Worst Ferry Crossing you’ve been on?

[Titfield]

It was about 1980, when I was 18, I travelled on my own from Leicester to Douglas IOM to spend a few days riding the railways and trams. The ferry crossing was horrendous and people were being seasick everywhere.

On arrival there were two policeman monitoring passengers as they disembarked the ship. When it was my turn one of the officers took my arm and told me I was being taken into custody and put me in a police car. I was still feeling seasick and too shocked to say anything.

Eventually at the police station I was told that I was being arrested on suspicion of (Northern Irish) terrorism! I was allowed to make one phone call, so I called my mum who then spoke to the officers. I don't know what then happened but after about another hour or two I was told I could go, apparently the police had been tipped off about a terrorist arriving on the ship and I had fitted the description perfectly. Fair enough but I didn't get any apology and no offer of a lift to my B&B or a taxi, I had no idea where the police station was situated either and I was many hours late for my expected arrival there.

My brother had a similar experience at Luton Airport having been mistaken for a german terrorist from the Bader-Meinhof gang.

 

[pitdiver]

Harwich to Esbjerg one November many years ago. That was pretty grim so cold the spray was freezing.

 

[warwickshire]

Has to be on a school trip, returning from Belgium to the U.K FROM Calais to Dover. During the height off the burns day storms 25 to 26 January 1990 aboard the ship named pride off Calais p and o ferries service . Took 12 hours initially ie ferry had to stay out in sea to dangerous to dock. Everyone sick. However when attempt was made to dock at Dover due to storm. Ferry didn't make it, hit the side, became disabled and landed on the beach sides, we was then told to get prepared for disembarkment and to get available life jackets and to assemble at muster stations on boat. By captain. However due to ferry having the old Townsend thorrasaon emblems on the seats a lot off passengers went into upset mode and thought that was it. However around two to three hours later only minor damage occurred and the disabled ferry was slowly dragged into a emergency landing bay. However all the cars and our school coach was severely damaged we had to await another 6 to 8 hours at Dover for a replacement coach to take us back up north to Manchester.

 

[Mikey C]

My worst crossing was a really rough one from Calais to Dover. It's interesting how localised weather can be, as it was fine on the mainland on both sides. After an Interrail trip, I was meant to be on the Jetfoil from Oostende, but that was cancelled so I had to divert to Calais to take the ferry...

I'm not great on water, but generally can cope ok as long as I can get some fresh air on deck. Or if it's just gentle rolling. I remember enjoying a Harwich to Esbjerg crossing, where the rolling made the dance floor more challenging and reduced other people down to my level

 

[Wolfie]

Crikey, that brings it home. My condolences.

Thanks. A long time ago.

 

[cambsy]

I have had a few memorable ferry trips, luckily i dont get seasick, the worse for nearly feeling sick was when Condor Ferries ran their hydrofoils, think it was Guernsey to St Malo trip with family, was choppy sea, and the motion was very un pleasant, had to go go outside etc so could see the horizon, then was ok.

Had an enjoyable rough crossing on the Pont Aven from Plymouth-Santander, had a cabin and due to being rough couldn’t sleep, there was a walkway sort of thing near the front, ands some other young passengers were standing out side getting soaked for fun, as i had no spare clothes as doing just a cruise ferry return, had to be careful not get soaked, but was fun watching the waves crash over the bow etc, due to engine down and the roughness, was about 10 hours late back to Plymouth, but as had cabin and no rush get home etc, was fine with it.

Had some bouncy crossings on fast catamarans, and on the HSS Holyhead-Ireland, had some rough rough channel crossings on the Pride of Le Harve , Portsmouth-Le Harve, but never an excessively rough crosssing, always failed to get those, I enjoy rough crossings more than a plain boring crossing, as ferry crossings can be bit boring.

 

[birchesgreen]

Coming back from Ostend over 30 years ago, the seas were too rough to get into the harbour and so we were stuck in the channel for about 4 hours. Most of the people on board were being sick regularly, the ferry stank of it. I was in the few who weren't sick which I felt quite proud of at the time and still do!

 

[DriverEight]

My first ferry crossing of the chanel was to Cherbourg. The boat was a P&O ship, but you could clearly see the name Townshend Thorennson on the Hull under the blue paint. Turns out this was originally the Spirit of Free Enterprise, sister of the Herald of Free Enterprise, the Ro-Ro (roll on, roll over) ferry the capsized a few years earlier leaving Zeebrugge. It was a horrible vessel, and the truck drivers cabins were down with the crew quarters below the vehicle decks. Hot, cramped and noisy, I ended up sneaking upstairs and sleeping in my truck

 

[Bletchleyite]

My first ferry crossing of the chanel was to Cherbourg. The boat was a P&O ship, but you could clearly see the name Townshend Thorennson on the Hull under the blue paint. Turns out this was originally the Spirit of Free Enterprise, sister of the Herald of Free Enterprise, the Ro-Ro (roll on, roll over) ferry the capsized a few years earlier leaving Zeebrugge. It was a horrible vessel, and the truck drivers cabins were down with the crew quarters below the vehicle decks. Hot, cramped and noisy, I ended up sneaking upstairs and sleeping in my truck

The Spirit class were intended for Dover-Calais - so I guess they weren't really designed for the longer trips.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Yes, they were specifically designed for Dover-Całais. They had several specific features for that route, all based around loading and unloading the vessels as quickly as possible.

They would have been pretty poor boats on a longer run, as they were designed for capacity over comfort. The rougher Western Channel wouldn't be particularly nice on them for that reason.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes, they were specifically designed for Dover-Całais. They had several specific features for that route, all based around loading and unloading the vessels as quickly as possible.

They would have been pretty poor boats on a longer run, as they were designed for capacity over comfort. The rougher Western Channel wouldn't be particularly nice on them for that reason.

Indeed, the need to ballast the nose down to load the upper car deck at Zeebrugge was a significant part of the cause of that disaster. Simply leaving the bow doors open, something which at the time was not at all unusual, would not have been enough, as unballasted the opening was about 8' above the waterline.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Indeed, the need to ballast the nose down to load the upper car deck at Zeebrugge was a significant part of the cause of that disaster. Simply leaving the bow doors open, something which at the time was not at all unusual, would not have been enough, as unballasted the opening was about 8' above the waterline.

It's interesting to note that very little was actually learnt from the Zeebrugge disaster, as the Jan Heweliusz (1993) and Estonia (1994) casualties both showed how little had actually been learnt from the Herald of Free Enterprise.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's interesting to note that very little was actually learnt from the Zeebrugge disaster, as the Jan Heweliusz (1993) and Estonia (1994) casualties both showed how little had actually been learnt from the Herald of Free Enterprise.

I wasn't aware of the former one, but yes, there was the Estonia which was similar, albeit the reason for a big hole in the front being different.

I don't think it's that lessons weren't learnt, but rather that having a large, open car deck with access at both ends is highly commercially expedient, and as such the trade-off of continued risk (subject to adding alarm systems if some muppet has left the doors open by accident) is considered acceptable. A bit like we accept road safety being rather less than 100% due to the considerable benefits that road use offers to society.

 

[BayPaul]

My first ferry crossing of the chanel was to Cherbourg. The boat was a P&O ship, but you could clearly see the name Townshend Thorennson on the Hull under the blue paint. Turns out this was originally the Spirit of Free Enterprise, sister of the Herald of Free Enterprise, the Ro-Ro (roll on, roll over) ferry the capsized a few years earlier leaving Zeebrugge. It was a horrible vessel, and the truck drivers cabins were down with the crew quarters below the vehicle decks. Hot, cramped and noisy, I ended up sneaking upstairs and sleeping in my truck

The Spirit class were never used on the Western Channel, though there was a crazy idea to use the Pride of Bruges on a Portsmouth - Channel Islands route in a P&O bid to take over from Condor. You would have been on the Pride of Cherbourg or Hampshire, ex Viking Venturer /Valiant from Townsend Thoresen days, seriously ugly ships with a brutalist resemblance to the Spirit class, and as you say, we'll past their best.

It's interesting to note that very little was actually learnt from the Zeebrugge disaster, as the Jan Heweliusz (1993) and Estonia (1994) casualties both showed how little had actually been learnt from the Herald of Free Enterprise.

Not strictly true. Each incident contributed hugely to safety in different ways. The Herald disaster led to the very rapid implementation of the ISM code, designed to reduce human /procedure failings - effectively making quality assurance mandatory on all international ships. This was the biggest change in shipboard safety since the Titanic (which lead to the introduction of SOLAS). It was designed to prevent, for example, a bow door being left open by accident, with closed loop reporting and checklists, and to improve responsibility in the office, so shipboard concerns could no longer be ignored, both massive issues at Townsend.

Physical changes to the ships were limited, mainly things like sensors, to ensure that a similar incident couldn't happen again.

The Estonia was a design issue with the ship, rather than a procedural issue - like most ro-ro ferries at the time she was not designed to cope with large amounts of water on the car deck. The Stockholm convention rapidly followed her casualty, leading to sponsons, watertight doors and other features to allow ships to survive an intake of water on the car deck.

In hindsight, it was obviously a great shame that physical design changes didn't follow the Herald, but the changes that did happen were massive, and have saved lives across the whole shipping industry, whereas the Estonia's changes only affected ferries. Even if they had been made, the relatively short time between the two incidents would probably not have been enough to make the legislation and modify every ship, so it may not have saved her.

 

[Cletus]

Regarding the Spirit class ferries, there's a book coming out in April

Remembering the Pride of Free Enterprise - The last of the Spirits - Ferry Publications

The Pride of Free Enterprise was the third and final member of Townsend Thoresen’s ‘Spirit’ class. Completely revolutionised the design of cross-Channel ferries during the early 1980s. Competition with the Sealink consortium was intense. For the first time, vessels capable of accommodating two...

www.ferrypubs.co.uk

 

[Wolfie]

Regarding the Spirit class ferries, there's a book coming out in April

Remembering the Pride of Free Enterprise - The last of the Spirits - Ferry Publications

The Pride of Free Enterprise was the third and final member of Townsend Thoresen’s ‘Spirit’ class. Completely revolutionised the design of cross-Channel ferries during the early 1980s. Competition with the Sealink consortium was intense. For the first time, vessels capable of accommodating two...

www.ferrypubs.co.uk

Shan't, given that l was on the Herald and lost my best friend, be buying that.

 

[181]

The Estonia was a design issue with the ship, rather than a procedural issue - like most ro-ro ferries at the time she was not designed to cope with large amounts of water on the car deck. The Stockholm convention rapidly followed her casualty, leading to sponsons, watertight doors and other features to allow ships to survive an intake of water on the car deck.

This video (link to official report in the description) may be of interest to some. It describes a 2010 incident in which Condor Ferries' Commodore Clipper (not sure when it was built, but I think it's fairly modern) suffered a fire on the vehicle deck, and they had to keep turning the sprinklers off because the drains were partly blocked by spilt potatoes, leading to an accumulation of water with a noticeable effect on the ship's stability. It managed to reach port safely with no casualties.

 

[43055]

This video (link to official report in the description) may be of interest to some. It describes a 2010 incident in which Condor Ferries' Commodore Clipper (not sure when it was built, but I think it's fairly modern) suffered a fire on the vehicle deck, and they had to keep turning the sprinklers off because the drains were partly blocked by spilt potatoes, leading to an accumulation of water with a noticeable effect on the ship's stability. It managed to reach port safely with no casualties.

According to Wikipedia the Commodore Clipper was built in 1999.

 

[Meglos]

Dieppe to Newhaven on the overnight service from Paris GDN to Charing Cross(?), a bit choppy leaving Dieppe, but it soon ramped up. Spend 8 hours in sight of Newhaven Harbour waiting for the weather to abate, so that it would be safe for the ship to dock. I was late for work that day!

Sailing across the Skagerrak, which is supposed to be one of the roughest stretches of water in Europe as it's where the Baltic runs into the North Sea. We were on a ferry from Hirtshals (Denmark) to Larvik (Norway), when we ran into a Strong Gale (Beaufort 9). I remember 9 hours of continuous wave breaking over the ships bow, and smashing against my cabin window. Unable to even attempt to sleep, due to the almost continuous water against the window next to my cabin bunk. Crossing was only supposed to take 4 hours.

 

[32475]

For me, the worst ferry crossing was Dieppe to Newhaven circa 1973 on the Valencay or Villandry. Storm force seas meant that the boat couldn’t get into harbour so we drifted down the coast towards Brighton and eventually got into Newhaven several hours late. Needless to say there was much vomit on board and on the decks.

 

[hexagon789]

Marmaris-Rhodes, going out was fine the return was pretty rough.

Though I've not travelled much by ferry, so I'm sure others experiences are far worse.

 

[Scotrail314209]

One thing I’ve noticed by reading this thread is that the vast majority are all from the English Channel. Looks like it confirms my thoughts that the English Channel tends to through a tantrum 90% of the year.

 

[Bald Rick]

One thing I’ve noticed by reading this thread is that the vast majority are all from the English Channel. Looks like it confirms my thoughts that the English Channel tends to through a tantrum 90% of the year.

It’s possible that that’s because it’s the trip that most people make !

 

[Taunton]

It’s possible that that’s because it’s the trip that most people make !

Also that the prevailing south-west wind blows up the length of the Channel, and the ferries are operating at right angles to it.

 

[Stewart2887]

Someone mentioned Aberdeen. I worked on a scottish office research vessel once (Scotia) we went out to the Piper Alpha wreck, then round the top to the Clyde. Rough as hell, had to be careful in the shower in case you hit your head on the ceiling. Stormbound off Arran for days, we ran low on gin and lime (tastes the same coming up as going down) but someone needed a spare electronic part from RS and brought supplies from Brodick. Captain took the inshore route down the west coast but it was always dark/I was asleep so no pleasure cruise! Wind blew the windows out the office and trashed my car while I was away too

 

[Cloud Strife]

Not strictly true. Each incident contributed hugely to safety in different ways. The Herald disaster led to the very rapid implementation of the ISM code, designed to reduce human /procedure failings - effectively making quality assurance mandatory on all international ships. This was the biggest change in shipboard safety since the Titanic (which lead to the introduction of SOLAS). It was designed to prevent, for example, a bow door being left open by accident, with closed loop reporting and checklists, and to improve responsibility in the office, so shipboard concerns could no longer be ignored, both massive issues at Townsend.

Physical changes to the ships were limited, mainly things like sensors, to ensure that a similar incident couldn't happen again.

The Estonia was a design issue with the ship, rather than a procedural issue - like most ro-ro ferries at the time she was not designed to cope with large amounts of water on the car deck. The Stockholm convention rapidly followed her casualty, leading to sponsons, watertight doors and other features to allow ships to survive an intake of water on the car deck.

In hindsight, it was obviously a great shame that physical design changes didn't follow the Herald, but the changes that did happen were massive, and have saved lives across the whole shipping industry, whereas the Estonia's changes only affected ferries. Even if they had been made, the relatively short time between the two incidents would probably not have been enough to make the legislation and modify every ship, so it may not have saved her.

I do agree, but I mean rather in terms of overall attitude towards the sea. Jan Heweliusz for example: while the Polish attitude of "jakoś to będzie" (somehow it will be) was clearly prevailing that night in the Baltic, it's still incredible that anyone thought it was appropriate to go to sea that night. Combined with the rather dreadful approach towards maintenance, it was clearly going to happen sooner rather than later.

Estonia was a mess for so many reasons. Even if you ignore the problems of the actual casualty scenario as claimed by the official investigation, the most striking thing is that the ship was allowed to make that journey in the first place. It wasn't certified for such open sea journeys (it had the relevant ice classification, but it was restricted to, I think, 20 miles from the coast - as it was built for the Umea-Vaasa route), and the report published by the shipbuilders show that the Swedish authorities knew that it was a death trap, but they wouldn't/couldn't prevent it from sailing, even though an inspection that ended on the day of the final voyage showed numerous deficiencies.

Aberdeen

Aberdeen can be quite a nightmare for ferries if the weather unexpectedly changes. A friend was stuck on board a Northlink vessel for over a day years ago because of the sea and wind conditions, and the ferry ended up being diverted to Rosyth because there was no way it was getting into Aberdeen. The only saving grace was that the ferry was lightly loaded, so the bar was unofficially-officially free for all, provided you could stomach anything. My friend's report was "in the bar from midday, boat going nowhere, might as well make the most of it".

He reckoned the worst was that the ferry was sitting just outside Aberdeen in rough seas.

 

[Southsider]

As a boy growing up in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute in the early 1970s if Saturday coincided with a stormy day me and my pal would take the ferry over to the mainland just for the fun of a white knuckle ride, the Firth of Clyde is relatively sheltered compared with say the Irish sea but then again the boats were much smaller.

The ferry would usually divert from Wemyss Bay to Gourock so we got a good hour or more's worth of bumpy ride for our half day returns!

Other people's nightmare journey was our idea of a fun day out. The ferries never completely cancelled in those days - the skippers were made of sterner stuff and regulation looser, they sailed in all weathers - so we were never scared of being stuck on the mainland.

I recall a few stormy trips returning from my aunt’s in Port Bannatyne, also in the early 70s. On one in particular, the Cowal set out for Wemyss Bay in a gale and actually managed to berth. Unloading the cars was a test of the drivers’ timing - wait for the ramp to touch the pier and drive off quickly on the deckhand’s instruction! We sat for a while watching the waves when Cowal unexpectedly left and headed south, Glen Sannox was stuck in Ardrossan and Cowal was the only ferry still at sea and operating. She sailed to Brodick and returned to Gourock, quite a trip in the weather and made the papers the next day.
I see you’re avatar is Glen Sannox, here’s a shot from not long after she was built.

2) Wellington to Picton across the Cook Strait. My first and last sea ferry crossing since the Channel Tunnel opened. I’d been warned. It was, apparently, an average crossing.

The former Stornoway ferry, Suilven, was sold to New Zealand. Here she is on your crossing

 

[B7rleThrasher]

February 2020, Dublin to Liverpool on Seatruck Panorama
I was the only passenger alongside many unattended HGV trailers - after we departed Dublin, the fun began - as soon as the dinner service was over, the crew disappeared to their quarters and I spent the next 8 hours alone in the public areas in an incredibly rough sea. I remember being thrown up and down in the bed with extreme force and then the cabin window being drenched with bright white waves! I got back to my car and the chains put around my alloys had done their job....but also scratched and gauged the paint off them!!

 

[181]

Unloading the cars was a test of the drivers’ timing - wait for the ramp to touch the pier and drive off quickly on the deckhand’s instruction!

Something similar can be seen between 4 and 5 minutes into this video of the Iona ferry. I don't think I've ever been to or from Iona in conditions as rough as that, but I have experienced difficulty as a foot passenger in getting ashore with dry feet.

A tweet quoted by the Man in Seat 61 on his Twitter account has some quite impressive pictures of the Scillonian last week: https://twitter.com/photogregmartin/status/1395392388680519680. The link in the tweet leads to more pictures and a video. I'm not sure whether it was pitching as much as that when I went on it last September, but it felt quite like it at times; fortunately for me the wind was on the starboard bow so much of the spray was blown off to the side rather than landing on the main part of the passenger deck.

 

[Southsider]

This was happening within the breakwater of Ardrossan harbour. I wonder how many of the queuing drivers decided not to board.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-51522580