The North Boat (Northlink ferries)

[crofter]

Well I have nearly finished gaffing, so I will see if I can manage to type. Anybody else hear Bill Davidson on Radio Shetland tonight? Apparently, the reason Northlink have so many cancellations is because the weather nowadays is worse than it used to be! He sounded as if he really believed it too. My sides are sore.

[Ghostrider]

What's his email? Send him this link and tell him to pay particular attention to the two charts right at the bottom of the last page.

 

http://www.northisles-weather.co.uk/weather/FI_2007_Binder.pdf

[Mutton]

Bill Davidson claiming that the weather is worse than it used to be is an admission that the boat is indeed cancelled more often now. A lifeline service should go out unless the weather is extreme. And if you are worried about your car in the car deck or your personal safety, don't sail.

 

The problem these days though isn't the weather, it's the north boats themselves. Inside they are pleasant, but they are not designed for these seas.

[MuckleJoannie]

I noted in an earlier post that the weather problem is easterly wind making Aberdeen harbour entrance difficult. The link below for December 2008 wind data has a diagram at the bottom showing clearly that there has been a number of easterly gales.

 

http://veaonline.risoe.dk/Rodeo/GraphicsPage.aspx?Project=16&ScrollTop=485&Rnd=935656&Day=22&Month=12&Year=2008&Interval=OneMonth

 

The corresponding diagram for December 2007 shows hardly any easterly wind.

 

http://veaonline.risoe.dk/Rodeo/GraphicsPage.aspx?Project=16&ScrollTop=485&Rnd=944710&Day=22&Month=12&Year=2007&Interval=OneMonth

[Guest Anonymous]

Just a suggestion.

But, what if the people who are so quick to criticize Northlink for not sailing, were to be gathered together, put on any boat of their choice of a similar size, then shipped to Aberdeen to wait for a chance to enter the harbour during a southeasterly gale.

Perhaps we could then calculate their negativity towards Northlink in terms of how many times they throw up, or how many nasty posts they make about "The boat shouldn't have sailed"

 

And before you jump on me, I was on the old St Clair in such a situation. Hours and hours dodging off Aberdeen, while passengers spoke to Huey and Ralph on the big white china telephone .....

"She should never have sailed"...

[sheepshagger]

^ so wis I and P&O kept the bar open for those of us that wished to partake and free meals with very generous portions those that were sick kept to there cabins and cabins were provided free of charge to those that didn't have and were worse for wear.

compared to Northlinks atitude when my wife was feeling a bit green and the only place to lie down was in the midship bar, (no cabins available) she was told to get up as lieing down in the bar area was not alowed.

the most stable part of the ship if your feeling green and the twats want you to go forard or aft.

The service provided now can not be compared to the service provided by P&O simply because the former company understood the reality of the siruation and Northlink haven't a clue.

Most important of all though P&O gave a toss about their primary user the people of Orkney and Shetland, tourists just had to realise they were on a ferry not a cruise.

[Guest Anonymous]

^I remember the breakfast portions being extremely generous. Most likely because they'd cooked on an assumption that more of the passengers would eat than were actually able to.

I used to enjoy a large plate of fatty sausages, bacon, fried bread, and eggs. The stuff used to have trouble staying on the plate because of the grease, assuming the plate could stay on the table. It was great to sit down with all that fatty stuff next to some green looking person sipping a weak tea.. Amazing how fast an ill person can move..

[Infiltrator]

You can't compare the P&O of old with Northlink - the world has moved on. Even a P&O service today wouldn't have the same service as they used to provide, they'd be under the same business, financial and HSE pressures as Northlink are.

 

Even the P&O service changed over it's life - who remembers the delivered to cabin tea and toast wake up call on the old Clair?

[Guest willz320]

compared to Northlinks atitude when my wife was feeling a bit green and the only place to lie down was in the midship bar, (no cabins available) she was told to get up as lieing down in the bar area was not alowed.

the most stable part of the ship if your feeling green and the twats want you to go forard or aft....

 

P&O might have been happy with ill travellers cluttering up the bars, but why should the customers have to deal with folk lying down on the communal bar seating - when there are plenty of other places to sit or lie down?!

 

If the best place to travel was the bridge - do you just expect NorthLink to let you in there too? Or is that another old P&O glory story where on one dreich night the captain invited all the passengers up to the bridge for a merry sing and dance. I think Iv heard that one before....

 

....P&O gave a toss about their primary user the people of Orkney and Shetland, tourists just had to realise they were on a ferry not a cruise.

 

First of all - Northlink dont run a floating family guesthouse, they run a business with stringent check by the government on every single aspect of the company. What do you think public say anyway, if NorthLink were handing out free meals and cabins with taxpayers money??

 

Unfortunately, if the ship was run as a ferry - then we would be straight back to P&O days with little passenger numbers, and no scope for improvement in the service due to extrememly low profit.

 

Now that the ships are run as a 'cruise-standard' service - we islanders PAY LESS than the 'old days', HAVE MORE SAILINGS, and you cannot deny the ships are more comfortable. If you do - you're more stubborn than i thought.

 

Why do we pay less as a consumer? BECAUSE OF TOURISM!

 

Remember that NorthLink was designed by the government to be paid for by the government.

Main aim? More tourism. Result? More tourism than expected which has lowered costs for islanders.

 

Do you really think we should go back to the old days of P&O. Most tourists wouldnt even feel safe on those ships these days.

 

GET A GRIP!! You might have fond memories of P&O over the years, but at the end of the day we now have a better service, at lower cost.

 

Everyone is happy to moan the face off northlink, but where are the REAL reasons? P&O were far from frickin perfect!

 

Rant Over - btw this wasnt entirely directed towards sheepshagger! I just happened to take it out on him/her!

[Muppet]

P&O might have been happy with ill travellers cluttering up the bars, but why should the customers have to deal with folk lying down on the communal bar seating - when there are plenty of other places to sit or lie down?!

 

 

Ahem! It's the customers "cluttering up the bars". Probably because they couldn't get (or afford) a cabin.

 

First of all - Northlink dont run a floating family guesthouse

 

No, at the prices they charge for a cabin, they seem to believe they run the Ritz!

 

we islanders PAY LESS than the 'old days'

 

My first trip with Northlink cost almost exactly double what I paid P&O the previous year. Both were for myself, a car and a cabin in the same month of the year.

 

Remember that NorthLink was designed by the government to be paid for by the government.

 

I'd say paid for by the taxpayer and passengers.

 

Rant Over - btw this wasnt entirely directed towards Willz320! I just happened to take it out on him/her!

[Medziotojas]

 

No, at the prices they charge for a cabin, they seem to believe they run the Ritz!

 

 

Agreed. Fair enough for the young traveller with sleeping bag in hand who can lay his/her head down anywhere, but try taking a young family to/from Shetland.

[JustMe]

Sounds like Northlink may even be getting there with the concept of couchettes for budget travellers but perhaps if any future ship is being designed provision should be made for single travellers who want privacy but not luxury.

 

Now this is a question to ponder over the festive season. How many problems with Northlink sailings were due to Aberdeen Harbour rather than any problems with the ships or with Lerwick Harbour and what can we do about it. If I am checking tide tables before booking connections south from Aberdeen in the summer does that say something that the people running Aberdeen Harbour need to look at?.

[EM]

...IMHO the bridge is far too far for'ard and at a bad angle, if any of them ships a muckle sea over the bow it has very little to do but stove in the bridge windows, and your boat is very likely dead in the water. Far bigger ships than these with their bridge much higher above the swell have been disabled by a rogue sea stoving in bridge windows. I would have more faith in arriving in one piece if there was much more foredeck to spend rogue seas a bit before they got near to the boat's vitals.

 

They look very top heavy, and ...

 

I have never sailed on the Northlink boats so can't really say much on them specifically. My general feeling about all modern ships is, like GR, that they look top-heavy. As he says this may or may not be a real issue. Without seeing the stability calcs it is hard to have a real understanding, it depends on where the mass is distributed. I expect that the superstructures are actually comparatively lighter than we assume through the use of aluminium rather than steel.

 

As for the issue of the bridge windows being vulnerable, again, I think GR is spot on. This happened with the liner Voyager in the Med and the video from that incident is incredible. Don't miss the extreme rolling at about 1:00. The very end is also incredible. It stops just as her nose is about to enter a humungous wave:

 

 

The following report shows what was going on inside:

 

[Frances144]

Bring on the Stugeron, I say.

 

This year we sailed from Aberdeen to Lerwick with 2 Shetland ponies. The captain was reluctant but took us anyway. The boat was stopping at Orkney too.

 

I was awake for every single wave. I went down to the car-deck at 11pm (when we got to Orkney) to disembark, call the vet and shoot the ponies - as they would surely have broken legs. Went down to the car-deck to find two ponies (in our lorry) happy as sandboys munching hay, with not a care in the world.

 

The trip had been horrendous but because the freight men had put us slap bang in the middle (almost measured us with GPS, set-squares and compasses) of the boat, the ponies felt nothing. We had stayed awake listening to the thud, bang and crash of something rolling around (sounded like our lorry had let go of the handbrake and was just going from end to end of the boat).

 

After Orkney, we went to sleep knowing everything was fine. That was a trip from hell... but everything was fine. It all depends on the positioning, I think.

[insouciant]

Damn, I was beaten to it but yeah pass the Stugeon please.

 

There's nothing quite like sleeping from 6pm to 5am. You wouldn't even know the boat was upside down.