Popped across to Calais on Saturday (yes, the VERY windy day!!) on a wine/beer sight-seeing day (most sights were very wet, tho ... ). Thanks to the backroomers for lunch suggestions ... Boulogne is very nice, but my tummy wasn't up to much ..... :-((
One odd thing - this is the secong time, whilst crossing the channel with Seafrance, that the sailings have all been VERY delayed by the weather. Not suprising, you might think in the high winds ? Well, whilst we sat there in our cars, P&O and the catamaran Hoverspeed managed to get several boats in and out of the harbour.
I know the English Channel can get a bit rough, but are Seafrance using economy ships ?! After all, you should see the weather up on the North Sea .... boats still go in that ....
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It could be worse.
Went to the channel Islands one time on the big old slow ferry. Coming home the sailing was delayed. Why? Fire on board. Car caught fire, and took out about 5 cars round it before the crew put it out.
So we drive on board, and directed to park at the EXACT spot where the fire was. Black, Burnt wiring, smelly, still dripping in seawater and foam used to fight the fire.
I said the deck hand "is this thing safe?" "still floating init mate" he replies. Nervous journey home.
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Arnold2
If you were on the Rodent, sorry, Rodin, I suspect it's so big its wind resistance is too high for safe manoeuvring whereas the smaller P&Oers were okay. Also, it's only a couple of years old - even the "new" P&Oers are converted grain carriers (and don't have a comfortable seat on the whole boat).
Didn't know Hoverspeed were running again - must have been their first day of the operating season. The Cats are not comfortable in anything above force 5 IM(NS)HO.
Terry
"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand"
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What happened to the hovercraft across the channel ... I thought they could operate in bad conditions ?
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Hovercraft is dead, flies no more. Seacats replaced them.
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ahh ... checked on BBC News site .... since all passengers are wedded to their seats, no nice 'shopping' opportunities for the operators .... ! Still, 50+ knots must have been fun ....
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Arnold2
Sadly, the hovercraft were laid off a couple of years ago on grounds of operating cost. Once again, the ending of duty-free was the main excuse. Since they went okay in up to force 8 this wasn't a good decision for the travelling public. However, having been on one in a force 8, with the skirt coming up above the windows, it wasn't the most comfortable experience!
Nevertheless it was my favourite way of crossing the channel - there's still nothing faster. On a reasonable day the last flight from Calais used to get across in about 22 minutes stop to stop, used to take you almost onto the A20 as it came right up the slipway for the night, unloading was slick and generally an exhilirating experience.
Now the only way to enjoy hovercraft travel is either to join the US marines or cross as a foot passenger to the Isle of Wight. Worth a visit for those interested is the hovercraft museum at HMS Daedelus in Lee-on-Solent. On their open days they often have "trips around the bay" on the newest diesel-powered IoW craft - great fun as the pilot does many things he's not usually allowed to.
Details at www.hovercraft-museum.org
Terry
"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand"
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not sure if it still applies, but a few years ago when the Hovercraft operated, in high winds they were the only thing running, as even the trains were out of action due to wind-sheer at the Calais end !
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oh, yes, we were on the Rodin ..... no comfy seats on that one, either .... the older Seafrance ones are nicer ....
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IMO the Seacat is quite the nastiest way to cross the English Channel. Dirty, run down, torn seats, pitch and roll like billy oh!
Give me the solid old heap of a traditional car ferry. The only plus about the Seacat thing was that it cost "only" 65 quid one way, whilst our turn up and go from Calias to Dover was 225 Euros (ONE WAY) with Sea France
Roger.
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IMO the Seacat is quite the nastiest way to cross the English Channel. Dirty, run down, torn seats, pitch and roll like billy oh!
Give me the solid old heap of a traditional car ferry.
The Portsmouth Express is a similar vessel to the Seacat - made by the same Australian company - and it is a nice craft to sail on. The only problem is packing the cars in such narrow confines. So, I'm taking the traditional ferry from Portsmouth in May. I'm not taking a chance with my new motor.
Incidentally, I'm travelling alone - except for the dog - and P&O have charged me an extra £16 for "under occupation" of the two berth cabin. I've paid the full price for the cabin - which is per cabin and not per berth - so if I travel with another person I would save £16.
Grossly unfair to lone travellers
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The whole fare structure is unfair (!). Went on a P&O crossing earlier this year which was "£10 per day for car and driver" but £15 for another passenger. Only dawned on my wife and I when we had travelled that it wiould have been cheaper for us to go in separate cars! On another tack, last year I was quoted £677 for car and caravan as a last minute booking (didn't take it!) but this year got the same crossing for £126 by booking early through Caravan Club. Must say that I object to the fact that if you go on a one day booze cruise it costs about £30 but if you want to spend a few days over there it costs £100. But I suppose they are "profit maximising" or is it "loss minimising"
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Have to say the seacat (used as generic term to describe turbine water jet multi hulled variety) running on the hook of holland was a good boat, comfortable stable and fast.
Robbie - the under occupation is based on the fact there is no person to consume things in the shops, restuarants and bars, depsite the fact my lab would probably consume a greater profit in bottled water, ice cream and tea & biscuits than any single human person.
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oh, yes, we were on the Rodin ..... no comfy seats on that one, either .... the older Seafrance ones are nicer ....
And another thing, how come the new ferries have so little outside deck space. Not just the cross channel jobbies either, CalMac's "Hebrides" only has a wee little area at the stern.
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"And another thing, how come the new ferries have so little outside deck space"
Try standing on the deck in a seacat!
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There was talk a while back of bringing some of the old Hovercraft here, and running a Cape Town to Blouberg ferry across Table Bay, to avoid the traffic.
Here's the scenario: From where thew pic was taken, across to that large mountain-thingie!
www.capetowndeco.com/.../ beaches_blouberg.htm
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Ian
I think the rocks might shred a few skirt panels!
Terry
"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand"
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agree with the Harwich-Hook of Holland catamaran - very nice - but made in Finland, not Australia !
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thought - often the day trips are cheaper than the long-term return; why not book 2 x day trips ?!
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because in order to use the return half, you have to have used the outward part. So you'd have to buy your second return trip from France to England.
And they'll track you down the next time you try to travel if you only use one half of the ticket. Make a habit of it and they'll get wise to you. I suspect using the return is usually a condition of buying a return ticket.
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OOoooh you don't want to be doing that.
If you look on the reverse of the ticket you will see that they ferry companies monitor the use of these tickets and reserve the right to charge the "correct" fare for the actual journey undertaken. If you don't use the return leg of ticket "a" and try to use the return leg of ticket "b" without having used the outbound section, your credit card gets a thumping.
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Blimey, two posts from SE1 on the same subject, at the same time. Spooky.
As an aside, if you pay for your tickets by any form of card, the ferry company won't even argue with you, they will just put through a new voucher for the difference in costs.
Ouch.
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Could you not get round the problem by booking the 2 tickets in different names,different cards and unspecified registration numbers?
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Then you would get charged 2 full fares, one on each card, as you would only be using one leg of each ticket.
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And you can't book without specifying the car/registration. Also, on the chunnel, when you book online you don't receive a ticket but when you book in they charge for and give you the return ticket - there is no escape. If you want to read more on this topic, and to protest go to
www.channelpirates.com/
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ahhh ..... better not buy 2 x singles, then ...
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