T_S
Well-Known Member
Just had a thought John....pictures like that, make the Wight Link ferry skippers in the Solent pussies! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Rough Ferry Ride
- Thread starter Ships_Cat
- Start date
Ships_Cat
Well-Known Member
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Hi Dave
A couple of times now we have been heading through the Strait with one of the ferries coming up behind and then spied in the distance ahead big combers in a tide race. Get sails down and motor into the wind to get around and avoid getting swept into them by the tide - you know you've done the correct thing when you see the big ferry coming up behind also taking severe avoiding action.
They have just taken the last big cat off the run and replaced it with a big displacement boat. One of the cats (Condor 10, which has also run on routes in UK) stove its bow in a couple of years ago as they ran into a steep wave. The cats stopped running at 3m sig. wave height but the displacement ones run 'til seas are very high (as can be seen).
They occasionally have some exciting times in Bass Strait too - I don't think its gets as turbulent but the route is very much longer.
John
Hi Dave
A couple of times now we have been heading through the Strait with one of the ferries coming up behind and then spied in the distance ahead big combers in a tide race. Get sails down and motor into the wind to get around and avoid getting swept into them by the tide - you know you've done the correct thing when you see the big ferry coming up behind also taking severe avoiding action.
They have just taken the last big cat off the run and replaced it with a big displacement boat. One of the cats (Condor 10, which has also run on routes in UK) stove its bow in a couple of years ago as they ran into a steep wave. The cats stopped running at 3m sig. wave height but the displacement ones run 'til seas are very high (as can be seen).
They occasionally have some exciting times in Bass Strait too - I don't think its gets as turbulent but the route is very much longer.
John
rouquin
New Member
Re: As a ferry regular
Worst ferry trip I had was from Cherbourg to Portsmouth a few years ago. It was November and blowing a F8/9, I was a bit rough but not too bad, just bad enough for the onboard restaurant to be empty and most passengers to be a bit green.
About half way through the trip (total time is normally about 4 hours) I noticed that the motion had become much worse and crew had nonchelantly positioned themselves next to the emergency exits.
So I got up and stuck my head out the door to find more crew in fire fighting kit hurrying along the side decks before disappearing into the bowels of the boat.
After half an hour or so the captain announced that there had been a fire in one of the engines / chimneys, which they had successfully put out. We had to complete the rest of the trip with only one engine.
In all it took twice as long as normal (8 hours), and with only one engine the motion remained bad, there really was sick running down the aisles that night.
Regards
Darren.
Worst ferry trip I had was from Cherbourg to Portsmouth a few years ago. It was November and blowing a F8/9, I was a bit rough but not too bad, just bad enough for the onboard restaurant to be empty and most passengers to be a bit green.
About half way through the trip (total time is normally about 4 hours) I noticed that the motion had become much worse and crew had nonchelantly positioned themselves next to the emergency exits.
So I got up and stuck my head out the door to find more crew in fire fighting kit hurrying along the side decks before disappearing into the bowels of the boat.
After half an hour or so the captain announced that there had been a fire in one of the engines / chimneys, which they had successfully put out. We had to complete the rest of the trip with only one engine.
In all it took twice as long as normal (8 hours), and with only one engine the motion remained bad, there really was sick running down the aisles that night.
Regards
Darren.
T_S
Well-Known Member
Funny you should mention Sea Cats John...the ones we have crossing the channel here in UK are built in Oz!
I noticed this on a shipyards plaque on the one I was using to cross from Cherbourg to Portsmouth.
Dave
I noticed this on a shipyards plaque on the one I was using to cross from Cherbourg to Portsmouth.
Dave
Ships_Cat
Well-Known Member
Yes, by Incat in Tasmania.
The US Navy also has a couple (think more than one, but I have only seen one of them while in Tasmania) which look very ominous and surreal in grey.
This was all in the Tasmanian papers so is no secret. On the sea trials of one of the new big cats built in Hobart they accidently ran one of them at speed onto rocks which are awash in a passage between a small island and the shore. Was very badly damaged - was being driven by the owner of the shipyard /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
John
The US Navy also has a couple (think more than one, but I have only seen one of them while in Tasmania) which look very ominous and surreal in grey.
This was all in the Tasmanian papers so is no secret. On the sea trials of one of the new big cats built in Hobart they accidently ran one of them at speed onto rocks which are awash in a passage between a small island and the shore. Was very badly damaged - was being driven by the owner of the shipyard /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
John
ChrisE
Well-Known Member
John,
By my count you were on this board at 11am BST and here you are again at 11pm BST, don't you do any work/sleep?
Chris (off to bed having done 2 months of KYC accounts plus bottle and a half of CabSav)
By my count you were on this board at 11am BST and here you are again at 11pm BST, don't you do any work/sleep?
Chris (off to bed having done 2 months of KYC accounts plus bottle and a half of CabSav)
T_S
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
by Incat in Tasmania.
[/ QUOTE ]
Name certainly rings a bell John.
by Incat in Tasmania.
[/ QUOTE ]
Name certainly rings a bell John.
Ships_Cat
Well-Known Member
My office is in my home Chris and time usually flexible /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.
John
John
BrendanS
Well-Known Member
I'd be a pig in muck if someone paid me to do that for a living. Not sure I'd cope with running a ferry route day in day out though, even if it got exciting once in a while.
Wonderful pics, and just shows what boats can take. They should have a video of this route to show the Cross channel ferry peeps that they can still keep running when things get a little rough! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Wonderful pics, and just shows what boats can take. They should have a video of this route to show the Cross channel ferry peeps that they can still keep running when things get a little rough! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
ShipsWoofy
Well-Known Member
or can't take sometimes, Estonia?
Got to say I would be happier to watch from the photographers point than on board. The only benefit of rough crossings is extra food and no queues.
But now days, if I wanted a fag I am supposed to hang on to the rail outside, er, or hide in the bog!
If you went MOB in that, you are, well, dead really!
Got to say I would be happier to watch from the photographers point than on board. The only benefit of rough crossings is extra food and no queues.
But now days, if I wanted a fag I am supposed to hang on to the rail outside, er, or hide in the bog!
If you went MOB in that, you are, well, dead really!
BrendanS
Well-Known Member
The Estonia disaster is surrounded in myth, but it's fairly sure that the bow door wasn't up to the job. A lot was learnt from this and other ferry accidents. The crew on the NZ boats, faced with rough conditions (I mean rough as compared to what most ferry operators in UK/Europe face most of the time) are more than aware of these issues, and seem to cope well
I have a fascination with rough weather conditions, but not a death wish. I no longer think cave diving is fun, and am seldom tempted to even jump into cold water for fun as the kids will tell you after our recent week in West Wales in glorious sunshine where they spent significant time in the water, and I didn't!
My interest in rough weather boating is how to survive it safely and competently, and never to arrive in a situation where I feel at risk. It's this last bit that takes a bit of explaining or understanding. If you build up slowly and safely, you start to realise what is OK for you and the boat, but it takes time and experience, and many either don't enjoy their rough weather boating as it challenges their experience to date, or simply don't like those sort of conditions. It's difficult to challenge preconceptions that many have in written text, you really need to be there at the time.
I have a fascination with rough weather conditions, but not a death wish. I no longer think cave diving is fun, and am seldom tempted to even jump into cold water for fun as the kids will tell you after our recent week in West Wales in glorious sunshine where they spent significant time in the water, and I didn't!
My interest in rough weather boating is how to survive it safely and competently, and never to arrive in a situation where I feel at risk. It's this last bit that takes a bit of explaining or understanding. If you build up slowly and safely, you start to realise what is OK for you and the boat, but it takes time and experience, and many either don't enjoy their rough weather boating as it challenges their experience to date, or simply don't like those sort of conditions. It's difficult to challenge preconceptions that many have in written text, you really need to be there at the time.
BrianJ
Well-Known Member
John,
It was about 1964 from memory hat you lost an inter island ferry ( Whanganui ???) at Wellington Heads, presume it was in the same conditions.
BrianJ
It was about 1964 from memory hat you lost an inter island ferry ( Whanganui ???) at Wellington Heads, presume it was in the same conditions.
BrianJ
BrendanS
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I think that you will find it is neither, but perhaps more a case of what one is used to. Those vessels effectively operate a continuous bridge between North and South Islands and transport is totally dependant on them, rough conditions in the Strait are very frequent.
[/ QUOTE ]
Good call puss. This is one of those areas that will rapidly become contentious though
I think that you will find it is neither, but perhaps more a case of what one is used to. Those vessels effectively operate a continuous bridge between North and South Islands and transport is totally dependant on them, rough conditions in the Strait are very frequent.
[/ QUOTE ]
Good call puss. This is one of those areas that will rapidly become contentious though
Ships_Cat
Well-Known Member
Hi Brian
Yes the Wahine, in 1968 in the entrance to Wellington Harbour. I have put a link above in an earlier post. She did a route between Christchurch and Wellington so her route only just brought her into the Southern end of the Strait itself. Was just under 500 foot long.
In the photo below, which is looking South to the harbour entrance, the structure on the right closest is the inner lead and in the far distance to the left of the ferry is the outer lead. She would have come in pretty much straight onto the leads in her approach from the South. To the right of the stern of the ferry is Barretts Reef (which I hope will show faintly when pic is posted) where she struck after losing control and visibility - they dropped anchors and drifted in to a position between the inner lead and the light on the white base in the distance slightly to the left of it (Steeple Rock) where she foundered. That is well in the entrance as just outside to the right of the photo are houses (Seatoun).
However, it is not always rough /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif, sometimes very, very pleasant as the photo below shows - on your charts Brian the cape dead ahead is Cape Koamaru at the Northern end of Arapawa Island with Queen Charlotte Sound behind, in the very far distance as a grey mark between Koamaru and the genoa foil is Cape Jackson (where the cruise ship Michel Lermatov went down) and The Brothers islands are behind the genoa.
Regards
John
Images hosted by xs.to
Yes the Wahine, in 1968 in the entrance to Wellington Harbour. I have put a link above in an earlier post. She did a route between Christchurch and Wellington so her route only just brought her into the Southern end of the Strait itself. Was just under 500 foot long.
In the photo below, which is looking South to the harbour entrance, the structure on the right closest is the inner lead and in the far distance to the left of the ferry is the outer lead. She would have come in pretty much straight onto the leads in her approach from the South. To the right of the stern of the ferry is Barretts Reef (which I hope will show faintly when pic is posted) where she struck after losing control and visibility - they dropped anchors and drifted in to a position between the inner lead and the light on the white base in the distance slightly to the left of it (Steeple Rock) where she foundered. That is well in the entrance as just outside to the right of the photo are houses (Seatoun).
However, it is not always rough /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif, sometimes very, very pleasant as the photo below shows - on your charts Brian the cape dead ahead is Cape Koamaru at the Northern end of Arapawa Island with Queen Charlotte Sound behind, in the very far distance as a grey mark between Koamaru and the genoa foil is Cape Jackson (where the cruise ship Michel Lermatov went down) and The Brothers islands are behind the genoa.
Regards
John
Images hosted by xs.to
Danny_Labrador
Well-Known Member
The problem is finding incremental rough weather conditions that will enable you to build your experience at the right pace. In my experience. Nature seems to have to ability to throw a googly fairly regularly for me.
Dyflin
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
The crew on the NZ boats, faced with rough conditions (I mean rough as compared to what most ferry operators in UK/Europe face most of the time) are more than aware of these issues, and seem to cope well
[/ QUOTE ]
You obviously haven't spent much time in the northern end of your country. Try leaving Aberdeen on one of the north bound ferries on a stormy January evening. Or the Bergen ferry from Newcastle, that'll revise your ideas sharpish. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
The crew on the NZ boats, faced with rough conditions (I mean rough as compared to what most ferry operators in UK/Europe face most of the time) are more than aware of these issues, and seem to cope well
[/ QUOTE ]
You obviously haven't spent much time in the northern end of your country. Try leaving Aberdeen on one of the north bound ferries on a stormy January evening. Or the Bergen ferry from Newcastle, that'll revise your ideas sharpish. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
beancounter
Well-Known Member
Re: Hovercraft
"...and they sound like the end of the worlds upon you..."
Well, you were sitting in a tin box, on top of a rubber ring, with 4 damn great aero engines on top.
I thought they were great...
"...and they sound like the end of the worlds upon you..."
Well, you were sitting in a tin box, on top of a rubber ring, with 4 damn great aero engines on top.
I thought they were great...
