I’ve done Ullapool-Stornoway, it was rough as owt and they cancelled the return ferry. I was only supposed to be doing a quick tip and return with a ■■■■■■ van and I had to get a B&B in Stornoway for the night. Then they sailed the next day and the ■■■■ thing broke down in the Minch while it was still pretty rough. ■■■■■■ CalMac cowboys lol.
I also once did the 28 hours from Gothenburg to Newcastle in a force 9 all the way. I drove off the ferry and stopped in North Shields to diesel up and I was staggering all over the forecourt, wierd lol.
chazzer:
Hi Ron, you jogged my memory on that one, it was the first ferry crossing for me as well, can’t remember the line could have been Red Funnel all I know it was from Southampton, and I think into Cowes (it was 1972) and I was taking bulk animal feed to farms. Used Sally line quite a lot in the eighties when doing Greece,never had a problem with the prawns but then while eating in such choice eating establishments along the way in Yugo and Greece not to mention plenty of camion stews I built up a cast iron digestive sytem, not so good now, the wife’s too good a cook so no chance to become immune anymore.
chazzer
Yeah! Would have been very early 70’s for me too. At that time I was driving for a firm called ‘Rapp Metals’ (part of the Alcan group) out of Hayes, Middlesex.
Ron
Lonewolf Yorks:
I’ve done Ullapool-Stornoway, it was rough as owt and they cancelled the return ferry. I was only supposed to be doing a quick tip and return with a ■■■■■■ van and I had to get a B&B in Stornoway for the night. Then they sailed the next day and the ■■■■ thing broke down in the Minch while it was still pretty rough. [zb] CalMac cowboys lol.
I also once did the 28 hours from Gothenburg to Newcastle in a force 9 all the way. I drove off the ferry and stopped in North Shields to diesel up and I was staggering all over the forecourt, wierd lol.
I remember doing that Gothenburg to Newcastle ferry twice in the late 70s,the first time was bad enough but the second time was like you, force 9 all the way,both times i was the only driver aboard all the rest were unacompanied trailers,
i know now the reason why
A slight diversion from the Sally line thread but I once spent 65 hours on an old russian ferry from Kiel to Riga in Latvia in 94 while on route to a car show there and the weather was so rough that the waves were breaking over the bows. I could imagine how bad it must have been as a merchant seaman during the war doing the convoys to Russia, we could’nt even enter Riga port it was that bad and the storms had knocked out power in the port so there were no marker lights at the entrance. The ferry was that bad you could’nt even get a cup of coffee.
chazzer:
A slight diversion from the Sally line thread but I once spent 65 hours on an old russian ferry from Kiel to Riga in Latvia in 94 while on route to a car show there and the weather was so rough that the waves were breaking over the bows. I could imagine how bad it must have been as a merchant seaman during the war doing the convoys to Russia, we could’nt even enter Riga port it was that bad and the storms had knocked out power in the port so there were no marker lights at the entrance. The ferry was that bad you could’nt even get a cup of coffee.
A good job you couldn’t you would have spilt it everywhere
Did any one use the Channel Island ferries to gurnsey & jersey the freighter the brezazel i think thats how to spell it that was the best times i had working for ups did it for four years till they put trailers on it been in a few force 9s had some good times with tim the perser he also did the cooking great cook
I never traveled on the ferries, but i used to take a tilt for the ferry and have a night out in ramsgate when you went down to the town. And wait for the morning ferry with my trailer for the next day. Ramsgate was my fave night out as you were at the sea front and town pubs and chippys and on a nice summer night that was a bonus.
Mrknowitall:
I never traveled on the ferries, but i used to take a tilt for the ferry and have a night out in ramsgate when you went down to the town. And wait for the morning ferry with my trailer for the next day. Ramsgate was my fave night out as you were at the sea front and town pubs and chippys and on a nice summer night that was a bonus.
Once had an un-accompanied trailer on it’s side after a rough crossing and its load of 45 gal drums was topped off with boxes of expensive trainers.Our insurance loss adjuster said that if you went in any pub in Ramsgate a day or two after everyone (well almost) had a new pair of Nike trainers on! apparently it took a day or so to sort everybodies size out!! Cheers Bewick.
I used to use the Schiaffino regular, mostly because it was cheap but also because they would carry you whatever you had loaded. I remember the first time i used the Sallyline though was when i was the one driver to many, the truck was loaded on the old tub and i was sent over to travel on the sally as a passenger, Luxury !!
After that i started to use the sally a bit more often, at that time they had a reward card which you got stamped each trip and when you got enough stamps you could exchange it for a free trip over as a passenger. Took me ages to fill my card up but the day eventually came when i had a full card.
As it was close to Christmas i thought this would be the perfect time to treat the wife to a days shopping in France, collect a bit of cheap booze and get in her good books at the same time, loads of brownie points.
With no expense spared we set off from home on a Friday to stay the night in an hotel at Ramsgate intending to catch the morning boat. I had managed haggle the price down on the hotel to include a great evening meal and a view, perfect.
Next morning we caught the boat and started the crossing, about half way over an announcement came over the tanoy that there was a small fire in the gents toilets, would all passengers please go onto the deck. By the time we were on deck the life boats were hanging over the side ready to be lowered and passengers were being issued with life jackets.
We were out on deck for several hours whilst an helicopter dropped firemen on the front of the ship and a flotilla of other ferries, small boats and even a navy ship surrounded the sally.
Nobody was actually taken off the sally and the life boats were never actually put into the water but we were all day waiting for a tow back into port. Eventually we landed safely back in Ramsgate but never did get to France, most of the trip back home was done in silence, the wife seamed to think for some reason it was all my fault !!
Bit of a long shot but were any of you other guys on the boat that day ■■
A few people have mentioned the Douane in Dunkerque and they were the training camp for french customs and once when I came back that way from Greece loaded with water melons for London this over zealous young female officiel de douane thought it would be a good idea to make the English driver open the back doors on the trailer for an inspection. She got quite upset when I stopped her from unlocking the handle but luckily an older customs man asked me what the problem was. The young lady apologised to me after he had translated that all the melons were loose up to about 5 foot off the trailer floor and opening the doors would probably have resulted in serious injury for her. Still had to open the side so she could see for herself inside.
chazzer:
A few people have mentioned the Douane in Dunkerque and they were the training camp for french customs
Wasn’t Felixstowe the UK equivalent? (or was it Ipswich?) I remember coming off the freighter at Ipswich once and going through the customs shed there. The customs officer brought out a spaniel on a lead and was just about to let it search my cab when I voiced my complaint. The officer had to get a towel and wipe the dog’s paws before letting it loose in my cab. It was more a case of not just standing idly by while letting the customs ride roughshod over you.
Ron do you mean you never had any “dogs” in your cab before ?
rondavies:
chazzer:
A few people have mentioned the Douane in Dunkerque and they were the training camp for french customs
Wasn’t Felixstowe the UK equivalent? (or was it Ipswich?) I remember coming off the freighter at Ipswich once and going through the customs shed there. The customs officer brought out a spaniel on a lead and was just about to let it search my cab when I voiced my complaint. The officer had to get a towel and wipe the dog’s paws before letting it loose in my cab. It was more a case of not just standing idly by while letting the customs ride roughshod over you.
Sandbanks Ferry is a vehicular chain ferry which crosses the entrance of Poole Harbour in the English county of Dorset. The route runs from Sandbanks to Studland and in doing so connects the coastal parts of the towns of Bournemouth and Poole with Swanage and the Isle of Purbeck. This avoids a 25 mile journey by road
Sandbanks Ferry is a vehicular chain ferry which crosses the entrance of Poole Harbour in the English county of Dorset. The route runs from Sandbanks to Studland and in doing so connects the coastal parts of the towns of Bournemouth and Poole with Swanage and the Isle of Purbeck. This avoids a 25 mile journey by road
So thats what you did on your Hols Dave! It sure looks like you on the Bridge!!! Anon.
