A SINKING FEELING; Free Church warns ferry sailing marks end of island way of life.

Byline: MAGGIE BARRY

RELIGIOUS protesters watched in silence yesterday as the first scheduled Sunday ferry sailed out of the Wee Free stronghold of Lewis.

But a crowd of more than 200 gathered on the shore at Stornoway to cheer as the MV Isle of Lewis left for the mainland.

They see it as a freedom of choice victory but opponents warned it ended a way of life based on strict observance of the Sabbath.

Professor Donald Macleod, principal of the Free Church college in Edinburgh, said: "This will be very damaging to our community and our culture. It will change the community from a Christian civilisation to a secular, humanist society."

Scores of cars and hundreds of passengers were on board ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne's Sabbath service to Ullapool. They included police returning to the main-lanafter the Hebridean Celtic Festival who would normally have had to stay an extra day on the island at public expense.

And Iain Turnbull, 61, from Stornoway, went on the six-and-a-half-hour round trip in a T-shirt with the slogan "Let's Drink On Sunday". He commented: "I am fed-up with people telling me what to do - but no more."

CAPTION(S):

HISTORIC Sunday ferry has sparked row