“I hope they are all like that, I’m no being funny,” says Debra, who works in the CalMac ticket office at Ardrossan Harbour and is not long in the job.
She’s breaking the news to a passenger bound for the Brodick Highland Games - the busiest day of the year on that crossing - that the 6.45am crossing to Arran is cancelled and the next at quarter to ten is "under review".
There is a fault with the water cooler for the main engine on the 30-year-old MV Caledonian Isles, known as the 'Caley Isles' and it is unclear how quickly it can be fixed.
The passenger has taken news of the disruption very well and turning to the TV camera Debora shares her relief, knowing others may not be so understanding.
Over eight weeks a new fly-on-the-way BBC documentary will tell the stories of the staff and islanders whose livelihoods depend on CalMac, which serves 26 islands along Scotland’s West Coast with 35 ageing ferries.
A bold move, some might say, given the difficult waters the ferries are charting due to the furore over the delayed, over-budget replacements and frequent breakdowns in the existing fleet.
READ MORE: MSPs keep door open for private firms to run Scotland's ferries
With an average age of 24 the maintenance budget for Scotland's ferries has risen by 67% over the past five years. The number of sailings has increased significantly over the years to match the explosion of island tourism.
Gemma Louise McLoughlin, an engineer on the 30-year-old Caley Isles, says: “It’s crazy because this ship has been in service longer than I’ve existed.
“Being on the receiving end of the criticism when there are breakdowns can be quite frustrating because we do give it our best and it's not our fault."
The MV Caledonian Isles first appeared on the route in 1953 and is one of the largest in the fleet. Over the years she’s made the crossing more than 100,000 times but in the past year there has been 670 cancelled sailings.
The vessel is due to be replaced this year by the long-awaited Glen Sannox but it’s still docked in the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow – five years overdue and tens of millions of pounds over-budget.
READ MORE: 'Disgrace': Ferry firm CalMac gives up to £400k in bonuses to staff
The Kilbarchan Pipe Band are among those due to be travelling to Brodick for the games but they are behind the hundreds of passengers who were taken off the 7am sailing.
The band get some practice in at Adrossa entertaining queueing passengers, who include the master of ceremonies for the games.
Some have been waiting for more than three hours, says the narrator, others have come as far as London for the event.
The action then shifts to Mallaig, home to the MV Coruisk bound for Armadale in Skye, which was built in 2003 and one of the younger members of the fleet.
We meet watchkeeper engineer Ahmed Al Ansery who carries out regular checks on the engine as she sails.
He was an engineer in Egypt before moving to Scotland with his wife Judy and tells how he "gets a high” from fixing things, after first repairing the family TV set when he was 12.
Back in Adrossan several passengers have decided enough is enough and ask for refunds, including one lady who has been waiting almost four hours.
There is a huge cheer when it's announced that the next ferry will sail and against the odds, staff manage to get everyone on board.
However, there is more drama later that evening, when passengers are told the late return ferry to Ardrossan has broken down due to a lobster crail rope being stuck in a propellor.
It’s a job for specialist divers who can’t be on site until tomorrow.
On the Isle of Mull, 12-year-old Oscar is preparing for his first day at Oban High School, which will require him to live in the school hostel from Monday to Friday.
READ MORE: Guy Stenhouse: 'Give islanders control of ferries to fix this shambles'
It's a price the family is willing to pay to enjoy the spoils of island life.
Around 60 children make the journey each week from islands including Coll, Colonsay, Tiree and Lismore. In the winter when the weather is bad they might not get home for the weekend at all.
Francesa Bichard, hostel manager: “It’s a way of life, it’s just accepted that this is what you have to do and there’s no alternative.”
Oban is of one of CalMac’s busiest hubs, welcoming around 800,000 passengers a year and Mull is one of the most popular tourist destinations.
We meet Andy, a port assistant, who waves his right hand in front of the camera.
He's missing half of the middle finger of his right hand, the grisly result of an accident while tying a berthing ferry.
He had the word 'ouch' tattooed on his hand as a reminder but thankfully it's been plain sailing ever since, for him at least.
Episode one of Island Crossings will be screened on Sunday, July 23 at 9pm on BBC Scotland.
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