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Messages - munchkin

#1
The News Board / Re: End of Rosslare Services
December 19, 2018, 10:53:17 AM
Quote from: giftgrub on December 18, 2018, 10:55:14 PM
For all the people who live South of Dublin, traveling to France has just become more of a chore, leaving earlier to avoid traffic, maybe taking the port tunnel etc to avoid congestion, and ironically in the same week that Rosslare and Waterford ports are being mentioned in the press as available to take up the excess that Dublin cannot cope with.
I've seen it mentioned elsewhere about the congestion, so I just looked at the timetable, and its actually grand if you step back and think about it.

The departures from Dublin are at 4pm, so checkin at about 2 or 3pm which is most definitely not rush hour when youre heading to the port. 
You arrive back into Dublin just after 10am, so again, by 11 when youre off the ferry and on the M50 the traffic will not be at its peak.
For a realtime example, that arrival time would actually be right about now, and google traffic is currently showing no issues at all on the M50, with just the roadworks at Naas being marked as slow, which being a 60 zone is true .
#2
The News Board / Re: W.B.YEATS DELIVERY IS DELAYED
December 12, 2018, 10:27:04 AM
For anyone who hasn't being following it, the folks at the german ship enthusiast forum believe that WB Yeats is to leave Flensburg on Sunday morning, first to go to a dry dock for the hull to be dolled up a bit (pretty much 1:1 translation of the text in German!) and then to Liverpool for final fitting out work. 

Wheres its going.... we need to pay attention to the AIS info at the weekend to find that out !

The source seems to be reliable as they predicted the ship adjacent to WB Yeats would be moving from its position this morning, and indeed that's exactly what happened.
http://31.209.185.102/view/viewer_index.shtml?id=450333
#3
The News Board / Re: Irish Ferries Fleet movements
December 03, 2018, 09:56:44 AM
On the booking system theres a sailing from France to Ireland with Epsilon on the 23rd(Dublin), 28th and 30th of December (Rosslare!) but no corresponding sailings from Ireland to France the day before.
Has anyone an idea of whats going on there ?
They are hardly running from Ireland to France 3 times completely empty ? Its not scheduled on any Irish sea Runs either.
#4
The News Board / Re: W.B.YEATS DELIVERY IS DELAYED
November 29, 2018, 10:38:56 AM
From today's November Trading Update
Quote
The W.B. Yeats, currently under construction by Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesselschaft & Co. KG  ("FSG") completed its sea-trials in early November and is undergoing final delivery adjustments.
FSG have advised ICG that the W.B. Yeats will be ready for delivery during early December. ICG would like to apologise once again for any disruption caused to our tourism and freight customers due to the delay in FSG delivering the ship, a delay that was an extraordinary event totally outside the control of ICG. FSG are contracted to deliver a second new vessel during 2020.
SOURCE: https://www.icg.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Trading-Update-Nov-2018-web-version.pdf

no word on the alleged sabotage (incidentally not the only incident in the recent past at various shipyards), but at least December delivery is confirmed by official sources.
#5
The News Board / Re: W.B.YEATS DELIVERY IS DELAYED
November 23, 2018, 08:03:32 AM
Quote from: Wilty on November 22, 2018, 10:41:20 PM
Quote from: Niall on November 22, 2018, 09:26:17 PM
There was a large fuel truck on the quayside beside WB Yeats today on the FSG webcam. It left during the afternoon before sunset.

She will require a lot more than one fuel truck before she sails. One truck won't even last her a day.
It's not the only fuel delivery. There was a fuel truck and trailer (so another 40000L or so) a few days back too, and who knows if there was others besides .

From a Canadian source, a fsg ferry running over there takes 6000L (give or take) to make a 5 hour journey with passengers and cars, so working off  that, a truck tanker load would give a ferry well over a day at sea, so a few truck loads should get it to ireland, and definitely to cherbourg .
#6
The News Board / Re: W.B.YEATS DELIVERY IS DELAYED
November 19, 2018, 08:40:13 PM
Word off the German forums is that "delivery" is expected on Thursday 22nd.
No word if that is a handover in Flensburg or arrival in Dublin. If it's to be in Dublin for Thursday it'd want to be moving fairly sharpish!
https://forum-schiff.de/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7550&start=180
#7
The News Board / Re: W.B.YEATS DELIVERY IS DELAYED
November 14, 2018, 12:58:16 PM
Quote from: Steven on November 12, 2018, 11:06:18 PM
Quote from: Chef on November 10, 2018, 12:08:43 PM
Well looks like the paint brushes are out in force today on the port side .

Yes.  Not quite time to get the champagne out but getting closer!  Let's hope there's no further setbacks!
blue containers were loaded onto her this afternoon, so could be a sign that they are getting ready to leave port again.

I presume when they do get underway that they'll take the Kiel Canal to save going the long way round Denmark.
There'll be good pictures from that journey !
#8
The News Board / Re: Irish Ferries Fleet movements
October 18, 2018, 12:23:55 PM
Irish Ferries have just stopped taking bookings on all midweek sailings the week before christmas between France and Ireland in both directions. I'm booked on one of those sailings and not (yet) cancelled.

I cannot see any way that they are suddenly sold out in both directions, so is this them hedging their bets and looking to have Epsilon as a potential relief ship from the UK for that busy pre christmas period, maybe to compensate for WB Yates still not being operational, or is there something else going on?

The Oscar Wilde only has half the vehicle capacity of Epsilon so not ideal for any really busy period.
#9
Discussion Board / Re: Booking 12th June
March 09, 2016, 03:12:15 PM
I remain to be corrected, but I believe that all cabins are actually 4berth (and a few 6) so swapping a 2 for a 4 berth wont actually make a difference as they are the same anyhow.
#10
The News Board / Re: Stena Line fleet movements
January 13, 2016, 03:47:58 PM
Quote from: Steven on January 13, 2016, 02:33:29 PM
Quote from: IFPete on January 13, 2016, 01:12:17 PM
Stena Horizon Sailed to Cherbourg last night and now is approaching that port,

I assume Stena Flavia will take the sailing from Rosslare tomorrow evening.
She should do.  Stena Horizon is expected at Harland and Wolff tomorrow.  Alas it will probably be dark by the time she gets up here, so probably not much opportunity for photos :(
I hope you can get a photo of the front of her.
There was damage to the front windows there after christmas just where the restaurant is (supposedly due to the storm, so maybe a rogue wave ?) but I didnt get a picture. The front of the lounge by the restaurant was closed off to stop you sitting near the "window" and the bits of roof hanging down, but the restaurant was operating as per normal.   
#11
Discussion Board / Re: Holyhead - Dublin Prices
January 14, 2015, 09:15:07 AM
Quote from: Steven on January 13, 2015, 10:16:18 PM
You are looking at well over 7hrs drive from Rotterdam to Cherbourg then another 17+ hours on the ferry though. <snip>
who says they are starting in Rotterdam and that the ferry from there brings an unbeatable strategic advantage?

Any anyhow the hassle of the direct ferry from cherbourg is all relative, as with say the late ferry, anyone in the Low countries or Paris or even Cologne area in Germany (so where 70%+of Irish live on the continent) can work a half day on the day of travel, drive the 4 to 6 hours to Cherbourg, go for a pint and a kip and wake up in Ireland for breakfast and drive off the ferry in the afternoon. 
For the early ferries, drive the few hours to Cherbourg in the morning/ early afternoon, again a pint and a kip, and wake up in the morning in Ireland.

Theres a certain beauty to journey planning when you know you only have 1 boat to catch rather than somehow working out how to avoid jams and congestion and cross country trips in England which may cost you a missed ferry (which admittedly is less of a problem for Scotland - NI, but is an issue from Holyhead which has relatively infrequent sailings and a complete mess job from Wales-Rosslare where theres only a skeleton ferry service).
#12
Discussion Board / Re: Holyhead - Dublin Prices
January 13, 2015, 02:28:11 PM
Quote from: mattiemo on January 11, 2015, 05:10:10 PM
<snip>
What really surprises me though is that crossing the Irish Sea is turning out to be the most expensive part.
Does anyone have an explanation why Holyhead - Dublin is more expensive than Birkenhead - Belfast?
I would have thought it would be cheaper as it is only half the travel time, but just realised I was wrong about it.

If there are any other routes you can recommend please let me know, I haven't made up my mind yet what's the best.
Thanks,
Matt
You mustnt have heard of landbridge deals then so.

Theres (in addition to the one mentioned before) landbridge options with irish ferries or stena which combine channel and irish sea crossing with the Dover/Folkestone - Dunkirk/ Calais channel crossings. 
Irish ferries offer is here : http://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/offers/landbridge/ 
Stena havent released the 2015 prices yet, but they are normally very similar to Irish ferries.

also, checkout the ferry direct from Cherbourg to Rosslare, which for 2adults, 2 kids and a cabin just a shade over 200 euro each way with stena. With the motorway youre a handy 4 hour trip from Rosslare to Belfast mostly on motorway, with rest options at Lusk services just north of the airport (indoor/outdoor playground etc for the kids).
Yea, theres a few tolls to get to Cherbourg, but its also a handy drive with no lack of rest stops along the road should the kids (or wife) have a call of nature or whatever.
#13
hi all, been lurking a while and decided its time to register!

anyhow, regarding the lorry ban.
In most countries,  France included, theres exceptions for live animals and foodstuffs so regardless of a general lorry ban, an awful lot of what arrives in Cherbourg can head up the road straight away for the rest of France/ Germany / continental europe.
A truck laden with the likes of Kerrygold butter or other foodstuffs, could make it to Germany or low countries (breaks taken into consideration) in time for Monday morning by arriving at 10am on the Sunday morning.
If driving a car you can drive through the night 12 or 14 hours long, and at a quicker speed (meaning a late Sunday evening arrival gets you across France to be in Germany/ Holland for Monday morning), but trucks are slower and drivers must have regular breaks and can only do 9 or 10 hours at a time.

Theres a document outlining the situation of truck bans in France and surrounding countries here:
http://www.bison-fute.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/09024-4__EN_Brochure_vehicules_lourds_2014_def_web-2.pdf
and here some info on the EU rules on HGV driver breaks etc
https://www.gov.uk/drivers-hours/eu-rules