This photograph is a reminder of how ferry traffic used to be.  The first car ferry service on the Wemyss Bay to Rothesay route started on the 1 October 1954 with the ferry Cowal.  The ferries were fitted with electric hoists to lower and raise cars to the car deck so that tidal conditions did not affect loading and drivers no longer had to contend with “driving the plank” to load their vehicles.   One drawback was  that turn rounds took some time especially at busy times so there were only  six return journeys a day.  The Cowal could accommodate 26 cars and 650 passengers, this meant that the route had to be supplemented with steamers to carry passengers because of the reduction of passenger capacity.  By December 1954 the Rothesay route had its own dedicated ferry the Bute.  The charge for an “accompanied motor car” was 22/- (£1.10) single and 33/- (£1.65) return – at owner’s risk.  More powerful cars cost more but the charges soon changed to charges being based on length.  Known affectionately as the ABC ferries (Arran, Bute and Cowal) sailed the route until replaced on the Rothesay route by the Saturn, one of the new design of ferries on the Clyde, nicknamed the “streakers”.  This photo was taken around the late 1960s.  (P03-4340.01, B6.1)