Sea News...
- 27 October 2012 09:42197978Yes some very good suggestions there from P&O...
have some good suggestions for half term in from DFDS will get those up later.
In the meantime there is a backlog of trucks going back for miles. I assume going back for miles as I can see them winding all the way up the hill as far as the eye can see.. Due no doubt to the bad weather.
Here you can see the trucks queing over on the left of pic, but no ships to take them...
This following picture taken a tad earlier this morning...some rough looking weather out there. The shipping forecast said there was a "severe gale 9" this morning..tis a bit calmer now though.
email: dover7@msn.com - 27 October 2012 10:03197987half term get away adding to the problem paul.
- 27 October 2012 10:27197998I am half way back from Dunkerque and can vouch for the fact that it is pretty rough out here.
Also there were showers of hail in Dunkerque and white stuff lying on the ground from last night.
Welcome to winter! - 27 October 2012 11:36198006Gosh Ed not a day to be on board,
and Dunkerque can keep the white stuff. 
O for the heady days of summer.
- 27 October 2012 12:37198019I saw you battling your way down the channel Ed. Looked rough all right. I see you made it in...
email: dover7@msn.com - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
27 October 2012 12:39198021paulb,sent you an email. - 27 October 2012 13:08198029Thanks Brian got your email with the pictures and here we are....showing the traffic build-up this morning..
Brian has a new Nikon camera..wow! great stuff. We can expect more pictures in due course.
You can see the trucks going way back up the hill there...controlled by the police. The police are also at the dock entrance.
Below a wide shot of the build up looking down towards the harbour.
email: dover7@msn.com - 27 October 2012 13:11198030great stuff brian, you are ideally placed for giving prior warnings of traffic problems, even better with photos now.
- Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
27 October 2012 13:23198032thanks guys,any excuse to try the new toy out.pictures taken from meggers [avo's] car park [top level]. - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
27 October 2012 13:30198034ps.its allways nice to have the police there keeping the roundabout clear,but unfortunetly they are not allways available to police it. - 27 October 2012 15:17198040Totally different weather on either side of the Dover Strait. Calm in Dover and very rough indeed over the other side. Here is a photo taken at 1100 in the Northeast Lane. Also a photo of the Moliere which passed on her way from Tilbury to drydock in Dunkerque preparatory to taking up her charter with DFDS.
- 27 October 2012 15:36198041Message on the MyFerryLink website:
Our services are currently disrupted due to the P&O ship Pride of Burgundy losing control and colliding with the Berlioz this morning. - 27 October 2012 17:21198051MFL indicating that the blame lay with P&O according to that, certainly impacted on the queues at Dover today.Audere est facere.
- Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
27 October 2012 17:25198054it seems quite dodgy that,allways thought the burgandy was a trogen horse. - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
27 October 2012 20:17198089the a20 is now clear and running sweet. - 27 October 2012 21:13198092Appears the Burgundy was going astern from berth 9 with tug assistance due to the fierce Northerly winds and made contact with the Berlioz which was on berth 8. Burgundy seems to have suffered only superficial damage but the Berlioz was not quite so lucky and has sustained damage to liferaft canisters and lifeboat davits.
There was certainly some serious weather on the French side of the Dover Strait this morning with violent storm force winds for a period. Looks like Burgundy got caught out and, even with tug assistance, was unable to prevent herself getting blown down onto the Berlioz. There is not a lot of room to spare in Calais, with the berths all lying in line, so that it is necessary to pass fairly close down the sides of the other ferries. - 28 October 2012 07:12198115Extremely rough conditions..those are amazing pictures Ed. Glad I wasnt with you on that trip !! lol!!
Brings back visions in the dark recesses of my mind of the Princess Maud...
Also amazing news re the Berlioz/Burgundy..and the Berlioz was looking so good too, There is a P&O ferry resting off shakespeare cliff, cant make out which one it is at the moment BUT will look on our channel traffic guide in a moment or two.
Just had a look: The channel traffic guide tells me its the European Seaways.
Here is a half term idea from DFDS...
MAKE SURE YOUR HALF-TERM IS THE TRICERA-TOPS AT THE WORLD'S LARGEST DINOSAUR EXHIBITION, PARIS
- Great entertainment for the whole family
- Convenient travel to France and Northern Europe with DFDS Seaways
This half-term, take a family break for as little as £11 each way* with cross-Channel ferry operator DFDS Seaways, and visit the World's Largest Dinosaur Exhibition at the Natural History Museum in Paris and let your imagination re-wind back in time. This fascinating exhibition explores the life and biology of some of the largest dinosaurs to have ever walked the Earth and is certainly big enough to capture the attention of any child making the perfect family outing.
Keep little hands busy with the interactive exhibits, which surround an awe-inspiring, life-sized replica of the gigantic Memenchasaurus. The model's left side is exposed to display projected images so children can marvel at how the dinosaur's gigantic organs looked and worked. Highlights of the exhibition include an excavation workshop, which introduces youngsters to a career in palaeontology and armed with goggles, brushes and a chisel, they can be let loose on a replica dig site to uncover fossils for themselves.
This breath-taking exhibition premiered at the American Museum of Natural History, New York in April 2011 and was so successful that it has now moved to Paris where it will entertain, educate and astound visitors from 24th October 2012 - 13th May 2013.
Located in the Jardin des Plantes, the Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle is open every day except Tuesdays from 10am to 6pm and ticket prices to the exhibition are €9 for adults and €7 for children, while under-4s go free. So keep the kids busy this half-term and plan a cultural break for the family to the exhibition together with other famous Parisian landmarks.
For fuss-free travel to the French capital, take a car and up to four passengers from Dover to Calais or Dover to Dunkirk with DFDS Seaways. Crossings take 90 minutes to Calais and approximately two hours to Dunkirk. With plenty of family-friendly facilities and restaurants on every ferry, your holiday starts as soon as you board.
DFDS Seaways runs up to 44 daily sailings between Dover and France and the centre of Paris is around a three-hour drive from the Calais and Dunkirk ports, providing passengers with flexible crossing times and convenient travel options.
Chris Newey, international passenger director for the English Channel at DFDS Seaways, said: "Half-term is a great time to take the family away for a short break and travelling by ferry is a perfect way to start a holiday to France and Northern Europe. It offers a great experience for all the family, including a wide range of onboard facilities, such as an onboard shop, restaurants and dedicated children's play area. Travelling by car, means holiday-makers have the option of staying outside of Paris where the accommodation is better value and families can explore northern France without the hassle of air travel."
For more information about DFDS Seaways, or to find out about the latest sailing times and book tickets, visit www.dfdsseaways.co.uk or telephone 0871 574 7235.
Landlubbers view of the conditions late yesterday...
email: dover7@msn.com - 28 October 2012 15:30198195The SNCM ferry Napoleon Bonaparte which parted her lines and ran aground in Marseilles yesterday in what must have been the same storm.
- 29 October 2012 13:01198342Berlioz went to Arno's in Dunkerque for attention but was straight back out. Seen here passing the Dyck buoy outbound from Dunkerque just before noon today.
- 29 October 2012 15:46198366Good to see she is back in action Ed..there appears to be no damage. None visible in the shot above anyway so hopefully all okay. Oh dear re the Napoleon Bonaparte.Weather seems to be gone to hell everywhere. Hope she doesnt end up sadly like the Concordia.
Good pictures as everemail: dover7@msn.com
