

across the Irish Sea everyday, it's a melting pot

where Northern Ireland and Scotland meet,

so today I'm going to talk to the people who live with the sea

and on the sea, the people for whom this narrow stretch of water

has become a way of life.

Scotland has never been more accessible to Northern Ireland.

There are more than 16 flights a day to Scottish airports

and 15 ferry crossings carry nearly two million passengers a year,

and over eight million tons of freight.

There are a number of ferry routes to Scotland.

The route I'm taking today is from Belfast to Cairnryan,

a few miles up Loch Ryan from Stranraer.

It's about a two hour trip, plenty of time for an Ulster Fry.

-Ladies first, Helen.

-The truckers' lounge. Fabulous!

I've been back and forth on the ferry hundreds of times and I've

always looked on in envy at the truckers lounge.

-It's a bit like an inner sanctum, isn't it?

-Oh, aye.

I'll take a piece of toast. Lovely.

When you come on board,

do you have a quick look round to see if you know anyone?

Yes, I saw a couple of old faces that I know from days gone by.

-Do you get chatting?

-Of course you do, yeah.

It's quite lonely on the road. Must be nice to have

-a bit of company from time to time.

-It is.

Can you make friendships in the time you are on the boat?

-You get to know them over the years and see them all the time.

-Mm-hmm.

I suppose you have a lot in common, you know.

We're all drivers at the end of the day and I think the Scottish people

are very much like the Northern Irish as well -

the mentality and sense of humour and everything else.

So who makes the best truck drivers? Scottish or Northern Irish?

There's only one truck driver in the world

and he's Northern Irish, isn't he?

It's not just lorry drivers that are constantly crossing

the North Channel. Many other passengers have lives

that straddle both sides of the water.

Archie Smyth is Chairman of Larne FC and his son Marc has spent the last

12 years playing professional football in Scotland,

for clubs like Partick Thistle and Ayr United. This season

he's back in Northern Ireland playing for Cliftonville,

but his son is staying in Scotland, so it will still be

a regular trip.

EXCHANGE OF GREETINGS

From what I know, you are no strangers to this ferry.

No, indeed we are not. We come over quite regularly,

in fact, we kept a car over here because it was a lot cheaper.

But going back and forwards like that all the time, does it make you

feel you aren't quite sure which country you belong to?

I think for me, it is kind of different,

because I see both as my home.

It's like last time I went over, I have now moved back to Ireland

but when I go to Scotland, I feel like I am going home,

do you know what I mean? I am kind of torn between the two places.

So this ferry boat is a really important link for you?

Without it, I would be lost. The fact of the matter is, between work

and family, I have needed it to do both and even now, I'll need it

even more for family because my son still stays in Scotland and my wife,

my daughter and me being in Ireland,

so for me, it's of massive importance.

I have a lot of family live over there.

My brother played for Hearts in Scotland - Jackie,

and he still lives in Musselburgh.

My parents lived in Edinburgh, so a lot of links.

-A really strong Scottish connection.

-There is. My name is Archie

and it is sort of Scottish as well.

-I was actually born in Scotland - Edinburgh.

-So was I.

-So was he!

-So am I talking to two Scotsmen, then?

-Och aye the noo!

After the Smyths, I've come upstairs to the ship's spa to meet

Natalli McDervit. She grew up near Stranraer, and after a lifetime

of watching the ferries come and go,

she now has a part time job here.

It is quite strange having this done on a ferry boat,

I have to say, Natalli. But it feels good. So you are from Stranraer?

-Have you lived there all your life?

-More or less, yes.

But you have lots of connections with Northern Ireland, don't you?

Yes, I do. For all different reasons,

I have friends - friends in Lisburn, in Larne,

in Belfast - just through various things like jobs, friends of friends

and relations, you get to know people.

And you were going back across on the ferry

-just to keep up that friendship?

-Yes, I did.

I used to go back and forward. I still do.

I am actually going on Friday to meet a friend.

We are going to Belfast, go out for dinner, do a bit of shopping.

What, you go to Belfast for a social life?

Yes, most people from Stranraer are quite regularly in Belfast.

Between shopping, hen nights and stag dos and...

I was actually away to Belfast three weeks ago to get a school uniform.

-You just jump on the boat.

-What?

-Jump on the boat and away you go.

There is definitely a closeness between the two countries,

but do you think that connection is even stronger

down the West Coast of Scotland and across Ayrshire?

I feel we have a closer bond

sometimes than...when you go up the North of Scotland

you're not as familiar whereas if you're from Stranraer,

you're used to spending Ulster money,

you used to being friends with people from Co Antrim.

You're used to the accent, used to it all.

-You go to socialise, to do your shopping...

-Yes.

You're almost Northern Irish!

Chatting to people who use the boat a lot,

it is like Northern Ireland and Scotland

morph into one big community,

like two different sides of a big river.

But what about the people who spend the bulk of their lives

in the middle, on the sea itself? That's who I want to talk to next.

The ship's crew work seven days on and seven days off.

There's five crossings a day,

so most of their 12 hour shift is spent at sea.

Today's Captain, Mark Robinson, has been driving ferries,

or rather "conning" ferries, to use the right word, for 24 years.

He's been working on this stretch of water for 12.

How would you describe the conditions out sailing today?

It's light seas, blue skies and no swell.

There is a light westerly wind, so this is about as good as it gets.

-Calm crossing.

-Calm crossing.

-It can be quite rough, can't it?

It can be very rough at times.

-Do you think there's anything special about it?

-It is magical.

And standing here is fantastic. What a view you get!

-It is great to be on the bridge.

-Where are we now on the crossing?

If you have a look on the chart. We can take a bearing from there.

-That's the Maiden's Lighthouse.

-We have got the coast here

and Islandmagee...

And we take a bearing from there...

..and that is where we are at the moment.

So, we're really just mid-channel, halfway between Scotland and Ireland.

So, you have these two great landmasses

and we are right in the middle. Isn't it?

This is the interesting thing because for us, this is our home,

our workplace and we are actually a small community

moving backwards and forwards.

There is 55 crew minimum which live on board and quite often,

we would be up to 75.

-They live on the boat?

-Yes, we all live on the boat.

Take Alan, he lives at Carrickfergus, just here,

so he sails past his own house every day!

-Allen.

-Hi.

-Is it true you sail past your house...

Not quite literally, but we do pass Carrickfergus, yes.

-..several times in the one day.

-Yes, we do.

-You can't even nip ashore?

-No, may as well be docking in Australia.

-I had no idea the crew had to do this.

-We live on board for the week,

so half the time you are working and the other half you're in your cabin,

or in the rec room,

I have to say, I am a bit disappointed

at the size of the steering wheel. It's tiny!

-Were you expecting a big wooden steering wheel?

-Yes, nice big one.

Thankfully not!

I think times have moved on from then.

I'm fascinated by the fact that the crew stay on board the boat

for a whole week.

So I've managed to persuade one of the customer services crew,

Ros Smith, to show me what life is like on board the boat

and she is in one of these rooms down this corridor at the end.

This one, I think.

Hello?

THEY EXCHANGE GREETINGS

-So, this is the cabin.

-This is our wee cabin, here, so it is.

-It's quite confined, isn't it.

-We try and make it homely.

Yeah, like the stickers and things, that's nice and girly.

-But that was actually Louise's idea.

-She's your other half, as it were?

This is red crew and Louise is on yellow crew.

That's the opposite week.

We share, so when I am not here, Louise is here.

-So we try and agree on a few wee homely touches.

-I do love the fish.

Again, Louise has to take the credit for the fish and I have agreed

on my week on, I'll certainly look after them.

I do worry about them sometimes.

Last week, the weather was a bit rocky-rolly and every now and again

I was getting out and going, "Hello, are you all right?"

It's quite a responsibility for you, isn't it?

You don't want to come in one day and see them belly up.

I wouldn't like to be the one that would have to tell Louise.

I think I would actually send off for a new fish, to be honest with you!

-Shall we leave Tom and Dick in peace? Go get a cuppa?

-Absolutely.

-Find out about life on the boat?

-That would be lovely, Helen.

You've got people from Scotland and Northern Ireland living together

on the boat for this length of time, you know,

people from two different countries,

-so how does everyone get on together?

-Do you know,

it is actually like a family.

Personally, I love all things Scottish, always have done.

I would envy anyone from Scotland. They are just proud to be Scottish.

Whereas we have got a wee bit more of an umbrella to come under,

proud to be Northern Irish, proud to be Irish,

-or you are proud to be from Ulster.

-That is interesting.

In a way, you are almost envious of the Scots

-and do you think that's what drew you to the job?

-It probably had.

Plus sailing into Scotland...such a difference. You are sailing into

Belfast and it is quite industrial and you are going over to...

and it's just a different scenery and I loved that,

the difference between the two.

It's interesting talking to Rosalind about Scotland's strong sense

of cultural identity and even though I've lived most of my life

in Northern Ireland, it's hard not to feel a rush of affection

when I begin to approach the Scottish coast.

Before I get to Cairnryan, I've decided to take

another visit to the bridge to get a better view.

I also want to find out how you park a boat

that's over 200 metres long?

OK, I'm looking ahead and this quay is getting closer and closer.

Just take me through what you do.

Basically, as we approach it, I will slow

the ship down to about five knots, spin her round and back in.

I am going to let the ship follow the tide

and it'll do that naturally without all this engineering.

You've got this great boat, you are just drifting into the harbour,

so you must understand about the tides and the water so well.

-You've got all the technology but it's intuitive.

-It is.

Brilliant!

We have to park the ship to within an inch, using the little

piece of sticky tape on the glass window.

-Sticky tape?

-Sticky tape. Yes!

If you see here, the black tape on the pipe

and I line that up with a little piece of paint on the quay.

-It all comes down to that.

-That's what it does.

-Paint and tape!

-Just coming into position.

-Look at that.

Just comes into the side, gently,

there's not even going to be a bump.

10 metres to the mark.

Five feet, three feet...

And you just have to line-up the two

bits of sticky tape.

That's on to the pad.

Cargo man bridge, you are clear for the ramps.

RADIO RESPONSE

-And that's it?

-That's it, Helen. Safely berthed in Scotland.

While Ian Caldwell heads to Morecambe in his lorry,

and the crew prepare to travel back to Belfast, I'm going north.

From Cairnryan, I'm making my way up the West Coast to Ayrshire,

and the small village of Patna.

I want to meet a community who spend endless weekends going

backwards and forwards on the ferry, a community who

are passionate about what they stand for on both sides of the water.

This is a recent parade in Airdrie. Around 70 Orange Lodges from all

over Scotland came out to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The origins of the Orange Order in Scotland can be traced back

to the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

Many Scottish regiments fought alongside Orange yeomanry,

and began to establish lodges when they came back home.

Scotland's first civilian lodge was set up in the Ayrshire village

of Maybole in 1808, and they still have a strong presence in the area.

I'm about seven miles from Maybole, I'm in the small village of Patna

and the local band are busy preparing to take

part in a parade back in Belfast.

The Knox family will be there en masse.

WOMAN: One. Two.

-You've your whole family here, haven't you?

-Yes, uh-huh.

So who's who, and who's doing what?

My husband over there, he plays the flute.

He also plays the big drum and the side drum, as well.

My daughter, and my son play the drums,

Alexander also plays the flute.

My brother-in-law, my sister-in-law and my niece are in the corner

as well, and my father-in-law is in Turkey,

but he's here in spirit.

And he'll be going with you to the parade in Belfast?

That is such a squad of folk to get organised, Jackie!

Oh, yes.

And you're heading over again next week, so what, do you fly?

No, we go on the ferry.

Why do you go on a ferry, then?

I think it's just a better start to the weekend, you go over and you meet

people that you've maybe been meeting for years, it starts the weekend,

have a laugh and a joke, a Coca-Cola or something, before you go.

-Or something?

-Yes.

Why did you want to be part of an Orange Lodge and playing in a band?

My husband has been in it for years,

and once the kids kind of decided that they wanted to follow

in that, then, I decided it was something I wanted to do, as well.

When you go over, do you feel connected to Northern Ireland?

-Do you become part of that?

-Yes.

Or do you stay a Scottish band?

We are a Scottish band, but I think when you're over there you're just

another band in the big scene,

you don't feel as if you are any different to

the Northern Ireland bands that are playing, or the English bands

that are playing, it's just a big family of bands when you are there.

What about in Scotland, are there many bands playing

like yourselves, or is it dying out, or is it better than it used to be?

There's still a lot of bands on the go, and there's still bands

starting up, but it's difficult, you know, with the general public, being

in a band, and having to justify why you do it a lot of the time.

So what do you say to people?

Just get to know us.

Get to know us as people, you know.

You say to somebody you're in a lodge or you're in a band,

and a lot of times you can't say it to people, but you say to people

and they automatically... you've got to explain why, you have to justify it,

but you just have to overcome the hurdles and deal with it.

I'm just going to leave them to get on with their practice.

I love the idea that all the families come together,

and then the small committees from around this village bond together

to play in the band, and it's something that brings them together.

Mothers, fathers, sons and daughters,

and the community around them.

After my slight detour inland to Patna, I'm now making my way

back to the sea at Greenock, and to the Clyde Coastguard.

Her Majesty's Coastguard Service was established 200 years ago,

primarily to combat the economic threat of smuggling.

Today their role is clearly focused on the coordination of search

and rescue,

and trying to prevent maritime incidents through education.

For people on the water, or in trouble on the coast,

the Coastguard is the primary emergency service.

OK, Roger, the Troon lifeboat are already aware of the situation.

If you just proceed on passage and they'll come out and assist you in.

I've come to meet John Griffiths.

It looks like his team are having a busy day.

Just in there, John, just below The Wig.

There's an incident happening at the moment?

Yes, there is. We have a report of a dinghy in difficulty in Loch Ryan,

and we're just launching the Stranraer inshore lifeboat

and sending the Stranraer coastguard rescue team to investigate.

And that's all co-ordinated from here,

even though we're talking about Loch Ryan,

it's all done in this place?

-Yes.

-Right.

The incident, obviously, the incident right now is in here,

so we've got the Stranraer inshore lifeboat, and the coastguard rescue

team based in Stranraer will be going to look, and they may be contacting

to see if there are any ferries on the move, to see if they can be of

any help, but I think it may be a bit further down the loch

rather than up here.

Uh-huh.

Now, looking at the map, what's your territory?

We cover, from a coast perspective,

from the Mull of Galloway in the South here,

up to Ardnamurchan Point just up the top there.

We also pick up information from our aerial sites off the Northern Irish

coast as well, as it looks into the Northern Ireland area,

so if we have any incidents over there, we would respond to them,

take the information, and if it's thought best

we would pass the coordination to the Belfast coastguard.

When you see it on a map, like this,

you really can see the close relationship between the edge of

Scotland and Northern Ireland, that water there looks really narrow.

Yes. And it's a very busy waterway, obviously all the traffic,

the commercial traffic for Liverpool,

tanker traffic for Milford Haven, that sort of thing,

so there's a lot of traffic coming in and out of there at all times.

The coastguard service has moved a long way

since spotting distress flares with binoculars.

So much so, that eventually the roles of Belfast

and the Clyde coastguard will be combined.

Today though, both stations are monitoring

one of the narrowest stretches of water in the UK.

-OK.

-Right, now we can see the action on the water.

We can see the ferries going across here.

-The green triangles?

-Yes, the green triangles.

There's one here at Cairnryan

and obviously you've got Belfast Harbour, with all the vessels here.

Obviously, you can see Belfast Harbour is quite busy.

What about the purple arrows at the top?

This is a traffic separation scheme, designed to ensure that ships

navigate safely through dangerous waters, similar to the Dover Strait.

It's designed to basically keep ships at a safe

distance as they are transiting through a very narrow

part of the coast.

It's fascinating, isn't it, the idea of this piece of water

-and the amount of traffic that goes back and forth.

-Oh yes.

Could you give me your thoughts about

whether you think it divides the two countries or

whether it's an integral part of both countries?

I think at one time, obviously, a long, long time ago, it would've been

a division, and getting across there would've been a challenge.

These days it's nothing,

it's a water bridge, I suppose,

is the best way of putting it,

instead of having a brick bridge, it's a water bridge,

So you get in your boat and go.

I think!

The shortest crossing between Scotland

and Northern Ireland is the tip of the Kintyre

peninsula in Scotland to the North Antrim coast, but this only

just beats another route further south, between the small

ports of Donaghadee and Portpatrick, just down from Stranraer.

If there are two communities that represent the closeness

of Scotland and Northern Ireland, it's Portpatrick and Donaghadee.

People just pop over for a few drinks, a spot of lunch.

And at just 18 miles apart,

Portpatrick is closer to Donaghadee

than Belfast is, and you don't have to worry about the traffic.

Today I'm joining Evelyn and Murdoch Bennett.

They set off a couple of hours ago from Donaghadee,

it's a crossing they've done many times before.

Helen, I would like you to release the rope...

-From here?

-..from there, and just...

-Shall I do that now?

-Yes, do that now.

See what's happening?

It's going over there.

You can release it a bit more now.

That's it. Lovely. Well done.

My first sail-raising assist.

There's quite a roll on the water, so...

There's usually quite a roll in the water just out here.

What about the crossing, though?

Is it a bit of a challenge on a yacht?

It can be quite rough, it can be quite rough.

Yes.

I always reckon if you can do this you can do almost anything.

You need to understand the wind, don't you?

Yes, you do, very much so.

And respect it?

And respect wind and sea.

Because it's so narrow, is that what makes it such a challenge?

Well, it's a challenge,

because the sea conditions, and the water obviously goes up through

the narrow gap of the North Channel, so there are quite strong tides,

and then inshore here you get different counter-tides as well.

All of the North Atlantic is trying to empty

itself down into the Irish Sea,

and hence it has to get back out again.

And you've got to understand that?

You've got to understand it, yeah.

I mean, if it's a challenging sail,

what makes you keep going back and forth?

-The drink!

-The drink?!

SHE LAUGHS

As well as being a keen sailor,

Murdoch is a lifelong member of Donaghadee's lifeboat crew.

Today, the Bennett's are catching up with an old friend,

and RNLI colleague, Robert Erskine.

Hi, Robert.

How you doing, Evelyn?

This is great you are here to take this rope from me.

No problem.

Robert was born in Larne, but he's lived in Portpatrick for over

30 years, and now owns a hotel here.

He was cox of Portpatrick's lifeboat crew for 29 years.

When you have a team in Portpatrick and a team in Donaghadee,

you really are working across the same piece of water,

so when something happens out in the Channel,

how do you decide which lifeboat goes, Donaghadee or Portpatrick?

Well, we've got to, Her Majesty's Coastguards are the coordinators,

they get the first, initial response from whoever is in trouble.

So it will be Clyde Coastguard, or Belfast Coastguard,

and they decide what boat is the closest, and if it's us,

we'll go, obviously, and if it's Donaghadee, it could be them.

But the bond between Donaghadee

and Portpatrick through the lifeboat is very, very strong.

Oh, very much so, indeed.

There always was a bond, but I think the Princess Victoria,

really, highlighted when the two boats worked together,

and since then I think it's really got stronger.

In January, 1953, lifeboat crews from Donaghadee and Portpatrick

were called out in high winds to help rescue people from the Princess

Victoria, a passenger ferry that ran between Stranraer and Larne.

Over 130 lives were lost that day,

and it's a tragedy that's still commemorated by both communities.

It is a very significant bond,

and an example of how Scotland and Northern Ireland are connected.

And, you know, the water is a boundary in some ways, but...

It's a plus point for us because, it's like trams, they come and go

and the yachts and the power boats come across here

all the time, and it's great for the village,

because it brings income in, as well.

Well that's interesting, because a lot of people would say that water

actually divides two countries, but you don't think that at all.

No, it brings people across, and they'll get together,

and it's a great feeling, when the harbour's full of yachts

and a good weekend, it's brilliant, the craic's good,

you'd think you were actually back in Northern Ireland.

I suppose there's a Celtic connection between the two

countries, looking after each other, and enjoying themselves.

They're known to enjoy themselves with a drink every now and again,

and it doesn't make them bad people.

There's a strong bond.

Very strong, and hopefully

it will continue for another three or 400 years.

The more you talk to people, the more you realise that

Northern Ireland, Scotland, this side, that side - it doesn't really

matter, the sea creates a natural border, but for the people who live

with it, it also washes it away,

and that is strangely liberating.

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