FERRYING IN '15, 22nd June, Moby Love

22nd June 2015 (contd.)

We are to sail on MOBY LOVE this time, leaving at 6p.m. and heading for Portoferraio, the other port on the island of Elba, further west of Cavo; the sailing will take an hour, so there is again time to look at other vessels around us.

Moby Love

Life ring

Map of Elba


MOBY LOVE is slightly newer than MOBY ALE, having been built in 1975 at 7,657 gross tons, as Sealink's SAINT ELOI, and she seemed very spacious. We looked around for remnants of her life as KING ORRY but I didn't find anything. My friends said there were a few references to KING ORRY if you looked hard enough! Again there was a popular ball pit for the children, plus lounge and bar areas, and I noticed several Moby items around, including an inflatable blue plastic whale on a shelf in the back of Reception.

Moby Ale sailed away before we did

Moby Love sign on deck

Moby cargo Luigi PA. was nearby

Tug Algerina Neri

Aethalia was nearby

1975 builders plate

Reception area

When she was new....

Moby logo on the flooring

Seen in the back office


We arrived at Portoferraio at 7 p.m. and were interested to see that the small cruise ship AEGEAN ODYSSEY was waiting to go alongside in the bay.

Aegean Odyssey waiting to turn and berth

Aegean Odyssey in Portoferraio


MOBY BABY was also there, so it was interesting to see her too.

Moby Baby


We disembarked and turned for a final photo of MOBY LOVE, to find that both her ramps were down - fore and aft - which made for an interesting view through the ship.

Open ship

Goodbye Moby Love


Now there was time to go and find a local cafe with freshly cooked food, which proved to be most satisfying and enjoyable. We are to return to Piombino on the mainland on the good ship MARMORICA, of Toremar, and as she had not yet arrived we had time to stroll around the harbour. I met four passengers from the cruise ship AEGEAN ODYSSEY and we enjoyed chatting about our ships and itineraries as we stood on the quayside in the dusk. They loved the size of their ship and the service on board, and were happy to be staying overnight in Portoferraio. They had been unable to land by tender in Bonifacio, Corsica, on the previous day because of heavy seas.


Ships seen: Moby Love, Aegean Odyssey, Marmorica, Moby Baby, Aethalia, Algerina Neri, Moby Cargo Luigi PA


To be continued...

FERRYING IN '15 22nd June, Moby Ale

Monday 22nd June (contd.)

An hour later we drove into the car park of the Hotel Phalesia, checked in and hurriedly left our big bags. The 200-yard walk down to the harbour was much easier without heavy bags, and it was good to look around and see MOBY LOVE 2 and RIO MARINA before boarding MOBY ALE for the 3.15 p.m. departure. The cars embarked first and then it was the footies.

Moby Ale with cartoon animal

Moby Love 2 nearby

Rio Marina nearby

Moby Ale


She is a dear little ship, built in 1969 as MIKKEL MOLS originally, at 3,937 gross tons, and just ideal for the short crossing from Piombino here on the Italian mainland over to Cavo, the nearest and northerly port on the island of Elba.

Map of Elba, showing Cava


Reception was spacious midships, with a bar and a separate food servery on this main deck, but the most eye-catching item was a children's ball pit, full of coloured balls. This proved popular on this and every Moby ship I sailed on, as Moby obviously realise that if the little ones are happy, then the parents will be too. MOBY ALE also has a slight amount of sheer for such a small ship, which is something of a novelty these days.

Reception

Bar

Moby ballpit

Comfy seating


I also loved the sight of two large door handles at the entrance to the lounge: they were sapphire blue, and made of that wonderful solid glass so often found on ships of this age, with smooth rounded corners and a great depth of colour. I have seen several of these jewel-coloured (red, blue or green) door handles over the years and they never fail to delight me.

Wonderful jewel-coloured glass door handles

Door handles in place

Aethalia leaving

Moby Ale top deck


We arrived at Cavo at 3.45, with our return tickets for MOBY ALE safely in our hands as we disembarked and went ashore. We had time to stroll around and return to board the ship for her 4.25 p.m. sailing. As we approached the ramp I noticed the Captain sitting in the shade of a nearby cafe, and smiled and gestured applause to him for his delightful ship. He immediately spoke to us for a few minutes in English and mentioned that he would like to have invited us to the Bridge but there was an inspector on board and it would not therefore be possible. We had noticed lots of hosing down and window-cleaning on board as well as both the aft and the forward ramp being down whilst we were in Cavo!

Both ends open

Big clean


We sailed on the MOBY ALE at 4.25 p.m. back to Piombino

Getting back on Moby Ale for the return journey


and enjoyed being on deck and watching all the other shipping around us.

Marmorica

Acciarello

Giovanni Bellini

Oglasa

Moby Baby

Moby Baby stern



The harbour had a big breakwater and it was immediately calm as we went astern and berthed at 4.55 p.m. We watched the other ferries around us before leaving the quayside.

Corsica Express Three

Acapulco Jet

Moby Love

Moby Ale setting off again


Next we walked to the nearby small terminal, enjoyed a cappuccino and brioche and then headed back down to the harbour for our next ship of the day.


Ships seen: Moby Ale, Moby Love, Aethalia of Toremar, Rio Marina, Acciarello, Oglasa, Moby Baby, Corsica Express Three, Acapulco Jet, Giovanni Bellini, Marmorica


To be continued...