Sea News...
- 12 July 2013 15:27237206It looks like it's brightening up now,so hopefully MrB. you will get a sunny pic of the Fabulous Sea Princess before she cruises out of Dover. Nice to see the pic of her above there, a beautiful ship indeed
Ryndam tomorrow, then ................................................................
On Monday 15th July, two more beauties cruise back to Dover, the Carnival Legend returns to CT2, T/R, & the Ocean Princess returns to CT1 T/R.
No cruise ship then until Thursday 18th when the Braemar returns once again to CT1 T/R.
Another treat for us all on Friday 19th when the Costa Voyager cruises into Dover at CT2, T/R + PoC. She is described as 'a small ship on a human scale with the elegance of a true big yacht' She will be ready for her close up guys so get your cameras well & truly ready
We end the week on Saturday 20th, when the Ryndam, CT2 T/R & the Saga Sapphire, CT1 T/R, return to Dover again.
No ships then until Thursday 25th July, so watch this space
Just seen your latest pix of the Sea Princess, nice one Howard - 12 July 2013 15:28237207thanks for keeping us informed colette.
- 12 July 2013 15:30237208Wow! well done Howard. Lovely ones. The view from up there shows the actual bulk of the ships much better. If you look at the coaches to the right there on the bottom shot ,you can grasp the sheer scale of the thing. I see the famous blue double decker in there in the thick of it.
France showing up well.
ah...two posts since I started making my post...lol! Howards pix now over the page.
yes will keep an eye out for her departure tonight Colette..she came in extremely early so didnt manage anything.email: dover7@msn.com - 12 July 2013 15:35237210the sky was much more interesting than comes out in the photo paul, clear lines of blue, grey and white sraight across the horizon.
- 12 July 2013 20:18237237Who was the very talented artist responsible for the front page Paul?
- 13 July 2013 06:57237274French cliffs and cloud formation above, and again below with P&O Ferry drifting into view.
The sky in the top photo here now Howard might show some of the straight lines in the sky but not to wide extent. A couple of people mentioned the sky to me as well so it definitely was very distinctive late yesterday, but I probably missed the best of it. But the visibility was fab last evening, you could see a sixpence at 25 miles. I could see guys having a picnic on those rolling hills in France...yes really....well okay... I'm such a fibber !
Below we have the Sea Princess just after leaving the harbour at..I would say it was about 7pm. In the second shot down you can see her further out and in the far distance to the left you can see the Quest for Adventure which left Dover earlier. To the right one of the Spirits also creeps into shot. In the centre you can see a couple picnicking on the....
Lesley re the frontpage drawing. I'm the guilty one, but I had some technical assistance.
For anyone who hasnt seen it click here..
http://www.doverforum.com
email: dover7@msn.com - 15 July 2013 13:20237433Beautiful shots above there of the Sea Princess leaving Dover in the evening sunshine
Also, love the little drawing on the doverforum front page too, well done that man!!!!
- 15 July 2013 15:05237440I think Paul's technical assistance might have come from Windows Movie Maker.
Open WMM
Add videos or photos/visual effects/edge detection
Go to Home and click snapshot
Save to file - then, in editing programme, resize if required and convert to Jpeg.
Sorted. (Well, that's one way!)
- 15 July 2013 16:27237445The joint concession for management of the two ports of Calais and Boulogne is now expected to be in place by 1st January 2014 whereupon work can commence on the Calais Port 2015 project to expand the harbour to seaward.
http://www.portstrategy.com/news101/world/europe/calais-expansion
- 15 July 2013 20:25237473impressive stuff, hopefully dover will keep pace.
- 16 July 2013 10:50237528This pretty much replicates what Dover already has, Howard.
The problem that Calais has is that the existing ferry berths are all in line and cannot be extended to accommodate longer ferries. Their solution is to build a great enclosing breakwater outside the existing port, to reclaim land therein to provide extra landside capacity, and to build ferry berths pointing seawards such that ferry length is not a problem.
We have had the great encircling breakwaters for over a century.
We have the reclaimed land in the Eastern Docks giving the extra landside capacity.
We have the berths pointing seawards from the reclaimed land so that increased ferry length is not a problem, they have all been extended in recent years. - 16 July 2013 12:06237537An update to Colette's posting 721. I understood the Costa Voyager had been cancelled, and she's not shown on the DHB list of expected arrivals. However, this of course could change at the last moment.
She is the former Ibero Cruceros ship Grand Voyager which, I think, was last here in June 2011.
- 17 July 2013 01:31237634The question has arisen on Facebook as to why old photos of Dover beach show the beach to extend much further up the seawall today than it did prior to construction of the Admiralty Harbour. After much head scratching I have come to the following conclusion which may be right or may be wrong.
This is a Hydrographic survey of Dover Harbour in 1844 showing the extent of the beach immediately prior to commencement of construction of the Admiralty Pier in 1847. The seafront buildings have been erected on the shingle bank which had accumulated to the East of the harbour entrance due to longshore drift. This had plagued Dover for centuries, continually blocking the harbour entrance. By 1850 the Admiralty Pier had extended far enough out into the tidal stream to deflect the longshore drift past Dover and had finally put an end to this perennial problem.
This modern day bathymetry chart demonstrates the changed situation following completion of the Admiralty Harbour comprising the Admiralty Pier and extension, the Southern Breakwater and the Eastern Arm. The jetstreams which pour through the entrances in the hours leading up to high water bring in enormous quantities of silt which are distributed around the harbour by the circulating currents. Deep water is maintained in the Outer Harbour and around the cruise ship and ferry berths by constant dredging, leaving the shelf depicted in brown and yellow on the chart.
I believe this shelf to be the reason that the beach level is so much higher up the seafront wall than is seen in photos prior to the construction of the Admiralty Harbour. The line of the shelf may also be the reason for the clear defining line in the water that Paul B has observed at various times from Boland Towers.
Charts copyright Port of Dover Tidal Atlas 3rd Edn 1999 with permission. - 17 July 2013 06:49237637Ah..at last, the secret of the infamous water line. Great stuff there Ed, am very happy to see it.
Will have a further study of it shortly..it teaches us a lot that does.
Also fascinated by the plans for Calais. Was over there for a Bastille Day foray and i notice they are spending big money over there with large sections of the town undergoing huge makeover and upgrade. I believe there is a fountain on the plans too with 85 water jets..going to be very good when done.
The Calais Harbour expansion above will be at huge cost but I believe they will do it. Cost doesnt seem to be a bugbear for Calais at the moment...its a very slick operation already over there at the terminal.
Nice pix there John.
* *
Now...move over John Keats..
"Much have I travelled in the realms of gold
and many goodly states and kingdoms seen
yet before the weary bones get way too old
have ventured seaward to snap the pics marine "
I taught him everything he knew... lol!!
Okay twas a longwinded way of saying these pics of the super Carnival Legend are from the seaward side this time...
taken a couple of days ago in blindingly bright sunshine, which makes a change.
and wider one of same
also did you know, and not a lot of people know this.. about WAR AND PEACE..well I will let the info from DFDS explain
War & Peace Revival 17-21 July 2013
Leading ferry operator, DFDS Seaways, has announced the offers that will be available at this year's War & Peace Revival, a five-day military and vintage festival that runs across 17-21 July 2013 at the RAF Westenhanger - Folkestone Racecourse near Hythe. Tickets for the War & Peace Revival will be available on the gate.
Featuring military and civilian re-enactors, living history, battle re-enactments and arena events, military vehicles, vintage entertainment, shopping, funfair and models, The War & Peace Revival is a great family day out! Brand new for 2013 is the Vintage Village with civilian displays from the 1930s to the 1960s including Home Front, classic cars and support vehicles and much more - something for everyone whether you're into the military side or just the vintage living. Live music day and night gives a real festival feel to the world's biggest military vehicle event.
DFDS Seaways is celebrating the upcoming show by offering visitors special travel rates on the Dover-Calais and Dover-Dunkirk routes for a vehicle and four passengers, for travel until 31 March 2014.
Return Dover-France crossings from £70, valid until 31 March 2014.....
Black club (cards) Vehicles up to 5 metres in length = £70 return sailing
Black club (cards) Vehicles from 5.1 to 8 metres in length = £90 return sailing
Black club (cards) Vehicles from 8.1 to 10 metres in length = £110 return sailing
Black club (cards) Vehicles from 10.1 to 12 metres in length = £170 return sailing
Black club (cards) Vehicles from 12.1 to 15 metres in length = £220 return sailing
Black club (cards) Vehicles from 12.1 to 15 metres in length = £240 return sailing
Black club (cards) Vehicles from 18.1 to 23 metres in length = £270 return sailing
DFDS Seaways operates routes from Dover-Dunkirk and Dover-Calais, and the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region has strong connections with military history, including the First and Second World War and the D-Day landings. The ports have strong road connections, providing an easy gateway to the Flanders region, with an array of key locations and museums to visit.
DFDS Seaways operates up to 44 sailings a day between Dover and France with routes to both Calais and Dunkirk. All DFDS Seaways ferries are equipped with a range of high quality onboard facilities, contributing to an enjoyable onboard experience and journey.
To find out more information, visit www.dfds.co.uk or to take advantage of the special offer crossings, email dover.freightbookings@dfds.com
The Delft Seaways, (Im sure Ed Connell himself is on there somewhere) seen here posing in bright sunlight with the cliffs as backdrop.Taken at the weekend.email: dover7@msn.com - 17 July 2013 07:35237643Just about to rejoin my mighty vessel today, Paul, only she is the Dover Seaways not the Delft.
Groog, here we go again. Another fortnight on the briny.
Missed the British Airways A380 the other day, apparently they had a spectacular view from the ship.
Pity there was only one Red Arrow, more government cutbacks! - Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,860
17 July 2013 07:59237653Some superb pictures and information guys well done!!!ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 17 July 2013 18:37237716some pretty patterns in the channel this afternoon .
- 17 July 2013 23:59237748Small cargoship Ocean Sirius laid up on the Eastern Arm with engine trouble.
- 18 July 2013 02:53237755There's some great information from Ed there.
If it's not too much of an indulgence perhaps I could reproduce the introduction to my last book which includes the problem Ed describes which, in part, marked the total failure of the early liner traffic from Dover - a trade which was entirely different to what has become the modern cruise industry.
This is a very condensed history but I think it gives a general picture of the development of the port. None of my nautical friends who possess much higher knowledge and qualifications than I have bent my ear ..... so it seems fairly accurate.
And this is it ......
The Port of Dover has in modern times been synonymous with the cross-channel ferry trade and watching the intense activity at the Eastern Docks ferry terminal it is easy to forget that not all passenger ships using the port were cross channel ferries. In the early part of the 20th century Dover also catered for the ocean liner traffic, and more recently the development of the Cruise Terminal has made Dover the second busiest cruise port in the UK.
As this introduction is concerned with passenger ships and not ferries, here it is worth pointing out the difference between the ocean liners and cruise ships.
In simple terms the liner provided a means of transport between two places, whilst the cruise ship offers a holiday at sea. - so strictly speaking there is no such thing as a "cruise liner" - not any more at least. It could be argued therefore that a cross-channel ferry has more in common with a liner than a cruise ship, only this distance covered by a liner was much greater!
Air transport ended the age of the ocean liners; and although a small but dwindling number of these memorable ships were converted for the cruise trade, in the Atlantic and European sphere the ocean liner trade has all but passed into history.
Dover's part in the liner and cruise trade has been quite significant and it might be appropriate to give a short history of the modern harbour in this context.
The outer harbour with it's huge enclosing granite arms and breakwater was originally commissioned by the Admiralty as a Royal Naval harbour of refuge - the work commenced as early as 1848, an immense task that was to last well into the next century.
With the arrival of the railways the future of Dover as a thriving commercial port was more or less confirmed, and in 1895 the Harbour Board started the construction of a small harbour on the western side, the newly-built Prince of Wales Pier marking its eastern extremity. This prompted the government of the day to expedite the completion of the Royal Naval harbour, but it was clear that naval and military advancements were already making it obsolete as a harbour of refuge. Although this harbour was inaugurated by the Prince of Wales in 1909, it never accommodated the large naval fleet it was designed for and the Royal Navy finally relinquished control to the Dover Harbour Board in 1923.
In the mid - 19th century it was realised that Dover could be the solution to the problem of a convenient UK port for the growing European transocean liner trade. The opinion was that by calling at Dover the European liners would avoid sailing up the Thames or making a significant detour to Southampton. So great was the enthusiasm locally that among the representations made on the continent was one where the mayor of Dover sought, and was granted, an audience with Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany to present the case for the port being available to the large German shipping companies. The European companies, particularly the German and Dutch, whilst guarded, responded positively and the first steamer arrived at the Prince of Wales Pier in 1902 but it would be another two years before the terminal would be fully equipped with railway track and a small station platform.
Bearing in mind this was an Imperial age, it was clear that another disagreement between the harbour authorities and the Admiralty was emerging. This was mainly the Royal Navy's objection to visiting foreign ships which they thought would obviously spy on the British warships! As a result the navy bluntly refused to allow the liners to use the eastern entrance. However, the commercial advantages won the case and the navy had to accept the inevitable from a position of dwindling influence.
Unfortunately the initial prospects of the success of Dover's liner trade were to be dashed. The completion of the western end of the breakwater and the extremity of the oft-lengthened Admiralty Pier revealed a major problem for large vessels. The narrowing gap between the two structures caused strong and unpredictable currents to surge across the harbour. Mooring lines snapped causing ships to swing wildly - more often than not resulting in a collision with structures in the harbour (it should be remembered that in those days the ship's propulsion systems were not as sophisticated as today and the attendant tugs could not respond with anything like the power, speed and agility of a modern tug fitted with an azimuth-pod system.
The result of the mishaps was a premature withdrawal of most of the European liners from Dover after just two years of operation. Accusations of poor seamanship from some local sources predictably did nothing to assuage the situation - clearly this was hardly a way to charm your prospective customers!. A few liners continued to call but quite often they anchored outside the harbour, or in the bay where they landed and embarked their passengers by tender - hardly a suitable arrangement.
In the late 1920's and following the removal of the block ships of the Great War there was a small revival of the European liner traffic, which blossomed throughout the thirties, mainly as a result of the migrant traffic to the USA. This of course was helped by the removal of the Navy's previous restrictions on the use of the eastern entrance. Not all of these vessels were strictly passenger ships, some were cargo liners, which, as the name suggests, were cargo ships with limited passenger-carrying capacity.
Following the Second World War a disappointingly small number of liners of various categories called at the port, but by the early sixties the liner trade at Dover had finished.
For ages the image of sea cruising was one of a pastime for the rich, where tuxedo and silken clad lounge lizards promenaded on teak decks drinking cocktails at sunset to the strains of a palm court orchestra. In the early days some entrepreneurial organizations saw offshore cruising as a way of circumventing gambling and alcohol prohibition laws (in fact some ships still operate very profitably in the Far East as floating gambling casinos). However, ocean cruising was restricted to a relatively small market.
When air travel finally called time on the ocean liners the leisure and travel companies looked to the fleet of perfectly good - but surplus - ocean liners laid up throughout the world ....... Thus the concept of the modern cruise industry was born.
The 1960s witnessed the beginnings of the modern cruise industry. Cruise ship companies concentrated on vacation trips and created a "fun ship" image which attracted many passengers who would have never had the opportunity to travel on the superliners of the 1930s and 1940s. The emphasis of cruising was the voyage itself and, whilst aiming at creating a casual environment, it provided extensive on-board entertainment and shore excursions - all at relatively affordable prices. The new cruise line image was brought to the general public eye with the popularity of the TV programmes such as "The Love Boat" which ran from 1977 until 1986.
At first cruise ships of the new generation visiting Dover were accommodated mainly on the Eastern Arm, within the Eastern Docks complex, but no dedicated terminal building existed which proved unsuitable for turnaround vessels. When the train ferry traffic ceased on the Admiralty Pier and the car ferry operations there moved to the Eastern Docks it was decided to convert the magnificent, but redundant, Marine Station, and the greater part of the pier, into a dedicated cruise terminal. This became Cruise Terminal 1 which was opened in 1996, followed by Cruise Terminal 2 a couple of years later. A third cruise ship berth for smaller calling vessels is now situated on the Admiralty Pier extension. - 18 July 2013 11:51237799interesting read john i wasn't aware of ocean going liners operating out of dover.
