HYBRID HOP
Friday 6th September 2019
I think many of us now recognise the word 'hybrid' as signifying something that is a mixture of two things that have been combined. We are used to hybrid cars and now we can get used to the idea of a large hybrid ship.
Recently one of my good friends asked if I might like to meet him and travel on just such a hybrid ship that had just entered service. That sounded good to me and so I was at London's Gatwick Airport one dark and cool September morning to take an 06.30 flight up north to Gothenburg in Sweden. The pilot on my Norwegian Air Shuttle told us that we were flying at 41,000 feet, trying to avoid the weather below us, but when we arrived at Gothenburg airport at 09.20 local time the rain was coming down in torrents. My friend's flight arrived and we could then collect the hire car to drive further north for a couple of hours to Stromstad (still in Sweden).
We are booked to travel tomorrow on the brand-new plug-in hybrid ferry called COLOR HYBRID, designed by Ulstein Verft in Norway. Building started in 2017 to develop her as part of Color Line's fleet-renewal programme, and she has just been launched into service. She is the world's largest plug-in hybrid vessel and we are really looking forward to seeing her today and then sailing on her tomorrow.
Having arrived in the rain in Stromstad we were able to park the hire car near the port and get ready to watch her sail at 13.40.
She looks very big and eye-catching, in her smart new livery (navy hull with green markings) and we enjoyed watching her leave and turn to head for the gap between the distant islands and then cross the Skagerrak and Oslofjord. Photographs taken we could then drive round to the harbour to get something to eat before heading back to the port.
There were various small local craft to be seen under a lowering sky, and one I even photographed in the sunshine (VESLEO II). Then it was time to head back to the port to check in for our first sailing of the trip.
We are booked on COLOR VIKING to sail from here in Stromstad at 17.00 over to the Norwegian side of the Oslofjord at Sandefjord. The ship arrived and we drove on board and made our way up to the Oslofjord-Buffet Restaurant on Deck 6 for the Evening Buffet. We were booked for the Smorgasbord meal which was absolutely delicious, with so much choice for every course. The bonus of course was the views from the bow Restaurant.
Color Line's website (colorline.com) gives these technical facts about COLOR VIKING:
Year of construction: 1985
Shipbuilding yard: Nakskov, Danmark
Register: NOR
Home port: Sandefjord
Tonnage: 19 763 brt
Length: 137 m
Width: 24 m
Deep-draught: 5,64 m
Classification: Det Norske Veritas
Service speed: 18 knots
Machinery: 16 965 hp
Max capacity: 1 773
Guest capacity: 1 720
Cars: 370
Trailer lanemeter: 490
No. of decks: 9
Max height car deck: 4,35 m
The crossing was rough in places, still with heavy rain falling, but the ship arrived on time at 19.30 and we drove onto the quayside in the dark. We have to get a little further north now to get to our overnight accommodation at Tonsberg but the roads were good and fairly empty. It carried on raining. The little city is said to be the oldest in Norway, founded by Harald Fairhair in the 9th century.
We checked into a welcoming hotel in Tonsberg, with lots of interesting woodwork inside. Knowing it had been raining all day I was still amused by the distinctive smell of wet dog (we saw one earlier in Reception) when we got in the lift. My wood-panelled en suite room was warm and cosy.
Ships seen: Color Hybrid, Color Viking, Vesleo II, Kosterbris and another, Oslofjord of Fjord Line
To be continued...
