Comments (Newest First):

 

Post 4362

  vic matcham , Dovor

Not a good day for working outside or being at sea.And we are in summer time.

Tuesday, 6 June 2017 - 09:00

 

Post 4361

  Sea News, Dover

The Schweiz Reefer left us last night in the dark at 9.45pm, making it away before the onset of the rough weather. And there was indeed some rough oul weather through the night. But earlier in the day all was good and fair for her arrival and here she is below ...




See also Ed's picture of the ship below page in 3872.


Port of Dover excels during 2017's busiest period to date and continued heightened security.
______________________________________________________________________________


This May Bank Holiday saw one of the Port of Dover's busiest and most successful periods.

Well over 200,000 passengers in almost 40,000 vehicles travelled through the Port between Friday and Monday. Continued heightened security checks were undertaken however minimal delays were incurred as a result. Additional staff were drafted in to provide support to customers whilst they waited to board their ferries and traffic flows were continuously monitored to pre-empt any potential extended delays. 

Tim Waggott, Chief Executive of The Port of Dover said: ""We stand together in delivering business as usual. Alongside our French and UK border colleagues, the security services and our ferry operator partners the team worked diligently to get customers safely through the Port and onward for their journeys as quickly as we were able. Our thanks go to all concerned for their patience and support."

Ends


Thanks for the post below Patrick.
The Saga Sapphire has just come in, bet they've had a rough oul night.
Edited.

Tuesday, 6 June 2017 - 05:59

 

Post 4360

  Patrick, Marine Parade

Is there name for a collection of crane & piling barges? Pictured today in the outer harbour alongside the POW.



Monday, 5 June 2017 - 16:48

 

Post 4359

  Sea News, Dover

A couple of pictures now of the arriving Black Watch. She came yesterday evening, time of pictures around 5.35PM. As ColetteB said in her cruise list, she had finished her trip to the Cannes Film Festival and was now heading for the Norwegian Fjords...stopping in here first at the unusual time of 5.35pm in the evening.



Thanks Ed for those shots below, I will also have some of the arriving Schweiz Reefer, probably in the morning now, and indeed have some more DWDR works ones in the ermmm .. pipeline.

Thanks Mike ... will have a look at that item on the 'cliff repairs'. fascinating stuff!
ah yes a nice idea there for Del but sadly this traffic problem for the seafront hotels is not a good one...nor is it good for the residents. A situation rather oddly overlooked in the planning.
I will fetch up the original SOUR NOTE in a moment so that all will know the issue.. yes here we are...

SOUR NOTE:
Yes indeed sorry about the sour note but here we are.
The new road layout through Dover is working fine save for one thing. Let me explain..
The hotels on the seafront are packed with visitors this time of year all heading for the port and of course further afield to Europe. They leave the seafront to go to the port in the mornings and when they go onto Townwall St ( the main road) at the outlet next to the Premier Inn, they are shuttled away from the port for a couple of miles. They have to go all the way to the old roundabouts in order to turn back towards the Port.

Of course the visitors don't know this plan. They are shuttled back from whence they came knowing the port is getting further and further behind them, and many in panic are doing u-turns at the main intersections of York St and at the Maison Dieu/Leisure Centre. And who can blame them...?

Some way for them to head towards the port sooner needs to be found. A new legal U-turn section added at one of the main intersections would be useful and safer for all.

PB.

Monday, 5 June 2017 - 14:58

 

Post 4358

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Schweiz Reefer at the DCT today.


DWDR activity a couple of days ago when we departed by the Western Entrance.



Monday, 5 June 2017 - 12:21

 

Post 4357

  Mike J., Up in the Midlands, not a ferry in sight

Nice crisp seagull pix.

Ref Paul & Ed's interesting posts 3868 & 3869 about the 'cliff repairs' if you google 'pathe news dover white cliffs repairs' & then look for 'cliff repairs 1968' you'll find movie footage of this job.

Del - post 3862 - if you used the Premier Inn at the top of Jubilee Way off the A2 (Duke of Yorks?) you'd avoid all the kerfuffle on the A20 & ve able to drive straight into Eastern Docks.

Monday, 5 June 2017 - 12:02

 

Post 4356

  Sea News, Dover

On returning from Calais a couple of days ago...a chap on the top deck began feeding the gulls. This gave an excellent chance to the camera to do some clicking away as the White Cliffs approached. The airborne fraternity got in allsorts of levels of excitement as they chased each and every crust... and there we are above.

The Schweiz Reefer has just come into Port - will have pictures of that one in due course.

Nice item below Ed...good to see that one. The cliff pinning goes on...

PB.

Monday, 5 June 2017 - 06:56

 

Post 4354

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Re Paul's photo of the climbers: This is a scan from Historic Images showing workmen pinning the cliffs with bolts above the Eastern Docks in 1968.


Saturday, 3 June 2017 - 19:01

 

Post 4353

  Sea News, Dover

Hanging around...
There's climbers a-dangling on them thar hills...can you spot them??

There they are...



Saturday, 3 June 2017 - 06:35

 

Post 4352

  Sea News, Dover

Following along from Mike's picture of the ship below in post 3684...here we are with another couple of shots of the Silversea Expedition's Silver Explorer arriving on Thursday morning...




Well done below there Sarah - you got a bit of a scoop there. The Border Force had suffered cutbacks so amazingly there we go...aren't elections wonderful things..!!?


Well done Mike good pix there too.



Friday, 2 June 2017 - 14:10

 

Post 4351

  Patrick, Marine Parade

Mike,

Rather liked the sepia effect in your Post 3864. Takes me back to my childhood when we used to develop our own that often turned out that way.

Friday, 2 June 2017 - 10:38

 

Post 4346

  Sarah, Ramsgate

Breaking News Border Force "Eagle" has a pal Border Force "Alert" not to be confused with the Trinity House Vessel Alert. Funny how it came into service whilst we are in the middle of a General Election campaign











Thursday, 1 June 2017 - 10:17

 

Post 4345

  Mike J., Dover

Return of the HARINGVLIET on Wednesday morning with more piles for the DWDR job.
She didn’t stay long & sailed about 0800 today.

Soon after she docked on the POW the fog rolled in & by about midday the ENAK was starting to disappear as she prepared to take a bite at the Dunkirk Jetty.

Apologies for the ‘sepia’ effect, a change in settings on my 'pocket camera' that I hadn't noticed till I downloaded the pictures.
Must try harder.

Beautiful clear morning today as the DOVER SEAWAYS sailed & the tiny SILVER EXPLORER entered.





Thursday, 1 June 2017 - 08:54

 

Post 4344

  Sea News, Dover

A couple of pictures above there of Albatros arriving yesterday morning early. pretty soon after that we were plagued by fog for most of the day...this was yours trulys last decent vision of the ship..

Well said Patrick we are in harmony there..."we have a problem"

Del yes indeed you will see what we mean when you come down to the Premier Inn.

Thanks for the cruise list again Colette. Busy times for sure.

Smashin' shot Ed of Elvira.



Thursday, 1 June 2017 - 05:40

 

Post 4343

  Del Styan, Norwich

That new traffic scheme sounds a bit iffy. I shall have to watch my step if I stay at the seafront Premier Inn on my next trip. Do I have to go sort of backwards from the Ferry Terminal?

Wednesday, 31 May 2017 - 23:10

 

Post 4342

  Colette B, Dover

CRUISE VISITS

Here we go, ‘June is busting out all over’ ……..

Tomorrow Thursday June 1st we have a great start to the month with the inaugural visit from Silversea Cruises, Silver Explorer, calling into Dover whilst on her 12 day cruise from Lisbon to Honfleur . She is a purpose-built luxury expedition cruise ship, specifically designed for navigating waters in some of the world’s most remote destinations including both of the earth’s polar regions. She has a strengthened hull so can push through ice floes at ease. She also carries a fleet of zodiacs to reach those off the beaten track locations. She arrives at CT1, 07.00, leaving 18.00 hours, PoC.

Then on Sunday June 4th a long lost friend is paying us a visit, it’s the Black Watch, last seen in Dover in July 2016. After just returning from her Cannes Film Festival cruise, she is starting an 8 day round trip to the Phenomenal Fjords of Norway. Arriving CT2, 18.00, departing 23.00 hours, embark only.

On Tuesday June 6th we have a Double Whammy, firstly Saga Sapphire starts her 12 night Celtic Charms cruise. She calls in to say ‘top of the morning’ at the following charming ports in the old Emerald Isle, Cork, Glengarriff, Killybegs, Belfast and of course Dublin. She arrives at CT1, 08.00, leaving 16.00 hours, T/R.

Also on the same day we have a surprise visit from AIDAbella, last here in October 2015, puzzled, as she is meant to be visiting Rome at the same time. Arriving CT2, 07.15, leaving 20.00 hours, PoC. So could it be a case of ‘Arrivederci Roma, Ciao Dover’. We’ll wait and see

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

Loving the photos of the flowers on the seafront Mr B


Wednesday, 31 May 2017 - 15:23

 

Post 4341

  Patrick Simmons, Marine Parade

Summer flowers to colour our seafront - lovely pics Paul.

Re: Sour Note: new road layout through Dover.....
Oh how right you are to be sure.

So much for the assured"connectivity" promised long ago to make routes to/from the seafront from town more accesible.
It has never been worse.
Both routes to/from Marine Parade cause confusion to visitors and frustration for residents. Worse still it actively promotes illegal or dangerous 'U turns' and the only exits (Marine Parade East and Wellesley Road) require a jump across fast (and even faster) dual carriageway to get into the correct lane for access to the town. With more ferry berths promised at Eastern Docks with the opening of the new cargo terminal at West the traffic, the problem, and the dangers, will be further exacerbated.

Our 'Charlie' should widen his views, and praise, of the benefit of the A20 variable speed limit, to address the concerns of townsfolk and frustrated tourists alike (I met one just the other day in a car in Wellesley Road asking politely how to get to the feryy terminal - what do you tell them!), before a serious incident occurs.
'Go West Young Man' has a slightly different connotation here perhaps.

END OF RANT (but my pet hate)


Wednesday, 31 May 2017 - 11:08

 

Post 4340

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Elvira at the DCT today.


Wednesday, 31 May 2017 - 07:49

 

Post 4339

  Sea News, Dover

As promised - our annual display of the wild flowers on Dover Seafront ...
the wild flowers spring into bloom this time every year and they look great, they only last a relatively short time so get on down here...visit Dover Seafront.






I will let the pictures do most of the talking. When the new seafront was designed five or six years ago they left five sections of...what looked to yours truly like scrub. I thought..whaaa?? But wise heads had prevailed and at this time every year...there we are...uncultivated heaven.

I have been asked to point out too...the delightful Hythe Bay Restaurant right on the beach here as seen in the final shot...is open for fine business despite all the new harbour developments.


* *


The A20 VICTORY IS GREAT NEWS says Charlie


The works are finally starting on the A20. At long last the hated 40mph speed limit is officially going. This is another important piece of progress for our area. Indeed, all over Dover and Deal cranes tower in the skyline and diggers roll by as workmen are busy getting things built.

Since 2010, we’ve come a long way together. We've built a new state-of-the-art hospital, fixed our rail line in record time – and soon new shops and restaurants will spring up at the St James site. Sorting out the A20 speed limit is another step forward. It was only ever meant to apply when there were problems with traffic. It was not meant to be on all the time. Finally getting highways chiefs to deliver what they were meant to do in the first place is positive for our community.

..... Charlie Elphicke MP

That's a short section of the recent newsletter from Charlie. We are in the midst of an election as you will know, so that's the section that's relevant to this post. We will all be glad to see that 40 mph limit finally disappear.

SOUR NOTE:
Yes indeed sorry about the sour note but here we are.
The new road layout through Dover is working fine save for one thing. Let me explain..
The hotels on the seafront are packed with visitors this time of year all heading for the port and of course further afield to Europe. They leave the seafront to go to the port in the mornings and when they go onto Townwall St ( the main road) at the outlet next to the Premier Inn, they are shuttled away from the port for a couple of miles. They have to go all the way to the old roundabouts in order to turn back towards the Port.

Of course the visitors don't know this plan. They are shuttled back from whence they came knowing the port is getting further and further behind them, and many in panic are doing u-turns at the main intersections of York St and at the Maison Dieu/Leisure Centre. And who can blame them...?

Some way for them to head towards the port sooner needs to be found. A new legal U-turn section added at one of the main intersections would be useful and safer for all.

PaulB.


* *

Well done Mike and Ed with those shots of the Monarch below. You saved the day.
Whats that.. Mike in Ramsgate?? I will have to absorb that one after a cup of strong early morning coffee.
Thanks Ray. Good to hear from you again. Yes indeed will keep going- lots more to come.

I gave the ancient Nikon a run out with the wild flowers as I do every year.
Its an early digital model. Thankfully nowadays the cameras are much easier to use.





Wednesday, 31 May 2017 - 05:29

 

Post 4338

  Mike J., Dover

Tuesday evening & the MONARCH prepares to sail as the CITY OF LONDON II exercises in the bay.

Dredger ARCO AXE passes by as the MONARCH sails for Ymuiden

Poaching in Sarah’s territory the same day, yet another view of Border Agency’s EAGLE.

The windcat PORTH DIANA laid-up in the Inner Harbour while in the Outer Harbour the FPV MERISSA seems to be tied-up across from Noahs Ark.





Wednesday, 31 May 2017 - 00:22