Storm Ciara - Calais to Dover

[@Trainvids716]

Brilliant video. As a long distance coach driver I have traversed the Channel with P&O more times than I dare to remember over the last 20 years, some years more than 50 crossings, aboard all the ships in the fleet, in some very grim conditions, the worst I remember was onboard the Pride of Calais, all was relatively calm as we left France but it got worse and worse, taking around 11 hours to birth at Dover. And more recently was sailing back through Storm Brian. I have nothing but admiration for the Cross channel ferry captains, the skill of them and their crew is outstanding.

[@ferriesinfocus]

Thank you :). I was also stuck on the Pride of Calais once for almost 12 hours. I really miss those older ferries as they were more entertaining in bad weather. However, the newer ones are more comfortable during a long wait :).

[@Trainvids716]

@@ferriesinfocus The two Spirit class are more comfortable, the “Chunnel Beaters” certainly had character though, the rattles, the bangs, the vibrations, and the fact that the Calais had to drafted back in when the first of The Spirits was giving grief when new, I remember racing to Dover in the coach determined to get the 08: 35 ( if that’s the right time) just to get the last crossings onboard the Calais before she was to be taken from service. Many happy memories on board the ships, and unlike most of the passengers I’ve taken across on my coach, I certainly have a strong stomach. The only time I’ve thought, “this isn’t a good idea” was during bad weather sat on the docks at Calais awaiting the Spirt of Britain, we watched the Pride of Kent head out and as soon as she was clear of the harbour she was taken sideways by the wind, I won’t type what went through my mind but you can probably guess.

[@ferriesinfocus]

@@Trainvids716 I can guess XD. I used to do non landing foot passenger trips from Calais whenever there was a storm. Only issue now is that not a single operator on the Dover Strait still takes foot passengers :( .

[@madelovinglycrochet]

does it make you feel sick?

[@Tvuvtctoj46fck]

Eleven hours??? Holy crap. I'm a coach driver too and did my first trip to England last Boxing Day. We had Spirit of France both ways and despite windforce 8 it wasn't as bad as i expected. But the ship shakes, groans, howls and vibrates like it's already dead. Very curious about the newer ships, hope to go to London again sometime soon.

[@samsungw200]

She ploughs through those waves.. love those pair of ships never had a rough crossing

[@batman51]

I needed my Kwells just to watch this. Thank heavens for the tunnel.

[@Truthseeker1515]

I remember back in the 80s when we traversed the channel on the hovercraft, what a ride in gale force weather! At least, on the ferries, you could go outside for a breath of fresh air....

[@ferriesinfocus]

Indeed, my parents did a crossing on the hovercraft once in similar conditions. They thought it was going to tip over. They afterwards admitted they should never have sailed.

[@colinshearring3934]

Our honeymoon was the orient express.......but at that time crossing was the Seacat force 7-9 we had to zig zag across the channel Not everyone wanted the 5 course meal when we finally left Calais on the OE 😨🤢

[@1966jamesM]

I remember being onboard the old MV Hengist on a day trip to Calais back in the late 1970's. That was a rough and long crossing back to Dover and the Hengist was an old ferry that took a real pounding that day - she rolled around quite a bit and gave her stabilisers a good workout. Credit to the designers of these vessels. Hengist was famously washed up on the beach near Folkstone in the Great Storm of 1987, but stayed afloat in what must have been frightening and horrendous conditions. I have fond memories of many crossings on that ferry. I enjoyed your video, I was actually flying to Belfast that day and again a week later in storm Dennis - more fun than a day out at Alton Towers!!

[@ferriesinfocus]

Too bad I never got to experience those times :). Those ferries were a test for the ol' sea legs.

[@Oakleaf700]

I travelled on Hengist as a child...Horsa was the other one... My worst crossing was on ''Falaise'', as a child...Dieppe to Newhaven..When a ferry is rocking in the harbour, you know it's not going to be pleasant..Especially when they chain the cars and chock the wheels. They shut the deck, too.... I felt headachey and a bit giddy. Not nice. A force 8 so say. Ferries were tiny in those days.

[@clareclark6535]

@@Oakleaf700 yup. Especially when the ferry ⛴ you are waiting to get on is towed in by a tug and takes 3 attempts to dock. This was Dover to Calais in December in force 9 on Pride of Burgundy. It was rocking in the harbour and eating cereal was interesting... Almost as interesting as when the ferry rolled whom I was with sausage rolled of the plate

[@wimblewomble21]

Agree with a comment below that the rough patch is always about a quarter way of the journey through when leaving Dover. I used to do my weekly shopping in calais when I lived in Kent and I've been on some seriously rough journeys. Worst one i remember was around February time in the year 1998. The channel was choppy due to a storm and the captain had accelerated out of Dover too fast. The ship rocked side to side and kept the momentum for three quarters of the voyage. Tables were flying all over the place, coffee cups smashed, punters losing thier sea legs and falling over. The duty free shop was closed off in fear of the booze bottles hitting people whilst falling off the shelves. Really miss taking the journey regular. But now the booze warehouses such as eastenders have closed down, its not worth me going as regular anymore.

[@FPVsean]

It's a particularly frustrating crossing that.. You can see France/uk from either side from the observation windows on the ferry when docked!! It's not a big distance whatsoever.. The other land is RIGHT THERE but takes a while to get to because big ships are slow..

[@Oakleaf700]

Oh I remember that Sunday -{9th Feb} night! {just checked my calendar}.It was crazily windy. The house a few metres away had a tarp tied around scaffolding for a loft conversion and it was torn to shreds, cracking like unfurled sails, streamers of tarpaulin everywhere......I began to feel uneasy...went to the bathroom, felt really nauseated, opened the window for some fresh air and was blown away by the noise... I had caught Norovirus... So puked merrily {not} as the wind gusted over my fevered form, as I lay on the bathroom floor as the entire house shook. It was just as the Covid figures were starting to be mentioned. A crazy day to be at Sea.

[@robertfox882]

Really interesting video... Cannot have been much fun, sitting out that storm for 10 hours...

[@ferriesinfocus]

During the day it's not too bad, but once it gets dark it's not so much fun :)

[@AC-db4ek]

@@ferriesinfocus why it took 10 hours?

[@ferriesinfocus]

@@AC-db4ek It was too unsafe to let any ferries into the port so they closed the port. By the time they reopened it was 8 o' clock in the evening. So we were stuck waiting from about 10 AM until 8 PM.

[@dylansantos1643]

@@ferriesinfocus I guess the crew didn’t want to put the passengers at risk, which is understandable

[@TRAVELINGWITHJHM]

thank you for upload this video my brother

[@camerondelaude8895]

The ship is handling the storm very weii...very stable!

[@fedup3449]

I sailed through a storm of death once. Needless to say I didn't survive. Just to let you know....

[@radagastaddams3703]

awesome video - must have been scary though. to be honest she's quite stable in atrocious conditions & there's probably modern technology working hard below decks to keep the ship safe.

[@ferriesinfocus]

Thank you. Compared to older vessels, these barely move :)

[@Oakleaf700]

@@ferriesinfocus The old Ferries were true ''Gawk buckets''. Falaise built 1947 was a roller. The same Shipyard built the tragic ''Princess Victoria'' who had scuppers way too small. And a guillotine ''Spray door'' that was punched in by a mountainous seas. No women or Children survived, and the Captain and Radio Operator went down with the Ship. No cowardice then, unlike the lily livered Costa Concordia joke of a ''Captain''.

[@pamevans166]

Strange I always feel safer on a ship in rough weather than I ever feel on a plane

[@windysilkgirl]

Took a walk out on deck once on a crossing and had to hold onto the railing to keep from being blown away! My silk skirt and lightweight rain jacket were no match for close to 100 mph winds!

[@sarahj8231]

The most exposed bit of the crossing is just outside Dover, even on ,calm crossings it's always been just outside the port that ferries get a bashing. I guess the cliffs and the nearby Goodwin sands just make it so

[@ferriesinfocus]

It is indeed a rough patch. The fact they need to retract their stabilizers to enter the port doesn't help :)

[@atmosphereadr588]

The wave height is limited though due to an average depth of just about 50 meters

[@marcus123841]

Good job she’s fitted with underwater stabilisers

[@clareclark6535]

I sailed in storm Ali from Larne to Cairnryan. First ferry off the day. 100mph gusts recorded off Scotland

[@clareclark6535]

Those who know what I mean but I was sailing the right way as storm behind not in front. Just waiting to load the car was been buffeted. Docked safely though but other ferry sailing other way was sailing into the waves. I've had a few force 9s but the gusting 11 was the worse x

[@Oakleaf700]

Same Crossing where ''Princess Victoria'' ferry foundered with huge loss of life, mid 20th Century.

[@clareclark6535]

@@Oakleaf700 I know. Saw the memorial at Portpatrick xx

[@Oakleaf700]

@@clareclark6535 Not many people know of Princess Victoria disaster, I only heard of it on a you tube 'algorithm' suggestion..and it was just so horrendous. So many good people died in that tempest. It never should have set sail into the teeth of almost hurricane force winds. Irish Sea is notoriously rough.

[@clareclark6535]

@@Oakleaf700 definitely not.

[@Oakleaf700]

30 hours stuck on a Ferry in a storm?...Ugh, non merci!.. Years ago, when ferries were much smaller, the risks of not being allowed in to Harbour were less, I think...We had a really rough crossing {Force 8} on a tiny old Ferry called 'Falaise'..The decks were closed, and passengers were gathered round an open window on one side of the ferry for some much needed fresh air.

[@jerkerkruse4541]

the music killed it :/

[@stevewebber5966]

Very decent of the company to provide 2 free hot meals.

[@daffyd5867]

One hot meal...the second was the first

[@EuroFerries]

Amazing!

[@drumswest5035]

That is one hell of a strong flag pole!

[@annieamydavies5190]

Why would they head out in the first place, knowing the weather conditions and forecast and that there are ships already waiting in Dover?

[@jeremyhaines4481]

Great video

[@OmuraXD]

Amazing video!!!

[@ferriesinfocus]

Thanks :)

[@QueenNoTeetha151]

Did he say that the pool remains open?! Even Cunard struggles to do that!😂

[@ianotimelord]

Great view& video. Can only imagine what it felt like & scary for some having to wait. Still wouldn't of minded being on board.

[@ferriesinfocus]

Thank you. It wasn't too bad except for a few rolls when the cutlery and plates went flying :)

[@terencedavies1290]

Great video. Reminds me of the night I was chief engineer on the St Christopher in the Channel in the hurricane in 1987. We spent hours going nowhere and the top deck garage door was stove in! Cargo was crushed and I was so glad to get into Dover

[@ferriesinfocus]

@@terencedavies1290 I read about that. I can't imagine what it must have been like. Those ferries were a fraction of the tonnage of those today.

[@SamW72014]

I like this video

[@davidcohen8491]

Thanks for this great video.

[@ferriesinfocus]

Thank you

[@snuggles03]

It took 12 hours to cross the channel when it normally takes 90 minutes? What the hell are you doing all that time???

[@A_10_PaAng_111]

I think 90 minutes is way too long. What do they do? Sail to Spain 🇪🇸 first?

[@snuggles03]

@@A_10_PaAng_111 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️possibly yes

[@vasilicastoica4802]

Salutări Bune din România🙋🙋

[@mrplod1616]

If you’re going to use captions. Leave them on long enough to be read without rewinding :(

[@sammartindale8123]

I work on the Spirit of Britain. It is not over 50000 tonnes. This vessel is actually 47592 tonnes.

[@ferriesinfocus]

Good to know :), I just took the info from the website and added some tonnes for cargo etc ;)

[@channelslowmotion9261]

You must be great fun at parties

[@sammartindale8123]

@@channelslowmotion9261 Sailors have always been fun at parties.

[@henryvagincourt4502]

Sam Martindale+ That's her gt (Gross tonnage) the ship's total volume in cubic metres, not her deadweight, or maximum loading. All three are very much different.

[@sammartindale8123]

@@henryvagincourt4502 Whichever way you look at it, she is not over 50000 tonnes!

[@MrBlank-gf5zd]

Yes, the music must go.

[@davidboyle7064]

as long as there is a bar id be ok with waiting

[@jools2323]

Good video but the music's annoying.

[@A_10_PaAng_111]

90 minutes between Dover, UK 🇬🇧 and Calais, France 🇫🇷 on a regular day? What? By Rowboat 🚣?

[@neilanyon4792]

I apologise if this seems to challenge your maritime knowledge, but the vessel in the video is clearly not a rowing boat. With cruising speeds currently over 20 knots for a 48k grt vessel, just how fast do you think they should cross the world's busiest shipping lane.?

[@johnmay23]

@@neilanyon4792

[@bldbld1910]

hello. can you tell me please what s the name for this song? can i find him on you tube?, thanks

[@ferriesinfocus]

It was included in my video editing software and I have switched PC since then. Sorry, can't help you, maybe try Shazam ?

[@neilturner6865]

The Channel gets really rough not very comfortable in bad weather

[@mehmetokay7073]

Nice. Except for the finger-snaping music.

[@CaptainK007]

Average day in the office. 😉

[@alanwilson4431]

You can always try a dinghy for the route...many do🙄

[@TheByard]

I've crossed the channel many times from Dover. Ramsgate and Lowestoft in my 30ft Motor Yacht, built in 1930 of wood. Across to Dunkirk, Oostend or Zeebrugge but no way would I go out in that. Had to tread water for an hour outside Dover when a ferry had problems and that was no fun with a stiff breeze blowing. They wouldn't let us cross the eastern entrance and enter from another one.

[@jupitorious7925]

And get paid plus hotel accommodation in Kent afterwards

[@TheByard]

@@jupitorious7925 I worked in Dover and witnessed the tricks played to stay in the UK Whole family's came across and were put into houses, given taxi's to the supermarket (they might get lost) where they could sign for groceries. I'm proud to be British and the local council did that. But to repay us, then the children of that family and others, did a charge raid on M&S. Gave them selves up tp police, just so they would not be sent home. By the way the little old OAP living next door to them had to walk to the market, she was British. We mentioned this to the cabbie, he came back and took her there and returned.

[@waynemorrison5204]

No problem hear

[@dunruden9720]

We hear!

[@kieranmoss1501]

god help everyone onboard if the ship wasn't fitted with stabilisers.

[@ferriesinfocus]

We had a taste of that when they tried to avoid a large oncoming wave. They started turning and we were caught broadside by another big wave. A few heavy rolls, flying cutlery and plates and a bit of panic. Surely gets the adrenaline pumping :)

[@broadsmilemissmagootewkesb5799]

Another great video ruined with a daft needless music overlay

[@kiefsalam4311]

Bay of Biscay

[@MrPantss]

Don’t want to hear music, want to hear sea and weather

[@1Flyingfist]

You're lucky that you didnt get "Yooooo hoooooo, thieves and beggars" yet again. Dover to Calais has felt rough af at tines. Just imagine what the ships in those North Sea videos feel like. 😱😱

[@none3763]

50 000 ton. bigger than bismark.

[@jamesanderson2921]

Moral of the story = never get the ferry.

[@johnsmith-rs2vk]

Don't see any dinghys !

[@azizahjaafar913]

Sediakan apa '. Telah air bagi dapatlah bdapan

[@ozymandias7940]

Sorry, watched about 3min of your video and couldn't bare that infernal music throughout the video. Wind howling and water splashing against rhe glass would have added to the spectacle. Not sure why people insist on playing repetitive music over the top of videos. It's horrible.

[@oddities-whatnot]

Pointless music. Its not a Hollywood movie. Why not just have the actual sounds of the surroundings, yes ?

[@ferriesinfocus]

Some people might not like having their personal conversations posted on KZbin. Camera picked up on those so it's a matter of privacy.

[@azizahjaafar913]

A hga

[@mohamedalbrkni8937]

l

[@MrBat000]

Get rid of the crap music