Comments (Newest First):

 

Post 3231

  Sea News, Dover

Thanks Sarah - glad you like those Lifeboat pix below. A wee bit different aren't they. I see all the local Lifeboats were involved in a drama last night as they rescued stranded walkers a short way along the coast at St Margarets...the walkers caught out by the returning high tide it seems. A guide with experience must always be used in cases like that....or perhaps best not to do it at all. The story featured today bigtime on the BBC News.

Following on from those exciting Dover Lifeboat pictures, above we have the arrival this morning at 5.30am of the Emerald....arriving from Vlissingen in the Netherlands, keeping that important trade link to continental Europe going strong.

The thunder is a-rumbling as I write. PB.

Tuesday, 7 June 2016 - 14:42

 

Post 3230

  Sarah, Ramsgate

Great photos of the Lifeboat Paul

Tuesday, 7 June 2016 - 08:31

 

Post 3229

  Sea News, Dover

IN THE SHADOW OF THE DISNEY MAGIC....THE LIFEBOAT

Going out on early morning manoeuvres..


Returning to base in the shadow on the giant Disney Magic.


And this time also in shot above and below...the LS Concorde.



All pictures from sunday morning.
Great to see the town doing good business Howard. Glad all are enjoying the crown. Have seen your pictures in the forum.
Will have pictures in due course of the departing giant from last evening...the Celebrity Silhouette... bear with....behind schedule.
Also departing yesterday was the Nederland Reefer, didn't catch that one, but caught the arrival of the reefer Emerald early this morning. Pictures will follow in due course. Its all happening!




Tuesday, 7 June 2016 - 06:16

 

Post 3228

  Howard McSweeney, Dover

Some great photos ranging from tugs and life boats through to Cruise Liners, the one today supplied the town with wall to wall Americans, great business for the tour bus and Dover Sea Safari. The new "crown" in Market Square proved popular too with the castle as backdrop.

Monday, 6 June 2016 - 19:54

 

Post 3227

  Sea News, Dover

This truly awesome monster mover is in Port today...its some kind of whopper for sure!
Yes its the magnificent Celebrity Silhouette, quite a stunner of a cruise ship and no mistake! Weighing in at 122,400 tons, and.. 319 metres long. It is dwarfing everything around it. Great to see it here once again. Below we have the departing Disney Magic last evening. Just caught this one as she left with everyone wishing upon a star. The hotels nearby were full of waiting passengers...great for business all round. The town was buzzing!

And finally for Black Watch fans...here she is..
this pic taken on her previous visit.


Well done Sarah..another nice collection below there.
Glad you are enjoying the pictures Vic.

Monday, 6 June 2016 - 07:24

 

Post 3226

  vic matcham, Dovor

Again some great shots of both THE PORT of Ramsgate and Dovor ,I have gone back to saying Dovor not Dover my way is the right way.

Sunday, 5 June 2016 - 23:21

 

Post 3225

  Sarah, Ramsgate

Oooops a typo it should read HMC Seeker.

Sunday, 5 June 2016 - 23:07

 

Post 3224

  Sarah, Ramsgate

It was the turn of HMS Seeker today.







A lovely tug was in harbour today - MTS Valour.



Loving the photos Mike of the BP Oilfield Rescue boats by Delta, what a catch for sure



Sunday, 5 June 2016 - 15:52

 

Post 3223

  ColetteB, Dover

CRUISE VISITS
____________


We start off the week Monday 6th June with the very elegant and classy Celebrity Silouette, CT2, PoC. She was last with us in July 2015, a truly Great ship, the Biggest cruise ship to visit Dover

Then Wednesday 8th June brings us another Double Header, the elegant Sea Cloud ll arrives at CT1 PoC, she was last here in June 2015. Also on the same day the Artania cruises into CT2, PoC, a very sleek ship and a welcome back from September last year.

Sunday 12th June hails the return of one of my favourites, which of course I’ve said before, the Black Watch again at CT2, TR.

That’s it for another week, I’ll be back soon with next week’s itinerary

Wow! You Guys have been busy, all those wonderful photos and all in only a week


Sunday, 5 June 2016 - 12:12

 

Post 3222

  Sea News, Dover

The Black Watch and the magical Disney Magic...both here at the Port of Dover today. Type Disney Magic in search engine above for more pix.
Don't miss the great pictures below from ace players Mike and Sarah. Huge thanks to them for the wide coverage.

Sunday, 5 June 2016 - 09:36

 

Post 3220

  Mike J., Dover

A little convoy of four unusual-looking ‘lifeboats’ with one under tow, came into Dover for a brief visit on Saturday afternoon & three left.

They drifted off the end of the Prince of Wales Pier while the SAGA PEARL 2 departed, receiving the usual Spitfire display, & the poorly ERIK was lashed alongside the SCOTT & bought down & moored in the Tidal Basin.
SCOTT then returned to the outer harbour & the slightly smaller convoy departed via Western & headed downchannel at some speed to an unknown destination.

















These four unusual vessels were ‘AARC’ craft [Autonomous Rescue & Recovery Craft] very sophisticated high-speed rescue vessels used in North Sea oil & gas operations, capable apparently of doing 35kts.
They looked weatherbeaten & were presumably on a ‘delivery voyage’ to somewhere.
The faint traces of a ‘BP’ logo could be seen on ERIK.

The ALERT was alongside the DAVID CHURCH after escaping from Ramsgate & Sarah’s lens & the Ministry of Defence Police launch ENDEAVOUR was in the Tidal Basin .







Sunday, 5 June 2016 - 00:06

 

Post 3219

  Sarah, Ramsgate

THV Alert also paid a visit to Ramsgate before returning to Dover.









Saturday, 4 June 2016 - 15:29

 

Post 3218

  Sarah, Ramsgate

A busy morning in Ramsgate today.

HMC Valiant arriving at Ramsgate





Note THV Alert is in the background more of her to follow.







Saturday, 4 June 2016 - 15:23

 

Post 3217

  Sea News, Dover

This chemical tanker came in close to Port on Thursday. She was heading from Antwerp to Huelva in rough oul weather and was at a guess letting the pilot off, as we have seen many times before. Her name: North Contender.

It was a rough miserable day for all concerned as you can see with the pilot boat below.. and these are rough oul pictures to go with it...in more ways than one! The next picture down is a crop of the one above and the final picture a crop of another pic not shown. Was aiming to show the difficulties for all out there.



Saga Pearl II is in today, the mist is heavy.
Sad to hear Muhammed Ali has died.

Saturday, 4 June 2016 - 06:37

 

Post 3216

  Sea News, Dover

P&O FERRIES REPORTS 22 PER CENT INCREASE IN ADVANCE BOOKINGS FOR TRAVEL TO FRANCE DURING EURO 2016
________________________________________________________________________________________________



Release time: immediate

THE Euro 2016 football tournament has helped drive a surge in advance bookings for travel across the English Channel this summer, say P&O Ferries.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Britain's leading ferry operator has so far taken 45,000 advance bookings for travel to France during the tournament, which will run from 10th June to 10th July. This figure represents a 22 per cent increase on the same 31 days in 2015 and is the highest for the period since 2003.

Janette Bell, Chief Commercial Officer at P&O Ferries, said: "France is by far the most popular holiday destination in the world and during Euro 2016 an increasing number of British tourists will be discovering the advantages of getting there via a P&O ferry."

"It's important to note that it's not only football supporters driving our advance bookings. Many of those travelling to France will be going simply to enjoy the carnival atmosphere which often accompanies major sporting events."

"We are seeing particularly strong interest around the game on 16th June between England and Wales in Lens, which is just a one hour drive down the motorway from the port of Calais. And the match on 21st June between Northern Ireland and Germany in Paris is also attracting a lot of advance ferry bookings, given that you can drive to the Parc des Princes in three hours after getting off one of our ships."

"We are the only ferry company in Europe which has routes across both the English Channel and the Irish Sea. Given that this is the first major tournament which both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have qualified for in many years, we have also seen a large number of bookings from football fans on both sides of the border who want to drive to France to support their team."

Last August was the single busiest month which P&O Ferries has experienced on the English Channel since 2003, with 1.17 million passengers travelling on its ships. The company attributed the record number to its investment in two new super-ferries, the Spirit of Britain and the Spirit of France, which are both capable of carrying 2,000 passengers per voyage whilst offering a first class dining, leisure and retail experience.

P&O Ferries is a leading pan-European ferry operator, sailing on eight major routes between Britain, France, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Holland and Belgium. The company operates 20 vessels which carry more than 10 million passengers, 1.6 million cars and two million freight units every year.


ENDS





Exciting and yet more record breaking news above there from P&O Ferries, this time re the boost the European Football has had on travel...great stuff!! Great for Dover. Yours truly has added much pictorial 'Spirit' to the release. Cant wait for the Euro 2016 Football myself. Well done P&O.



* *

The work goes on re the Prince of Wales Pier...a couple of extra pictures of the activities in the past few days below. The weather has been abysmal but work goes on.


The shots above are from a couple of days ago and the one below is from the rough ol conditions of yesterday...even inside the harbour it was rough, as safety boat Royal Charlotte made her way round to station.
Can somebody on high send us some better weather. gadzooks! Brrr! Grrr! PB.







Friday, 3 June 2016 - 06:34

 

Post 3215

  Sea News, Dover

Following on from Sarah's picture of the Border Force vessel Seeker in Ramsgate on Monday see post 2754...here she is again but this time just off Dover yesterday...seen through the infernal eternal gloom we are experiencing at the moment. To be more accurate re location for those further afield, she is just off Shakespeare beach west of Port if you want to Google. Long range pictures as you can see.




Thursday, 2 June 2016 - 06:09

 

Post 3214

  Sea News, Dover

DFDS NOMINATED FOR EUROPE’S LEADING FERRY OPERATOR TITLE AT WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS ™
_______________________________________________________________________________

DFDS has been nominated in the Europe’s Leading Ferry Operator category for the 2016 World Travel Awards™.

The winners are decided by votes from travel industry professionals and consumers. This year’s voting is open until 17 July 2016 at www.worldtravelawards.co.uk/voteDFDS.

The World Travel Awards™, hailed as the most prestigious and sought after awards programme for the travel and tourism industry, are designed to recognise companies who demonstrate a commitment to excellence in the global travel and tourism industry. DFDS won the Europe’s Leading Ferry Operator award, along with the World’s Leading Ferry Operator accolade, at last year’s ceremony, collecting both titles for the fifth year in a row.

DFDS operates a comprehensive passenger route network, which incorporates four routes from the UK to the Continent, via Dover-Dunkirk, Dover-Calais, Newhaven-Dieppe and Newcastle-Amsterdam, offering passengers the perfect gateway to Europe. DFDS also operates a number of passenger ferry routes across the Baltic Sea, including a cruise ferry service between Copenhagen and Oslo.

For further information please visit www.dfds.co.uk or telephone 0871 521 5522.

-Ends-

Well done DFDS!



A little more about DFDS
____________________

DFDS is Northern Europe’s largest integrated shipping and logistics company, with a network of around 30 routes and 50 freight and passenger ships.

DFDS prides itself on offering world-class facilities and services and the widest choice of ferry routes into northern Europe.

In the UK, the company operates passenger ferry services on routes from Dover to Calais, Dover to Dunkirk, Newcastle to Amsterdam and Newhaven to Dieppe.

DFDS has been named the ‘World’s Leading Ferry Operator’ for the last five years (2011-15), as well as ‘Europe’s Leading Ferry Operator’ at the prestigious 2014 and 2015 World Travel Awards.

DFDS currently operates up to 54 sailings a day between Dover and France on its Dover-Dunkirk and Dover-Calais routes. DFDS also offers two daily sailings between Newcastle and Amsterdam. In addition, the DFDS network includes a passenger and freight service between Newhaven to Dieppe, which has four daily sailings and is operated by Transmanche Ferries.

For further information about DFDS, or to find out about the latest sailing times, fares and offers across all routes from the UK, visit
www.dfds.co.uk


The AIDA Sol is back with us today..shrouded in mist as I write so cant get a picture. The picture above is from her recent visit.

Thanks for the excellent info below on the Border Force plus Sarah in 2758. Gave us all the background on the vessels. Excellent.
Thanks for your comment Maria if you know anything more let us know.
PaulB.






Wednesday, 1 June 2016 - 07:11

 

Post 3213

  Maria west-burrows, Dover (westburrows@btinternet.com)

No mention of all the help support that Dover Rowing Club gave

Tuesday, 31 May 2016 - 21:27

 

Post 3212

  Sarah, Ramsgate

The Border Force have 5 cutters at present HMC Seeker, HMC Protector, HMC Searcher, HMC Vigilant & HMC Valiant. HMC Protector is a new design & replaced HMC Sentinal which has been decommissioned. Initially HMC Protector & HMC Seeker were sent to the Med under David Cameron's instructions but clearly HMC Seeker is now back here. HMC Protector has been recently reported as saving lives in the Med but when she is back here we don't tend to see her as she is based at Portsmouth. Hopefully we will have the full fleet back here otherwise the pressure is going to be put on the RNLI & the Coastguard as happened at Dymchurch. Dungeness & Littlestone Lifeboats were both involved so if a rescue call had been received it would have been left to either Dover or Rye Harbour Lifeboats.

Tuesday, 31 May 2016 - 07:49

 

Post 3211

  Sea News, Dover

Admiralty Pier was open again yesterday and we had a huge turn out of guys fishing all along its length...
but boy was it a cold oul day with a wind that would whip the skin off a mackerel...long range pix these but they give you an idea...




Thanks for the cruise list again Colette...good to get it as ever.

Some good gets below there Sarah...nice pictures. Interesting...seeing Seeker there. We have Valiant here at the moment. Following on from the people trafficking incident in the Channel off Dymchurch in the past few days, there was an expert on the famed Radio 4 TODAY programme saying that the Border Force have 5 of these ships. Two are mothballed to save money..said he, one is on duty in the Mediterranean...that leaves us with just two vessels doing the work. Almost impossible surely.

I myself have only ever seen Valiant, Vigilant and Seeker and don't even know what the other ones are called. We are supposedly the worlds 5th biggest economy but this doesn't appear to equate to general wealth when you look at the cuts the services have to endure. The French have 20 times the resources said our expert.
PaulB.

Tuesday, 31 May 2016 - 06:58