AEGEAN ODYSSEY 17th June 2018

Way back in 1973, a shipyard in Romania built a ro-ro cargo ship for Zim Israel Navigation of Haifa that was named NARCIS. In 1985 she was acquired by Dolphin Hellas Shipping and was renamed ALKYON. (I am reliably informed that this translates as 'seagull'.) She was refitted at Perama in Greece and in 1988 was back with Dolphin Hellas and renamed AEGEAN DOLPHIN. In 1989 she was renamed DOLPHIN , and then in 1990 she was again named AEGEAN DOLPHIN. In 1991 she was renamed AEGEAN 1 for one cruise with Discovery Cruises, was then chartered for Renaissance Cruises, and in 1998 she commenced cruising for Golden Star Ferries. Still with me? We're nearly up to date.

William Mayes' "Cruise Ships Fourth Edition" also tells me that following a dispute with Louis Cruise Lines, the ship was then laid up in 2006. In 2008 she was acquired by Gerry Herrod and given a major refurbishment in Greece before entering service as the AEGEAN ODYSSEY. She sails for Voyages to Antiquity.

I have wanted to sail on this little ship for some time, but she usually offers a minimum of fourteen- night trips; these are usually from ports outside the UK. Earlier this year though I noticed that she was offering a six-night holiday which would include five nights on the ship. I booked with Voyages to Antiquity for the holiday and then had to be patient. I would join the ship in Bordeaux, France, have a couple of included excursions, and then embark on AEGEAN ODYSSSEY the next day. All went to plan, and was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Sunday 17th June 2018
My alarm woke me early and at 6.15 a.m. I was checking in my small suitcase with an airline bag drop machine at London Gatwick airport. The holiday had started, with an included flight from Gatwick to Bordeaux in France. I am so used to booking my own flights to join ferries or cruise ships with just a rucksack, that it was quite a novelty to receive a flight ticket, which included a suitcase to go in the hold. I realise I had paid for it as part of the holiday cost, but still...

I had time for breakfast with a friend who was joining the cruise and soon it was time to head for the boarding gate and the flight. It seems that the French air traffic controllers are on strike today and many flights from Gatwick have had to be cancelled. We were lucky. The flight eventually left at 8.45 and we flew south over the English Channel, with just a few ships to be seen before the cloud cover became dense below us.



Bordeaux on the map

We landed in Bordeaux, put our watches forward one hour, and were greeted by our Guide Caroline. A coach took us to a city centre hotel very near the River Garonne to check in for the night, unpack and get lunch before meeting for an afternoon tour. The central city area is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. This week 14th/18th June, the city was celebrating the Bordeaux Wine Festival, devoted to wines from Bordeaux and the Nouvelle Aquitaine region; the Tall Ships were in port as guests of honour, and the sun was shining down on probably thousands of people enjoying the festivities on this Left Bank, with many opportunities for wine tasting.

Sails amongst the wine tasting on the riverside

River craft along the Left Bank

Belem, a 3 masted French barque, launched in 1896,and one of the Tall Ships


In the far distance downstream we could see the famous Jacques Chaban-Delmas Bridge, opened in March 2013, whose middle span can be raised when necessary to allow tall vessels to enter or leave the Bordeaux city centre riverside here on the River Garonne.

Jacques Chaban-Delmas Bridge, Bordeaux


Our tour took us over the famous bridge to the Right Bank where we could look across the river at the tall ships and the city skyline, and then back over an ancient bridge to the Left Bank of the city.

On the Right Bank

View across the river

View from the coach as we crossed an old bridge


The coach then dropped us off for a walk to the cathedral.

City Gate

Royal Entrance to the Cathedral

Brass Plate nearby

Cathedral


There was a Service taking place to celebrate the appointment of new Deacons so we were not allowed far inside, but it was a beautiful building with good acoustics inside. The bell tower was a separate building, and we enjoyed walking around the whole public area.

I was amazed to spot this glass door handle - a familiar sight with their jewel colours, on so many old ferries

The shop - Dead Sea Salt Beauty Salon


Other group passengers wanted to return to the hotel but a few of us chose to stay in the city near the Opera House for an hour's break and would be collected later on; we could then sit outside a cafe and enjoy a drink in this delightful city square.

Back at the hotel we changed and walked along the quayside to Le Brasserie Bordelais restaurant for an excellent dinner. Tomorrow morning we have a rather special tour to the wine village of St. Emilion before being taken to the good ship AEGEAN ODYSSEY to embark for our trip.


Ships seen: many of the Tall Ships and other vessels in port for the Regatta, including Belem, and a Russian Tall Ship that I think I visited with other OLS (Ocean Liner Society) members way back in June 2004 in Liverpool, for a maritime festival.

To be continued...

MINERVA 14th May 2016 Part 1

MINERVA 14th May 2016
Glorious Gardens and the Chelsea Flower Show

In late March I discovered an extremely good offer to sail on the ship MINERVA from Portsmouth Harbour in Hampshire, England, in May. The ship and 13 night itinerary from Swan Hellenic were both enticing and I was soon booked in a guaranteed inside single cabin .

14th May 2016
After a pleasant train journey along part of the UK's South Coast, I took a taxi from Portsmouth Harbour station to the Cruise Terminal, marvelling at high-rise buildings amongst ship masts on VICTORY and WARRIOR. My suitcase was taken, my passport entrusted to Swan Hellenic staff (and I still wonder why their A-Z boxes on a shelf behind them were actually set out as Z-A, left to right...) in exchange for my Passenger Cruise Card. After a short wait in the cruise terminal, a group of us were asked to join a coach outside and were taken to the ship side to embark.

Once on MINERVA I joined a short queue and discovered the Captain was there shaking hands with everyone as we came on board. I was shown to my cabin by a smiling female member of staff, found my suitcase already outside the door, and was soon unpacked and out on deck. I seem to have been allocated a spacious top-grade inside double cabin, which was a pleasant surprise.

According to Cruise Ships Fourth Edition, by William Mayes, MINERVA was constructed as OKEAN in 1987 in Ukraine, then launched incomplete in 1989. V-Ships bought her, towed her to Genoa for completion, and in 1996 chartered her to P&O for use by Swan Hellenic as a replacement for ORPHEUS, and re-named MINERVA. At the end of the charter in 2003 she returned to V Ships then in summer 2003 she was re-named SAGA PEARL for Saga Holidays; winter 2003 re-named EXPLORER II for Abercrombie & Kent's expedition cruises; summer 2004 SAGA PEARL II for Saga again; November 2004 with Abercrombie & Kent; summer 2005 with Phoenix Reisen as ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT; January 2007 with Voyages of Discovery on long-term charter. However in June/July 2007 Voyages of Discovery acquired Swan Hellenic and she was re-named MINERVA. After a couple of Antarctica charters, she is now exclusively with Swan Hellenic as MINERVA. At just 12,449 gross tons she is a delightful little ship.

The brochure

The itinerary

Minerva as I saw her later in the trip

Deck Plan of Minerva


Swan Hellenic of course started in the 1930s with the Hellenic Travellers Club cruises to Greece, stopped during the War, but the Club, owned by W F and R K Swan, started up again in 1954. The famous archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler brought fame to the company on these cruises beginning in 1955, and their success with various ships continued. P&O bought Swan Hellenic Cruises in 1983, and in turn they were owned by Carnival Corporation, until Carnival announced in February 2007 that the Swan Hellenic brand was not going to continue; Lord Sterling of Plaistow soon acquired the company but sold it on to Voyages of Discovery, who started trading again in spring 2008, using MINERVA. The Chairman of Swan Hellenic is Lord Sterling, and Swan Hellenic is now part of All Leisure Holidays. The group also includes Voyages of Discovery and Hebridean Island Cruises.

Out on the Bridge Deck stern I could have tea and watch the constant flow of vessels coming into Portsmouth Harbour - there was lots to photograph. Lifeboat drill followed at 4.30 p.m. and we left the port at 5.00 p.m. I noticed that the temperature of the swimming pool was just 13⁰C, so it would seem that the pool water being heated through the engine room was not having enough effect for my personal comfort!

The blue sky was almost cloudless in the sunshine as we left Portsmouth, but the wind was chilly as many of us photographed the ships around. Soon I left the deck, changed for dinner and went for a drink in where else but Wheeler's Bar. I found it a comfortable and friendly environment, with a picture of Sir Mortimer on the wall of course. One of the people I was chatting with told me there were 284 passengers on board, but this may not be right.

Shackleton Bar

Sir Mortimer Wheeler

Bridge Deck looking forward

Builders Plates

Minerva life ring reflected in the pool

Promenade Deck - 8 times round is 1 mile

Swan Hellenic logo

Forward view

Endurance with her red hull

Skyline

HMS Victory in the background

Warrior

Leaving Portsmouth

A hovercraft at speed

Bretagne of Brittany Ferries heading into Portsmouth

Oh dear, that looks top heavy from here...

It's Emerald Princess

Braemar of Fred. Olsen

Normandie Express of Brittany Ferries


We noticed that the ship's speed was very slow, and we appeared to be going astern in circles; the Captain had warned us that after leaving Portsmouth the ship's Engineers needed to do some tests; hmm, this would account for the same views of the English coast we could see repeatedly! The maritime author and publisher Anthony Cooke writes that MINERVA did suffer from vibration problems at one time, so this may be connected.

Dinner on board is served in The Swan Restaurant with open seating dining. I was a little apprehensive about this but the Maitre d' welcomed me and immediately showed me and another lady to a table with 4 others already seated; introductions done, and delicious food ordered, I could enjoy the company of the other guests. It was fascinating to talk with one lady who told me her great interest was the island of St. Helena in the Southern Atlantic Ocean; I decided to tell her of my Union-Castle Line Mailship background, as a Purserette at sea, when on the CAPETOWN CASTLE we called at St. Helena ("Union-Castle Line Purserette", published by Mallett & Bell) and we had an interesting chat together.

After an enjoyable and lengthy dinner, I headed for my cabin but was side-tracked by seeing the large jigsaw laid out on the Library table. I helped for 10 minutes but then remembered that clocks must go forward this evening to take us onto European time. Tomorrow we arrive at the French port of Honfleur and I am booked on an excursion, leaving the ship at 9.15 a.m. - how lovely.

Ships seen: Minerva, Caribbean Star, Mont St. Michel, RN ship 23, Warrior, Crown Topaz, Normandie Express (Brittany Ferries), Emerald Princess, Braemar (Fred. Olsen), Bretagne, a hovercraft coming in from the Isle of Wight, St. Faith, Wight Ryder II, St. Cecilia, Wight Light London, Harbour Spirit, HMS Victory, Daring, Illustrious, A791, ex-HMS Endurance used from 1991-2008 as a polar ship, which had been sold for scrap in 2013. (She was finally towed away from Portsmouth Harbour soon after my return home, leaving on 31st May 2016, and heading for the breakers in Turkey.)


To be continued...