[BBC News] Ferries cancelled in bad weather

[homarus]

If it's not a catamaran, why is it called the 'super seacat two'?

Engage brain before writing.

 

Surely you aren't being serious?

 

the I.O.M.S.P.Co ships are fast planing vessels

 

Not wishing to be pedantic (for once) but I think at best they would be classed as semi-planing hulls.

 

Wave piercing =semi-planing , I stand corrected Cret?

[cheeky boy]

I sailed to Liverpool and back yesterday on the Superseacat 2, which is a monohull and does not plane.

 

The maximum speed of a vessel without planing, e.g. riding over it's own bow wave, is something like the square of it's waterline length (come one you marine architects, explain this rule)

 

Either way the Superseacat 2 does not plane, however in yesterdays force 6 it rolled all the way to Liverpool and bounced all the way back but was no worse than the old side-loaders, just faster.

 

Possibly the worst aspect of the journey was the deafening PA system blasting out pointless messages, at one point we had five minutes of "special offers" delivered in a broad South African accent and at a volume which made conversation impossible

 

I have suffered the Steam Packet for years and my advice would be to only use it if you have to take a vehicle. Airlines are much quicker and usually cheaper

[Cret]

It's not a true planing hull no, it's displacement really but I think there is a semi planing element to it which helps lift it a little & help obtain the high speeds it gets. I could be wrong but it's certainly not a true planing boat as Cheeky boy says. Either way - it sure as hell ain't a cat!

 

TBH I've never found SSC2 bad in rough weather. She rolls/lists a bit when cracking along but doesn't seem to pitch badly as she cuts through the brine fairly well compared with the Ben, who seems to bob up & down like a big cork.

[Silentbob]

As far as I know the Wednesday morning boat from Heysham is the gas boat and always sails with a limited number of passengers, no surprise there then. The Ben is also an entirely suitable vessel for a winter crossing, a catamaran, on the other hand, is hardly suitable in any weather apart from a flat calm.

 

 

HAHAHAHAHA, thanks I needed a good laugh, the Ben is an inshore vessel purchased by the racket, and they had to dump tonnes of concrete into its belly to keep it upright. Alloy vessels are ill suited to the Irish Sea due to their light weight/ volume ratio, when they hit a wave, they generally lose and change direction, also the Ben is a more or less flat bottomed boat which makes matters worse.

 

Older ships like the King Orry WERE mroe suited to the irish Sea with their narrower steel hulls. The Orry was the last proper passenger vessel we had (I think)

[Chopsticks]

Possibly the worst aspect of the journey was the deafening PA system blasting out pointless messages, at one point we had five minutes of "special offers" delivered in a broad South African accent and at a volume which made conversation impossible

 

I had that on my sailing to and from the UK on the Ben a couple of weeks ago.

 

By the end of the journey I felt like going kill-crazy with my complimentary blueberry muffin, "YES I KNOW YOU'RE SELLING SHITTY MANX GIN AND A SELECTION OF FINE FRAGRANCES, IT SUNK IN AFTER THE FIRST FIVE MILLION ANNOUNCEMENTS!"

 

I'm sure they didn't go so heavy with the sales pitches in the past, I mean, we've paid good money to be on the bloody boat in the first place, so it's a bit rude to bombard your captive audience with booming advertisements for the whole journey.

 

You'd at least expect First Class to be free from such common rudeness.

[Cret]

Not on the racket you wouldn't.

[Albert Tatlock]

Possibly the worst aspect of the journey was the deafening PA system blasting out pointless messages, at one point we had five minutes of "special offers" delivered in a broad South African accent and at a volume which made conversation impossible

 

I had that on my sailing to and from the UK on the Ben a couple of weeks ago.

 

By the end of the journey I felt like going kill-crazy with my complimentary blueberry muffin, "YES I KNOW YOU'RE SELLING SHITTY MANX GIN AND A SELECTION OF FINE FRAGRANCES, IT SUNK IN AFTER THE FIRST FIVE MILLION ANNOUNCEMENTS!"

 

I'm sure they didn't go so heavy with the sales pitches in the past, I mean, we've paid good money to be on the bloody boat in the first place, so it's a bit rude to bombard your captive audience with booming advertisements for the whole journey.

 

You'd at least expect First Class to be free from such common rudeness.

I hate that too. Are they on commision now? OK for the first five minutes - but you can guarantee being woken up an hour or so later if you get the chance to drift off. They need to limit when they talk to the start and end of the trip, with maybe just the captain coming over with useful information half way over - like how much time is left (nice to know especially if it's rough). It's hard enough to get any shut eye when screaming, whinging or nagging kids are on (those kids should be locked in the car deck IMO, put on oars in the hold - or better still towed behind the Seacat/Ben in a life raft with their chav parents who have no parental skills).

[feelslikeitshould]

...with maybe just the captain coming over with useful information half way over - like how much time is left (nice to know especially if it's rough).

 

Heh, I noticed they only ever gave these announcements when they were making good time or getting in when they said they would. When it's rough, they tell you jack shit. Most of time we've been past the bar light after 3hours in rough sea before they say anything....45 mins to get up the Mersey, thanks, I knew that before I got on. Be nice to know how long is was going to take in total though matey.

 

It's like avoiding talking about the rough sea will make people feel better! Are people going to even more violently ill because they know it's going to take 4 hours instead of 2? My favourite is where they break the news by telling you something good, followed by a speedy bit of bad news..."There's a force 4 southwesterly blowing across the bow as we leave Douglas, the stabalisers are fully operational but can I ask that for your own comfort and safety, you remain seated whenever possible....(force 4? Meh, bring on the chips, cheese and gravy!) asthereisahevywellthankyou." What? What did he say? Something about the sea being swell?

[Chopsticks]

I hate that too. Are they on commision now? OK for the first five minutes - but you can guarantee being woken up an hour or so later if you get the chance to drift off. They need to limit when they talk to the start and end of the trip, with maybe just the captain coming over with useful information half way over - like how much time is left (nice to know especially if it's rough). It's hard enough to get any shut eye when screaming, whinging or nagging kids are on (those kids should be locked in the car deck IMO, put on oars in the hold - or better still towed behind the Seacat/Ben in a life raft with their chav parents who have no parental skills).

 

This is why I upgrade to first class, for an extra £12.50 (each way, so total cost £25) it's a total no-brainer IMO.

 

For starters, you get as many free drinks as you want (anything except alcohol), along with biscuits and cakes, you could easily spend £5-£6 in pogger class on what you get for free in first class, which means the upgrade effectively costs about £7.

 

For that you get a nice comfy seat, a lovely quiet atmosphere (APART FROM THE FRICKIN' NON-STOP SHITTY ADVERTS), attentive staff, a fantastic view out of the front of the boat, and a far better class of travelling companion. (Sorry, but there are some right bloody tramps in chav class, all it takes a handful of "couldn't give a shit" parents, a few shouting brats running around the place, and one or two screaming babies, and you've got a thoroughly unpleasant trip on your hands, especially on a rough crossing when the synchronised waves of projectile vomiting kick in.)

 

My last few crossings I've really quite enjoyed, I just sit down, stick the laptop on (they have plenty of plug sockets to use if your battery won't last the whole way), put my headphones on, and play fruit machine emulators for four hours whilst an endless supply of fizzy drinks are handed to me.

 

Also, because you're looking out of the front of the boat, rough crossings are made more tolerable somehow, because you can see the sea and the horizon in front of you. I don't mind rough crossings anyway, but with the view out of the front they're made borderline enjoyable.

 

I also never go on the Seacat either because it's horrible and cramped like an aeroplane, at least the Ben is a proper boat.

 

The best one was the King Orry though, you could have a proper walk around on that.

[bluemonday]

Top item on Border News just now. Particularly mentioned were :-

Panic amongst crew - crew members crying - life jacket cords notted - Terminal staff disorganised and bad tempered.

No change as regards the last. I thought they were "disorganised and bad tempered" at Heysham in December last year. Obviously standard o p.

[Ean]

I assume this is because the accident report has just been published? If it is where are border getting their information on panic and crying amongst the crew, there's no mention of it. The knotting of the lifejackets is necessary but the report mentions that some were knotted to tight.

 

Seems a bit dodgy if they're laying into the cabin crew, from the report they seemed to do a fairly good job but perhaps falling at the last hurdle by not assisting passengers fully once they were off the vessel.

[manxman8180]

Ean, the report does include an Annex which mention the results of passenger surveys following the incident.

 

It does mention some panic amongst the cabin crew. Of course, no one can really know how they will react in a situation like this until it happens. Like all hospitality jobs on the Island, there is little pay, long hours and with the SeaCat you get the added bonus of sea sickness and other peoples vomit.

 

It's not really going to attract a great deal of people.

 

At the end of the day, no one was seriously injured. We all have a roll to play when the shit hits the fan not just the 'staff'.

[bluemonday]

Same report headlined the 6pm Border news including mentioning that passenger(s) stated some crew panicked. And that some cried.

No excuse whatsoever.

They should have been trained to act properly in an emergency.

Pointless ,and I speak from personal experience having worked in a marine passenger environment and been there when the crap went down, starting to lose the plot when passengers are looking to you in a crisis.

Shows perhaps the standard of the training provided or the calibre of those employed. Or both.

Lack of communication on the bridge? What was it manned by? Hamsters? A shambles.

I note that Packet refused to be interviewed.

A poor show.

I would have thought they would be eager to defend their staff, procedures whatever. But obviously not.

Fortunately, the shortcomings have been exposed without a loss of life.

They were lucky.

 

edit for spelling

[Pat Ayres]

As far as "why is it called super seacat two" yes. Just answer the question.

The rest of the post was, as always, sarcastic and juvenile, but that's just me.