Didn't fancy ploughing straight into a Southerly F9 and high seas

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NeilO

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... even on the Bretagne. Just rescheduled our intended crossing this evening Portsmouth to St Malo on the Bretagne at 2015 for a later date in March for a cost of £15.

£15 well spent I suspect! They've cancelled Saturday and Sunday's crossings, but they are saying that they are going to sail tonight. The restaurant might be a bit messy :-)

Neil
 
I once came back from Santander on a Brittany Ferry in a F9. My wife and I were the only clients in the restaurant and we had to hold onto the table while sitting!! Captain sounded very tired in the morning!
 
NeilO said:
... even on the Bretagne. Just rescheduled our intended crossing this evening Portsmouth to St Malo on the Bretagne at 2015 for a later date in March for a cost of £15.

£15 well spent I suspect! They've cancelled Saturday and Sunday's crossings, but they are saying that they are going to sail tonight. The restaurant might be a bit messy :-)

Neil
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Good move, the Bretange is a an old ship and rolls a bit. Mont St Michel or Pont Aven would be find, very stable ships. We had to cross to St Malo just before Christmas on the Bretagne when the MsM went tech. We learned once underway that one of its engines were out which made for a very noisy overnight crossing into a southerly F7-8.
 
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I remember a ferry crossing from Newcastle to Bergen when I was 10. I was too young to know wind speed but the ship was pitching and rolling with big seas. My mother and sister were sea sick so I went to breakfast with my father we were the only people there. The waiter said nobody else will be coming would you like more food, so we did.
 
It's strange but I love ferry trips in the worst weather available, it's so exhilarating, something to do with being able to enjoy the funfair ride while someone else does the work!
 
jerrytug said:
It's strange but I love ferry trips in the worst weather available, it's so exhilarating, something to do with being able to enjoy the funfair ride while someone else does the work!
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Having seen the video of the large ship breaking up entering Bayonne, on one of today's earlier posts, I cannot think why anyone, on any ship, would joyously and knowing go head bashing into a F9 and upwards!
 
doris said:
Having seen the video of the large ship breaking up entering Bayonne, on one of today's earlier posts, I cannot think why anyone, on any ship, would joyously and knowing go head bashing into a F9 and upwards!
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As mentioned above probably, so they can enjoy the emptiness of the restaurant with bigger portions of scran.
 
Off to Calais day trip tomorrow. Booked on the P&O big ones. Hopefully not a problem.
XC weather showing F6/7 in the channel.
 
jerrytug said:
It's strange but I love ferry trips in the worst weather available, it's so exhilarating, something to do with being able to enjoy the funfair ride while someone else does the work!
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+ 1

When I was driving lorries on the continent, many years ago. We hated the summer crossings, with all the drunken booze cruisers, until it got really rough. You could wedge yourself into a corner and had one on one service from the bar staff. :D
 
The Britsh rail sealink ferries never bothered too much. I rmeber seeing Caesarea coming out of Weymouth back in the 70s, in F7-8 straight through the east end of the Portland Race. lifting on the waves the keel was visible to ft of the bridge, while spray was completely enveloping the froward end of the ship back to the funnel. I also did the newhaven Dieppe run in the Maid of Orleans in the early 60s in F10- 11. Most people were seasick even befroe leaving Newhaven, and I remember standing on the boat deck unable to see over the bigger waves. The Maid was one of the first to be fitted with stabilisers, even so she was rolling to 20 degrees. I wanted my lunch and was told by a rather green looking Steward I was the only person aboard who did, and they werent serving anyway!

There was a Ro Ro ferry the Princess Elizabeth I think, was lost on the Stranraer - Larne route in 1953 in a violent storm. One account claims conditions were so bad they were unable to turn back in to shelter so had to go on, and never made it.

F9 shouldnt be a problem to a modern ferry, only to the passengers!
 
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That was the Princess Victoria which foundered in the North Channel. The illustrious lifeboat, Sir Samuel Kelly which rescued some of the passengers still stands proud at Donaghadee,, her duty done well that night.
Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5
 
Wandering Star said:
As mentioned above probably, so they can enjoy the emptiness of the restaurant with bigger portions of scran.
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My grandad had a cast-iron stomach, and generally only travelled by ferry when it was really rough (because he'd have left the yacht in some French port due to the weather). He used to delight in getting his hands on some really greasy, fatty bacon, then going round offering it to the people who looked most ill :D

galadriel said:
Is a F9 a problem to a big ship?
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Doubt it - it was never a problem to 500 ton Stavros, so bigger ships with no sails ought to be fine.

Pete
 
I did one of those New Year mini cruises on the Pont Aven a few years back, we steamed back down the Channel to Portsmouth into a westerly 9/10. The restaurant at the bow, just below the bridge from memory was pretty empty :)

Although there was some guy there trying to impress a young lady by telling her it was like this when he did his YM exam from Eastborne. We were rounding Beachy Head and the seas were still pretty solid green reaching our level. I did mention the words B******t before my ex told me off.

W.
 
Giblets said:
Probably no sweat for the ship but the self-loading cargo might cause an issue!
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Yes I knew the answer. Couple of years ago we crossed from Diepe to Newhaven just after new year, it was the first ferry to cross that day. You will remeber it was the storm where that sailing yacht on delivery to LBS was rescued off Ramsgate (?). It had been F10 + most of the day. A modern ferry was smooth and stable for the crossing, it only got rolly and uncomfortable in Seaford bay when they had to retract the sabilisers to get into Newhaven.
 
PilotWolf said:
I did one of those New Year mini cruises on the Pont Aven a few years back, we steamed back down the Channel to Portsmouth into a westerly 9/10. The restaurant at the bow, just below the bridge from memory was pretty empty :)

Although there was some guy there trying to impress a young lady by telling her it was like this when he did his YM exam from Eastborne. We were rounding Beachy Head and the seas were still pretty solid green reaching our level. I did mention the words B******t before my ex told me off.

W.
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Steamed back UP the Channel to Pompy
 
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