Banker Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 1 hour ago, Blade Runner said: Too much wind, apparently according to the press. Who would have thought that there was wind in the Irish Sea? FFS, This is a clusterfuck of even more standing than the shed in Liverpool. Look at the video that Amadeus posted on X showing the 2 ships. Look at the side elevation of both ships, which looks like it will catch the wind worse than the other? Answers on the back of a postcard/ email to AlfHomeAlone57@AOL.com Look at the article, its temporary limit imposed by heysham & applies to all new boats not just Manxman. Youre like the other morons on facebook posting stupid comments without actually reading the facts, F off back to Essex & stop commenting on local matters 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Non-Believer Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 14 minutes ago, John Wright said: That being said, if I were running the Steam Packet, I’d ditch Mannanan, ditch Liverpool, keep Ben temporarily and look to order one, possibly two, of the small new CalMac ferries on order from Turkey. Small, flexible, able to serve Dublin, Belfast, Ardrossan, at a better frequency and time. I couldn't agree more; but how would you justify pulling out of Liverpool now, given what the taxpayers have invested into it, willingly or unwillingly? We have sacrificed any of the flexibility that you suggest in favour of digging ourselves into a financial black hole that will impact every island taxpayer, traveller and consumer for many years to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0bserver Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 47 minutes ago, John Wright said: That being said, if I were running the Steam Packet, I’d ditch Mannanan, ditch Liverpool, keep Ben temporarily and look to order one, possibly two, of the small new CalMac ferries on order from Turkey. Small, flexible, able to serve Dublin, Belfast, Ardrossan, at a better frequency and time. The problem with Belfast and Dublin sailings isn't frequency, it's that there is no demand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wright Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 Just now, 0bserver said: The problem with Belfast and Dublin sailings isn't frequency, it's that there is no demand. They’ve been run down for years. Inconvenient days and times. Ireland is now, again, a wealthy country. The road communication network has improved out of all recognition. Sure there’s not the demand for 2000 passengers, twice a week, from each of Belfast and Dublin, nor even 900, 800 or 600. But 350-400 twice a week in summer and once a week all year round should be achievable. After all, look at how many BF, Irish Ferries, etc are carrying from Dublin, Rosslare & Cork to Northern France and Spain, trade that 10 years ago was almost non existent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wright Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 52 minutes ago, Banker said: Look at the article, its temporary limit imposed by heysham & applies to all new boats not just Manxman. Youre like the other morons on facebook posting stupid comments without actually reading the facts, F off back to Essex & stop commenting on local matters Are you sure? All new boats sailing into Heysham? Or just an internal SPCo wind speed limitation about Manxman? Perhaps you need to understand and comprehend the words printed in that article. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted August 17, 2023 Author Share Posted August 17, 2023 15 minutes ago, 0bserver said: The problem with Belfast and Dublin sailings isn't frequency, it's that there is no demand. It all needs tieing up with a tourism strategy. None of it is joined up anymore. Adverts, events, hotel offers etc. ...then you can match and meet the demand made. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Power Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 9 minutes ago, Albert Tatlock said: It all needs tieing up with a tourism strategy. None of it is joined up anymore. Adverts, events, hotel offers etc. ...then you can match and meet the demand made. Yes, it's an oft times complaint that the Irish sailings don't meet traveler's needs. I think it's just become a slippery slope, as things get worse, they get worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetfour Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 (edited) Totally agree, John and Albert. I brought parties of schoolchildren from Northern Ireland to the IoM annually from 1980 until my retirement in 2012. I witnessed the decline in service at first hand. Daytime sailings were axed and early morning and late evening sailings substituted on odd days of the week - no continuity. Timetable-wise, things improved very slightly when the first fast craft arrived but this, too, soon disappeared. It is very obvious that Belfast and Dublin services remain only because of the dictates of the “user agreement.” Given a free hand, there would be no service at all. I brought my wife, son and his family over to the island in July to let them see the wonderful place that I had visited for those 32 years. Outward journey on Manannan on a Tuesday morning was fine. Return on the Ben was not so good. Left Douglas at 8 p.m. On a Saturday night. Calm sea the whole way. Docked in Belfast at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Five and a half hours in calm seas. Why? Running at reduced speed to save fuel costs no doubt. We were lucky in that we had a car but there were many on board who had believed the published timetable and expected to connect with late night public transport which had long gone! There is an opportunity now. Use the Ben in June, July and August with suitable and proper promotion to run daytime services twice a week to Belfast and Dublin and re-build the business. In the winter, she can be leased out to the Orkneys, Shetlands and/or Channel Islands to pay her way. Worth a try surely? Discuss. Edited August 17, 2023 by Jetfour 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happier diner Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 6 minutes ago, Jetfour said: Totally agree, John and Albert. I brought parties of schoolchildren from Northern Ireland to the IoM annually from 1980 until my retirement in 2012. I witnessed the decline in service at first hand. Daytime sailings were axed and early morning and late evening sailings substituted on odd days of the week - no continuity. Timetable-wise, things improved very slightly when the first fast craft arrived but this, too, soon disappeared. It is very obvious that Belfast and Dublin services remain only because of the dictates of the “user agreement.” Given a free hand, there would be no service at all. I brought my wife, son and his family over to the island in July to let them see the wonderful place that I had visited for those 32 years. Outward journey on Manannan on a Tuesday morning was fine. Return on the Ben was not so good. Left Douglas at 8 p.m. On a Saturday night. Calm sea the whole way. Docked in Belfast at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Five and a half hours in calm seas. Why? Running at reduced speed to save fuel costs no doubt. We were lucky in that we had a car but there were many on board who had believed the published timetable and expected to connect with late night public transport which had long gone! There is an opportunity now. Use the Ben in June, July and August with suitable and proper promotion to run daytime services twice a week to Belfast and Dublin and re-build the business. In the winter, she can be leased out to the Orkneys, Shetlands and/or Channel Islands to pay her way. Worth a try surely? Discuss. Why would you run a half empty boat to Dublin and Belfast twice a week. It's not a charity. The user agreement decrees it has to be done. That's fair enough, but to expect us to subsidise a loss making increased frequency? Surely that's not viable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetfour Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 8 minutes ago, Happier diner said: Why would you run a half empty boat to Dublin and Belfast twice a week. It's not a charity. The user agreement decrees it has to be done. That's fair enough, but to expect us to subsidise a loss making increased frequency? Surely that's not viable. Of course you wouldn’t. The idea is to have a positive strategy in place to grow load factors by running a much more attractive service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wright Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 11 minutes ago, Happier diner said: Why would you run a half empty boat to Dublin and Belfast twice a week. It's not a charity. The user agreement decrees it has to be done. That's fair enough, but to expect us to subsidise a loss making increased frequency? Surely that's not viable. My suggestion is a 400pax boat as the second ferry. Standard design, much cheaper to build, fewer crew and much lighter on fuel. And able to sail 12 months a year, not 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rab Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 A £78,000,000 new ship. It cannot go out in the dark or a stiff breeze? I feel that health and safety have gone overboard here. The Manannan is sailing as normal tomorrow, the Manxman cannot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0bserver Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 32 minutes ago, Max Power said: Yes, it's an oft times complaint that the Irish sailings don't meet traveler's needs. I think it's just become a slippery slope, as things get worse, they get worse. They tried it years ago with Seacat IOM/Snaefell. The sailing times were decent and the demand just wasn't there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Power Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 3 minutes ago, 0bserver said: They tried it years ago with Seacat IOM/Snaefell. The sailing times were decent and the demand just wasn't there. Yes indeed, but I think a lot of that may have been the economic situation in both sides of the border too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0bserver Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 43 minutes ago, Jetfour said: Running at reduced speed to save fuel costs no doubt. That's an urban myth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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