Ferrying in July 2018 Part 6, Rigel II

My friends wanted to visit some of the numerous travel agents in the town's main street and they did this whilst I strolled along nearby. They obtained several new-to-them ferry company brochures and were very happy. We finally arrived at the town square and could take an overhead walkway leading over a dual-carriageway road and right into the port ferry terminal. That felt much safer and the views in the gathering darkness were good too.

We had to queue to show our tickets and passports for only a couple of minutes and then we could walk out of the terminal and across to the RIGEL II.

Rigel II

Closer

The sisters

Side of GNV Azzurra


The two sister ships loomed ahead in the darkness, with lots of lights blazing from the public decks. We walked up one of the two ramps leading to the car decks on RIGEL II, and were directed up to Reception to collect cabin keys.

At last we are on board this 23,842 gross tons ship, built in 1980 as VISBY, and now named RIGEL II. This seems to be the sixth name in her life. One of my friends very kindly prepared a note about her history and here it is:

"In terms of Sealink she is one of a kind, but as built she was one of a pair, built for Rederi AB Gotland as the Visby and delivered in 1980; her sister was to have been the Gotland but never entered service as such.

The Gotlanders didn’t really want new ships by all accounts (their existing pair, the current SARDINIA REGINA and CORSICA VICTORIA, were less than a decade old) but the government leant on them to order the pair from a Swedish yard.

The VISBY was famously overweight when delivered so after some frantic weight-saving was only in intermittent use until the harbour in Visby could be dredged to accommodate her. In 1988 Rederi AB Gotland managed to lose the concession to operate the routes to Gotland so the ship was chartered to their replacements, Nordström & Thulin. N&T later half-owned Estline and were involved when the ESTONIA was lost, after which they renounced passenger shipping. The VISBY had moved on by that stage, becoming in 1990 a large and impressive presence on the St George’s Channel between Fishguard and Rosslare as Sealink’s FELICITY, later STENA FELICITY.

Rederi AB Gotland got their operation back in 1998 and reclaimed their ship from charter to operate to Gotland once more under her original name; by all accounts they were not enamoured with what eight years of Irish Sea passengers had thrown at her, so she was pretty comprehensively refitted into the style you still see on board today.

Replaced by new tonnage in 2003 she passed to Polferries for operation between Nynashamn and Gdansk (as SCANDINAVIA) and thence to Ventouris Ferries in 2015 becoming the RIGEL II for whom she has operated the Bari-Durres route ever since.

Her unwanted sister enjoyed a varied early career, initially as the WASA STAR. In 1983 she was improbably chartered to Karageorgis who sailed her to the Adriatic and put her into service between Ancona and Patras. This did not end well with rumours of unpaid charter fees and after a couple of months a Swedish crew was despatched to commandeer the ship and sail her back to Scandinavia in a rather dramatic rescue mission. She was sold to Larvik Line, becoming the fourth PETER WESSEL (replacing the ship which is today Jadrolinija’s MARKO POLO). Lengthened in 1988 she remained on her Larvik-Frederikshavn (later Larvik-Hirtshals) route for almost 24 years through the takeover by Color Line in 1996.

In 2008 she was replaced and sent back to southern Europe as the SNAV TOSCANA; when SNAV and Grandi Navi Veloci merged she eventually became the GNV AZZURRA and has finally settled down on the same Bari-Durres route as her sister. On board she is still dolled up in an occasionally regrettable Norwegian folksy style and externally is less well proportioned than her unstretched sister, not helped by the unfortunate livery application of her Italian owners.

Both ships, though, retain either in full or in part their superb external deck arrangements and the outstandingly massive funnels and main masts which were bestowed upon them by the design office of Knud E Hansen."

We were all looking forward to seeing what the RIGEL II is currently like on board.

Along the corridor

Original cabin upholstery over bunks, desk, bathroom door

Original upholstery

Original toilet pan


The excitement started when the cabin door was opened and original upholstery could be seen above each of the bunk beds. It's worn very well by the look of it. The cabin is in one of the corridors set port to starboard across the ship, but rather far forward. The bathroom, forward and opposite the cabin door, seems to be original too.

Artwork on the stairs

Lovely


We went for a look around this interesting ship, admiring the artwork and design, the Panorama Bar etc. and then it was time for a welcome gin and tonic in the Pub/Bar before going for a snack in the Self-Service area.

The Pub

The Pub from the other end

The brochure (and remains of a gin and tonic)

The back of the brochure

The 4 ships shown inside the brochure

Life ring and funnel

Deck view

Another deck view

Deck plan

Above the stairs


We sailed late at 12.30 (half an hour past midnight) and noticed there were few passengers to be seen. The ship can hold 2,300 passengers but I think she must be quite light tonight.

We stayed on deck to watch us sail out of Durres, here in Albania, and saw the lights of the Fly Bar gradually disappear in the distance.

Goodbye to the Fly Bar

Funnel

Comfortable seats under the name (I tried one)

A favourite view from earlier in the day


It was time to enjoy the original cabin and hope to be lulled to sleep as we crossed the Adriatic sea overnight. We are sailing back to Italy, this time to the familiar port of Bari.

Ships seen: St. Damian, Rigell II and GNV Azzurra

To be continued...

Celestyal Nefeli 12th May 2017, Part 2

Saturday 13th May 2017
I set my phone alarm and discovered from the View from the Bridge on the television that we had already arrived in the caldera at Santorini. It was such an astonishing sight, knowing we were tied up inside the middle of a volcano and could take a tender ashore after breakfast.

The excursion passengers left the ship first and then at 10.30 a.m. the rest of us could take one of the local tenders the short distance to the shore.

This is our itinerary on Celestyal Nefeli from Lavrion

Norwegian Spirit in the caldera at Santorini

Westerdam of Holland America Line

The ferry port was some distance across the caldera

Seajets at the ferry port

Sea water, from the tender

Celestyal Nefeli at Santorini


The busy quayside seems to have been extended and there are obvious signs that the walkways under the mountainside will be expanded round the headland in the future. We enjoyed walking around and then talking with a man from New York; we all talked about Santorini and then had an amusing short discussion about the UK's vote to leave the European Union and the USA's vote for President Trump.

We went to see where the donkeys are located at the foot of the zig-zag path to the town of Thira way up high; in fact we could smell them before we reached the place where people can get into the saddle for the ascent. I have never been on the donkeys but have walked up using the wide steps cut into the rock beside the donkey walk. It was slightly hazardous at the time and the smell of the animals and their droppings was ever-present. Visitors to Thira are now advised to take the newly-built cable car up to the town and of course this offers wonderful views out over the caldera.

Donkeys


I bought some local postcards which showed ships that called here in the past, and my travelling companion was able to identify the vessels for me, including ROMILDA.

Postcard 1,
Left to right: local tourist ferry, Apollon of Epirotiki stern onto the quayside then foreground an original R (Renaissance) ship; photo probably taken in the 1980s, photo copyright Haitalis, 13 Astrous Str. Athens

Postcard 2
Left to right: an original R ship, Apollon of Epirotiki stern onto the quayside, a small local vessel, then Windstar or Windspirit? photo probably taken in the 1980s, copyright Haitalis, Athens

Postcard 3
Top: Marco Polo; below left: Sea Goddess II ?; below right: unknown R-ship 2nd batch (rounded funnel); top left-hand: tiny fast ferry coming in from Crete; photo taken in the 1990s copyright Haitalis, Athens

Postcard 4
GA Ferries Romilda, built in 1974, sailing into Santorini probably in the early 1990s; copyright photo by Marmatakis Brothers, Galagado Akrotiri, Chania


We went to a local cafe for coffee, saw occasional ferries calling at their quayside in another part of the caldera, and watched other local tenders going to and from NORWEGIAN SPIRIT and WESTERDAM which were anchored in the caldera. We were also surprised and happy to see the little NEARCHOS, which we had visited in Lavrion yesterday, sailing neatly and fast into the ferry port with her so-recognisable Knud E Hansen profile. That Chief Engineer had obviously done a superb job on her engines.

Nearchos of Creta Cargo Lines

Celestyal Nefeli from another angle

Deck Plan of Celestyal Nefeli

Thalassa Bar and parasols



Back on board I enjoyed a glass of sparkling wine before lunch at the outdoor Thalassa Bar and lido buffet before settling in a shaded steamer chair for an afternoon rest. Later we could see various ships arriving and departing from the ferry port and the tenders taking passengers back to their cruise ships in the caldera. All these big ships cannot anchor because of the enormous water depth, so the engines are constantly working to keep them in position, usually tied up to an allocated and fixed buoy.

Nissos Rodos of Hellenic Seaways leaving the ferry port



Tonight is 'White Night' on board for anyone who wants to wear white clothing, and many did. We didn't know about this so I wore pink. We had sailed from Santorini by this time but the ship took us on a tour around the caldera so we could enjoy the different views from the Deck 5 Eros Bar; we noticed the little NEARCHOS had returned to the port and was sailing parallel to us for a while but soon speeded up and headed out to the other islands on her itinerary. What a delight to see her again; I liked that my friend photographed and sent a picture of her to our maritime author friend Dr Bruce Peter, who wrote the authorised book about Knud E Hanson.

Lovely lines

Stern view of Nearchos


Dinner was enjoyable, and this time we were placed with an American couple and again the conversation was most interesting and topical. This evening the show was a trip around the world in musicals, and we all enjoyed the music and dancing/acrobatics. Tonight we sail for Izmir in Turkey, a distance of 188 nautical miles.



Ships seen at Santorini:
Celestyal Nefeli (Celestyal Cruises), Norwegian Spirit (NCL), Westerdam (HAL), Nearchos of Creta Cargo Lines, Blue Star 2, Champion Jet 1, Champion Jet 2, Nissos Rodos


To be continued...

SUMMER 2016 - July ferrying Part 8

Friday 22nd July 2016
We are staying in a local Corfu hotel (Hotel City Marine, Corfu) overlooking the sea, ferries, ports and nearby island. The air-conditioning had been on overnight but I found it too cold and had to put a towel over me in the middle of the night to get warm again. The 7 a.m. alarm woke me enough to take me out on the balcony where I could see our 11 a.m. ferry RED STAR 1 sailing out of the harbour! She has a distinctive red hull so there was no doubt about it, and of course her Knud E. Hansen design is recognisable too. There was immediate shock and horror from my two friends, plus photo-taking! A quick look on-line showed she was due back here again later this morning, so we can only hope that is correct. While we stood on the balcony the air above me was full of swallows chirping and flying around at great speed.

Before sun-up

Red Star 1 on the move

Swallows

Red Star 1

From the balcony

Aidabella arriving

Hellenic Spirit

MSC Orchestra


We hurriedly dressed and had breakfast in a basement room, and went back to the balcony only to hear tannoy music coming out from beside the fortress as the Greek national flag was raised on a tall flagpole. We checked out of the hotel and took a taxi round part of the bay to the ferry and cruise ship port terminal building. The information desk had no information to help us, but my friends discovered that Red Star's office was outside the port and volunteered to go back out of one of the few port gates and find out from them. I was happy to stay in the terminal building and mind our luggage whilst they walked such a long way in the great heat; they do have longer and younger legs than mine, but I was very grateful to them.

My Brave Heart friends returned with the good news that RED STAR 1 will indeed be back here as scheduled but 'may be late'. That's perfectly acceptable news - she was built in 1965 as VIKING 3, and we are so pleased to be able to sail on her that we will be happy with her actual arrival! We bought food as we do not know what facilities will be available on board, and plenty of bottled water. We could see her sailing into the bay as we watched from a shady spot on the first floor of the terminal building.

Thomson, Aida, Rena, Marina

Hooray, she's coming back for us


Photos taken, we went through the security gate and hurried towards her quayside berth. Parallel with her berth was the THOMSON DREAM and AIDABELLA so RED STAR 1 looked quite tiny in comparison, but eye-catching with her bright red hull. Passenger numbers looked quite low, probably about 30 at one time, but we stood on the quayside where requested and waited for the ramp to come down. The nearest Security guard tried in vain to divert many THOMSON passengers walking along our part of the quayside towards their cruise ship, near the descending ramp, but most of them were completely oblivious to their danger and ignored or didn't even see the wildly waving security woman trying to make them keep back.

Turn and berth

On we go

We had to walk through the cafeteria seating

I noticed half a compass rose as we walked along

We carried on forward, passing Reception

I noticed this advertising board

Mid-ships seating area, and I recognised those chairs

Star Cafe sign, behind the bar

A few steps further on and there was this little staircase/atrium, roped off unfortunately

Two levels

View to the forecastle

View back to the bar, with its Christmas decorations still in place


We three were first of the foot passengers to board and were soon making a little base in the comfortable forward lounge, where we could enjoy the sailing from Corfu, Greece, to Brindisi in Italy. The journey time is expected to take about 9 hours, but on board we were told it could take between 11 and 16 hours, depending on various conditions such as the sea and the weather.

This is the route map, sailing from Corfu (middle right-hand red spot) to Brindisi (middle left-hand red spot)


RED STAR 1 started life in 1965 as M/S VIKING III, built at 5762 gross tons in Lubeck for use in Scandinavian waters, and then UK-French waters, with Thoresen Car Ferries. She had various charters and name changes over the years. In 2007 she came to Greece and assumed her 8th name RED STAR 1 with Red Star Ferries/European Ferries. One of her charterers after this was the International Organisation for Migration, who sent her in May 2011 to Misrata in Libya to rescue refugees fleeing from Gaddafi. She came under fire during this operation and I think many of us remember the publicity at the time.

We explored the good ship RED STAR 1, operated by Red Star Ferries, ate our picnic, discovered there was a small hidden restaurant which was open for a little while and cooked menu food to order. One of my friends took advantage of this and the chef himself came out of the kitchen to serve the food.

Restaurant

View back to the Restaurant

Aft deck above

Shady seating

Beside a funnel

Builders plate

Looking down from the top deck, beside the top of the atrium

Top of the atrium

Ah, at last we are about to sail from Corfu

We're off


Water etc. was on sale at a Bar (with noticeable Christmas decorations above it) but this soon closed and no-one knew when it would open again. A few passengers were sitting in the mid-ships seating area watching a film on the big television mid-ships. The man in Reception soon closed up and could be seen 'resting', through the 2 inches gap under the shutter. I think at this point we all followed suit and slept.

Sometime later we all went walking, although the top decks proved far too hot to walk around for long. Two of the crewmen were maintaining doors and I peered through to see where the stairs were going, and recognised the aft end of the restaurant. I asked the men if they knew when the bar or restaurant might open again, and they shrugged and said they didn't know, and sorry they couldn't help. I mentioned that we were wondering about buying more water. Ten minutes later one of the men followed me around the deck and produced a very large bottle of very cold water, which he gave to me, explaining it was crew water supplies and I was to accept it. He wouldn't take any money, but simply smiled and accepted my very grateful thanks. He even gave me three plastic cups, which was very thoughtful. I took the bottle down to the forward lounge and we shared some of the water straightaway. That was such a kind gesture from that crew member, and I was able to thank him again much later when we waited to disembark.

After a necessary rest in the forward lounge, we went up on deck to watch the sea in all its glory. Corfu is north of other Ionian Islands, in the Ionian Sea. This leads through the Strait of Otranto into the Adriatic Sea, and once through the little channel leading from Corfu, we headed north-west towards the 'heel' of Italy and Brindisi. During this passage we heard a hoot of our ship's whistle and went to our starboard side and there was PRINCE heading south-east towards Corfu and Igoumenitsa. We hope to be sailing on her tomorrow, which should be fun. Later I also saw Grimaldi's EUROFERRY OLYMPIA heading south past us.

The Bridge wing

Prince appeared

Prince against the Albanian mountains

Hot on top

Alterations to the ship in the past


At first we paralleled the coast of Albania with its mountainous rocky coastline but then turned to the open sea. Sitting on deck with a sea breeze was absolutely wonderful and just what sea travel is all about; the sea sparkled and the breeze took the edge off the heat as we chatted about our ferrying so far.

Euroferry Olympia was seen at a distance


Soon we could see the industrial chimneys of Brindisi in the hazy distance and it was time to put on a shirt over my T-shirt against the cooling damp air as we sat up on the very top deck. We watched the sun go down in that lovely golden hour before nightfall

Sundown


and eventually the Pilot came on board to guide us into the port of Brindisi. EUROPEAN VOYAGER was already there in her golden paintwork, and we soon berthed with the stern ramp down. It was 9.30 p.m. local Italian time. Our journey had indeed taken the expected 9 hours but the ship and trip had been most enjoyable, another lovely day.

Goodbye Red Star 1


We disembarked over the stern ramp in darkness, and found a taxi to take us to our overnight hotel (Hotel L'Approdo); a young German lady backpacker from the ship had a lift with us and we arranged that she be taken on to the local station. At our hotel we discovered we had been allocated a suite of rooms, with a locking front door, which was nice. Leaving our rucksacks was a great relief and we could soon head back into the town and join the crowds. IONIAN SPIRIT was laid up just opposite the hotel, and apparently being worked on, but we walked past her and were soon ordering a meal in the famous Betty's Cafe and Restaurant on the familiar waterside. This area has changed a great deal since the days of trains arriving at the nearby Brindisi Maritime Station, and I noticed the rail lines have gone completely now and the buildings converted to general office use.

Ships seen in Corfu: Red Star 1, Thomson Dream, Aidabella, Nikolaos, MSC Orchestra, Agios Spiridon, Marina (car ferry to Albania), Hellenic Spirit of ANEK, Rena II (Albania), Agia Theodora,

At sea: Prince, Euroferry Olympia of Grimaldi

In Brindisi: Red Star 1, Ionian Spirit laid up, European Voyager (ex-Corsica Serena Seconda), Euroferry Sicilia (ex-Humber Viking)


To be continued...