QUOTE from Alec:
..... I didn't know that LD ships were British crewed. Is that just officers or overall ?.
Not noticed them advertise but am going by Pierre Gehannes blog where he answered one criticism somewhat peevishly by stating that they are UK flagged and manned. On investigation, I see that they originally introduced the Norman Spirit with Italian manning but the French unions demanded that they be French or British, so they plumped for British as there is not the social security baggage. Imagine that the officers are British and the remainder a pot-pourri. This is the case on the Norfolk Line vessels from Dover, where the deck and engine are all British but the catering are half and half British and Portuguese.
The TMF vessels are registered in Dieppe so no doubt are predominantly French. However, Seamariner rang me up at one time asking if I could do a week on the old "Dieppe." I was already booked for two weeks on another ship so could not oblige. Later heard I had a lucky escape as she was a wreck. Believe LD/TMF are expected to take on a lot of the ex Speed Ferries personnel.
...... Are you sure that you are not a member of the CGT Ed.
Her indoors is doing her bit. She went to Paris to visit her sister whilst I was away last time. There was a national strike and, on turning a street corner, they ran into the CGT demonstration in the photo below. They fell in behind and marched along with them for a couple of miles, chanting "Sarkozy cochon" with the rest of them!
......PS. You put me on to "shipsnostalgia" Ed. I also sailed with Alex.(Ferries) and Tony (Deep sea) your brothers in law.
Saw a very interesting post from you on SN only recently. I post very occasionally as "Oceanspan" (the old Marconi transmitter which I sailed with on many ships in those long gone halcyon days). Alex is very busy flying around the world involved with cable ships and is due in from Houston shortly. Tony is back on the P&O Dover ferries after a long period when he could not get a transfer from the "Pride of Hull" with all the travelling which that entailed.
Ed