Comments (Newest First):

 

Post 4564

  Colette B, Dover

CRUISE VISITS
______________


The fantastic array of photos taken by the Sea News team is mind boggling with Monster Container ships caught in a Summer haze, Dredgers, Sunbathers enjoying a Sunday on the beach and Mackerel being reeled in by the dozen, there is something for everyone. Also wonderful photos of the Oyster Dredgers from Whitstable and to cap it all, Glorious Thames barges including Gerta, one of the Dunkirk ‘Little Ships’. Luvitt!!

Now for our cruise visits, tomorrow Thursday August 10th the Black Watch takes a 3 night ‘Short Break’ cruise to Amsterdam. Arriving here at CT2, 06.00, leaving 17.30 hours, T/R.

Then on Saturday August 12th we have a ‘Double Whammy’, firstly, the beautiful Princess Cruises ‘Pacific Princess’ visits us once again. She starts her 8 night ‘British Isles’ cruise including the ‘Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’ also calling at Jersey, Waterford and Dublin. She arrives here at CT2, 06.00, departing 17.00 hour, T/R.

On the same day Saga Sapphire starts her ‘French Interlude’ 5 night cruise calling at St Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands before visiting the French ports of Cherbourg and Brest. Arriving here at CT1, 08.00, leaving 16.00 hours, T/R.

The following day Sunday August 13th the Black Watch visits us for the last time this year as she will be cruising from Leith, Edinburgh for the next 3 months. She arrives here tomorrow morning at CT2, 06.00, leaving at 09.30 hours Debark only.

I’ll be back with more cruise visits real soon folks


Wednesday, 9 August 2017 - 13:39

 

Post 4563

  Sea News, Dover

Some more DWDR action there above, the picture showing a whole gaggle of working boats all involved in the fantastic action. The main player in this particular shot is the dredging platform to the right of picture...this one newly on the scene and called Manu-Pekka we believe.

Below we have another pic of the Baltic Klipper being attended to by tug Dauntless as she arrived with us here at the Port of Dover. The Discovery Bay...well was hoping to get some pix of her departure but she must have slipped away in the dead of night.
Ah update - error on the Discovery Bay...I see her..


Another monster from the channel below...the pictures are a bit forced as the evening shimmer and haze was difficult. But yes here we have the CMA CGM Vasco de Gama. She was moving on down the line to Port Said and most probably further afield to the Far East. She is very appropriately named, as Vasco de Gama was the great Portuguese explorer who was the first European to discover the existence of India and the Orient...so there we are. In the foreground is one of the P&O Spirits heading over to Calais. PB.




Wednesday, 9 August 2017 - 06:05

 

Post 4562

  Sea News, Dover

Delighted to capture the Baltic Klipper arriving with us yesterday morning...and here she is....



It was a gorgeous morning as you can see .. a wee bit hazy but you can still see the coast of France clearly in the background. She has since left us heading for the German city of Hamburg. She must have departed in the dead of night as her slot at the cargo terminal is already occupied, this time by the Discovery Bay. It is great to see the cargo terminal being ever busy busy. Keep those ships coming Dover!

A very nice picture below Barry - well done with that one for sure. Like it. Looks like that chap behind the windbreaker has perfected the fine art of relaxation.....


Tuesday, 8 August 2017 - 07:26

 

Post 4561

  Barry W-S, Dover

And another photo from the Glorious Sunny Day yesterday on Dover Beach



Monday, 7 August 2017 - 18:46

 

Post 4560

  Sea News, Dover

Love on the Rocks: Very bright happy sunday for people enjoying themselves yesterday and loving being on the beach rocks above. All very jolly as twas a lovely day...and below you can see how close to the shore the DWDR dredgers and barges are.... right up close a-diggin' and a-splashin'.


The pictures in this post were taken on the ancient camera so the colours are a bit wishy-washy. One likes to give it a run now and again when a chap can get it to charge up that is.

Below we have a recentish wide shot of the sky and sea, mostly to show the line in the water. It always fascinates yours truly how nature can draw such a sharp line in water but there we are. Life is full of amazements. Its not visible all the time but from time to time it appears.
Magical

PB.

Monday, 7 August 2017 - 15:53

 

Post 4559

  Sea News, Dover

HOLY MACKEREL! Part II
I've pushed the picture above as large as possible so that hopefully...hopefully.. all can see the shoal of mackerel below and around the airborne gull. After a day or two of quieter mackerel activity, the spectacle burst into radiant life again at the weekend. Its quite an event at times... even the police turned up at one point to have a look. Boat trips could be organised but the downside is the little blighters don't let you know when they are coming...they just turn up un-announced.




This chap was reeling them in...as I mentioned previously..sometimes pulling out 5 or 6 at a time.

Mike - hopefully these ones below didn't end up in any local restaurant as they lay in this plastic bag for hours...many more mackerel were added to the same bag and lay there etc etc etc..


Well done guys with the Whitstable coverage below.

PaulB



Monday, 7 August 2017 - 06:19

 

Post 4558

  Sarah, Ramsgate

Great photos Mike, shame that weather didn't carry over onto the Saturday. One vessel I did not expect to see in Whitstable was Pluto. Pluto is a frequent visitor to Ramsgate usually hidden away for any decent photos so I took the opportunity whilst I could fully see her.







EMS Viking as mentioned by Mike is a regular in Whitstable & Dover but also frequents Ramsgate on many an occasion.



Monday, 7 August 2017 - 04:39

 

Post 4557

  Mike J., Dover

A few more to add to Sarah’s excellent Whitstable coverage..

A nice little port & worth a visit even on ‘normal’ days, always plenty of colourful fishing boats in port including some very specialised oyster dredgers & you may find the occasional coaster coming in with stone.

There’s open access to most of the quays with cafes & wine bars & gift shoppes & of course oysters to scoff.
Sarah’s 1892-built sailing barge GRETA offers excellent day trips from Whitstable & Faversham..

A few pix from last Friday, the day before 'Whitstable Harbour Day'




Whitstable is the usual base for the windcat EMS VIKING who is often in Dover, last noticed in post 4023.


DAVID CHURCH has been known to do dredging work at Whitstable.



Paul wondered what happened to all the mackerel - the freezer is usually the destination for most of them..

When I was a little lad in pre-freezer days mackerel had the reputation of going ‘off’ very quickly & were always eaten on the day that they were caught.
Many no doubt make the journey from the freezer to the plate in restaurants.


Monday, 7 August 2017 - 00:42

 

Post 4556

  Sarah, Ramsgate

A few more from Whitstable

Whitstable Lifeboat - Lewisco



In the pouring rain



Retrieval



Pilot Boat - Speedwell



with the two Thames Barges



Sunday, 6 August 2017 - 12:40

 

Post 4555

  Sea News, Dover

That's the Al Nefud container ship moving on by yesterday evening. Caught her in between showers. A huge beast ... yes approximately 195,000 tons of heavy metal on the move there. She left Rotterdam yesterday and we see her heading for Le Havre...but presumably with a further far flung destination in hand.

Excellent pictures from the teamsters below ...
Mike down on the pier there excellent. What do they do with all that mackerel?? Ive seen it here...everytime they put a line in they pull 5 or 6 mackerel out. Its too easy and so people probably catch too many...

Ah sorry to hear you got soaked Sarah. Ahhhh the perils of being a Roving Reporter...one day soaked, the next day sunkissed!!
All for art sake as your pictures are really great.
Keep going!

Don't miss 4065, 4066.

PB.

Sunday, 6 August 2017 - 06:24

 

Post 4554

  Mike J., Dover

While Sarah was getting soaked at Whitstable I just managed to get off the Ad.Pier just before the heavens opened.

The CALYPSO came in from Dindeloord early afternoon with more piles & docked on Cruise-2.



Whilst I was waiting, the EUROPEAN SEAWAY left via Western.


The mackerel are still running.



Sunday, 6 August 2017 - 00:41

 

Post 4553

  Sarah, Ramsgate

I went to Whitstable Harbour Day today, shame about the weather, I got soaked

A Coastguard Helicopter flew over briefly.



Thames Barge - Repertor



Thames Barge - Gerta ( A Little Ship of Dunkirk)



Pilot Boat - Speedwell



Margate Relief Lifeboat - Margaret Jean




Saturday, 5 August 2017 - 19:51

 

Post 4552

  Sea News, Dover

Another picture of the Seabourn Quest as she moves away on her Scottish/Irish tour...


Saturday, 5 August 2017 - 17:28

 

Post 4551

  Sea News, Dover

Rough Day Tug Action




Thursday was a rough tough day...the wind was fiercely strong as it whistled across the harbour from west to east. Both tugs were called into action while the ferries waited offshore and struggled to get into harbour. That's just a small selection of pictures from the day above there covering just one episode. It felt wintry here in the UK while parts of the EU are sizzling above 44degrees...
Yikes

Saturday, 5 August 2017 - 06:04

 

Post 4550

  Sea News, Dover

You can see the Duzgit Venture in the middle distance there, the red one, moving away in the rough weather yesterday after servicing the Seabourn Quest. In the near range you can see both Wadden vessels ..Wadden 1 and Wadden 4. It was a rough oul day yesterday...the worried weatherman said that such strong winds were highly unusual for august. And they were...ferries laid up offshore and both tugs in the thick of the action helping them dock when they eventually could get in to Port.

Glad Mike got those pictures in the post below of the Seabourn Quest...it didn't work well for yours truly yesterday just this one to half write home about.. Gorgeous ship - small but beautifully formed!


And speaking of traffic worries...here is Charlie's recent missive...just in and right on topic.


Gridlocked again - why we must be Ready on Day One

Dear Mr Boland,

Twelve months on from last year’s disaster, the roads to Dover were once again in gridlock this weekend. The A20 had queues stretching back to the Roundhill Tunnels. While on the A2 traffic jams stretched back to Lydden. Cars and lorries started to pile through Capel and Folkestone Road on the B2011.

Year after year it is the same. Last summer the traffic chaos was caused by French border officers failing to turn up for duty. This weekend adverse weather conditions and a P&O ferry breaking down led to the tailbacks. It happens all too easily and all too often – and shows that our infrastructure is too finely balanced to cope properly. The people of Dover suffer every time – and so does the nation as delays at the port costs our national economy dear.

Action is needed now. We need more investment in the roads to the Channel Ports. The A2 needs to be dualled, the M20/A20 to be expanded and the lorry park to be delivered on time. The Government needs to be better prepared for French strikes, bad weather or ageing ferries conking out.

Very soon we will also face the challenge of Brexit here at the Dover frontline. That's why I have put together a detailed report with industry experts and business leaders on the action we must take now to ensure we are ready on day one for every eventuality.

Stories in the national press this week warned that we will be hit by huge border delays and suffer more than £1bn a year in economic damage when we leave the European Union. The truth is that Brexit can be a huge success for Britain and for Dover – but only if we are prepared. At the moment the Government is not doing enough to be prepared. So I am pressing them to get a grip and do better.

That includes accelerating investment in the technology and infrastructure we need to keep trade flowing freely through our ports. With fellow MPs I have been urging the Treasury to move faster in preparing our border for Brexit. Especially to take on board that for customs, the border is a tax point - not a search point - and that with digital borders customs clearance can be managed incredibly quickly. In Singapore, for instance, clearance takes less than a minute.

We have also been urging the Department for Transport to invest in roads and infrastructure to ensure Britain is Brexit ready on day one at Dover and the Channel Ports. It is concerning the Department for Transport appears more interested in Crossrail than cross-border trade. For too long Britain has worked for big cities like London rather than the towns and regions. This has to change. We need a renaissance of the regions.

With Brexit less than two years away, we must have real investment at Dover. There are huge opportunities to increase our trade across the globe when we leave the EU. We must invest in our borders now to ensure we can boost business from day one.


Charlie Elphicke, MP for Dover and Deal.


* *

Thanks Del...more on the traffic situation above there for you to ponder.

Cracking set of pictures below Mike. Truly capturing the moody day moment. No need to feel frustrated as they are just right...

The Saga Pearl is back in with us today as are the mackerel...shoals of them, exciting the life out of the seagulls..see also 4021.



PaulB


Friday, 4 August 2017 - 06:12

 

Post 4549

  Mike J., Dover

Frustrating.

A stroll up an almost deserted Ad.Pier in very nice light with winds gusting almost to 50kts in the hope of nicely-lit pix of the SEABOURN QUEST as she left by Western with ‘white caps’ to improve the photo.

She left by Eastern.







Del - Maybe i should have qualified my remarks by saying that EVERYTHING gums up when traffic is heavy, particularly as the freight has discovered the A2 as a potential short cut, altho’ sometimes they are turned back when they come off the M2 & told to go back up the M2 to use the M20.
Inevitably some of them then head towards Ramsgate & try the ‘via Sandwich Bypass’ route to rejoin the A2 between Whitfield roundabout & the Duke of York & Jubilee Way goes solid.


Friday, 4 August 2017 - 00:44

 

Post 4548

  Del Styan, Norwich

Thanks for your dummy run from Marine Parade to the ferries. It vividly illustrates the hurdles to a quick trip to get away on hol (or work). I hadn't thought of the trip up to the Whitfield stores - where I often go for supplies. Still, I suppose the balance between the commercial traffic, locals like yourself, and occasional visitors like me is a tricky thing to balance.

I only hope the increased border checks don't make it worse, like the airports. Roll on Brexit! Maybe the Mayor will give everyone a lift in his new car, after all first things first!

Thursday, 3 August 2017 - 23:13

 

Post 4547

  Sea News, Dover

Another shot above there of Whitstar as she approaches the Spirit of Britain for bunkering duties. Picture taken a couple of days ago....Ed got better up-close pictures of Whitstar below there in post 4049. Don't miss those...


"Okay I'm back - nobody move!!
Look at my wingspan...I'm letting everyone know that I control this section of ocean and no mistake."



" ahhhh - its good to let the breeze filter through my feathers!"

While under the water this guy below arrived again yesterday too...chasing all the mackerel no doubt.
Don't they know this is PaulB's stretch of ocean ...some cheek I say!


Look at that above there...an uber depiction of the nonchalant easy-going lifestyle.
The weather was too bad yesterday to get pictures of the seal so have resorted to my archives. But always good to see them.

Well done Mike below. Nice collection of all the inshore goings-on. Always good to see.
Nice pictures and a nice one from Nigel S too. Ace work.



Will add some comments on the traffic situation shortly. And here we are...


Unfortunately Del its not very good for those along the seafront. Most of all its not very good for those staying in the important hotels here as its a heck of a job getting towards the docks for those travelling. I did a dummy run just at the recent weekend.

I left the seafront by the Premier Inn and of course was shuttled eastwards. Before I could turn at the first available roundabout I had to encounter 5 sets of traffic lights ( I include the pedestrian crossings here) and I had to come back the same way and of course had to encounter the same 5 sets of lights coming back to reach the place I started out from...bananas..plus heading on to the docks an estra traffic light ( a pedestrian crossing ) close to the dock entrance... 6 in all. So thats 11 sets of lights before I reach the Port entrance. How visitors fathom all this I dont know.

And of course when a person goes around the aforementioned roundabout you then have to encounter all the truck traffic and holiday traffic coming back. Not good. If a person was trying to get up Jubilee Way to the superstores like Tesco, Homebase etc you have the same bananas situation.

However to cheer us all up...it all might work a bit better when the new dock is built at the top of the seafront and when the road is opened there. There will be an opportunity to turn right there I understand.


PaulB.

Thursday, 3 August 2017 - 07:30

 

Post 4546

  Mike J., Dover

Recent arrivals -


DOUWENT about to resume loading grain for Rotterdam on 26/7.
Note the blue conveyor belt waiting for the hatches to be opened.


Recently-arrived AFON CEFNI now working with AFON GOCH & LLANDWYN ISLAND on the DWDR contract, 26/7.


Dutch motor yacht UNDSKYLD overnighting 29/7, eh route Southampton.
A nice change from the over-streamlined 'Look at Me' Sinseeker-type of plastic boats that call in from time to time.
Photo courtesy & copyright of Nigel Scutt.


Sunday morning exercses, DRAYTON MANOR. Walmer's Atlamtic-85 calls in for a cuppa.


2/8 - LADY MATHILDE swinging to dock on Cruise-2 with more piles from Cardiff.

Del - for me, new traffic flow along Snargate Street better than expected with the 'intelligent lights' working well, but for folk coming off the A20 & wanting the seafront, unless they know their way thru Dover town centre, have to go to Eastern Docks roundabout & do a 360 there to find a left turn onto the seafront.
Only problems are strangers trying U-turns at the traffic lights.
Mr.B & other folk who live on the sea front may have different opinions though !

Thursday, 3 August 2017 - 00:39

 

Post 4545

  Del Styan, Norwich

Hi - I'm curious how the new traffic system is working - or hasn't it started yet?

Wednesday, 2 August 2017 - 23:15