The ferry

Dudess

Who got the ferry to Britain/France in the 80s (and maybe 70s)? When I was a kid we used to get it to England/Wales nearly every year up to the early 90s and it was one of the most exciting rituals ever: the fact that we'd usually have to leave home in the middle of the night, the arrival at the port (mostly Rosslare; Cork/Dun Laoghaire the odd time), the driving of the car onto the ferry, the exploring of the ferry itself, the standing out on deck (jebus I was easily thrilled ), the sleeping in a cabin if it was a night ferry...

The eventual excruciating boredom though would put a dampener on things, not to mention the sickness if you didn't take your sea-legs (anti motion sickness tablets). :eek:
The crowds of violently ill people queuing for the toilets was like a terrifying glimpse into a post nuclear holocaust nightmare - and the reek was overwhelming. Pretty bad conditions by today's standards! One year I didn't take any sea-legs - I'll never forget how miserably sick I was.
Other members of my family would be even worse...

And the duty-free - not a whole lot to choose from back then, but we still thought it was great.

Donkey Oaty

They used to blow the ship's horn and have scary warnings about what to do in the event of a drill and where the muster stations were. I haven't heard those recently.

Rubik.

Dudess wrote: »

the sleeping in a cabin if it was a night ferry...

Lucky you, I remember long uncomfortable nights sitting in pullman seats, not sleeping.

stovelid

The old overnight ferry to Liverpool was the best.

You'd sneak out and run amok and flirt/hang around with the other kids while your parents were asleep.

bonerm

Got the ferry to Hollyhead a couple of times in my life. I think I was just bored rather than seasick.

Run_to_da_hills

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

They used to blow the ship's horn and have scary warnings about what to do in the event of a drill and where the muster stations were. I haven't heard those recently.

That was relativly recent, late 90's when they introduced the HSS. I could hear it from my parents house which was well over 1 1/2 miles away (As crow flies). I think locals eventually got so pi**ed off with the noise they had to shut up.

I can remember ferries right back to the late 60's when they docked at the temporary terminal at the East Pier.

Dudess

Rubik. wrote: »

Lucky you, I remember long uncomfortable nights sitting in pullman seats, not sleeping.

Oh I experienced that too - rarely got a cabin, and even when I did, it was quite hard to sleep.

Remember the way it felt like you were still at sea for a while after getting off the ferry?

stovelid wrote: »

You'd sneak out and run amok and flirt/hang around with the other kids while your parents were asleep.

Aw great fun I'd say. Didn't experience it myself, I stopped going on family holidays just shy of being old enough for the above.

Donkey Oaty

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

That was relativly recent, late 90's when they introduced the HSS.

Really? I could have sworn they had the blasts and announcements on ferries from Dublin and Dun Laoghaire in the early 1980s.

The first ferry I ever took was Dublin to Liverpool, on B+I's Connaught. It's now in the Adriatic, going from Dubrovnik to Ancona.

Pic here:

http://hhvferry.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/conn_dubrov07_img_7699.jpg

Dudess

I remember B+I going bust - and being quite disappointed because it was nicer than Sealink. I was about eight or nine max. How there would have been any difference between the two I do not know...

Eutow

Dudess wrote: »

Who got the ferry to Britain/France in the 80s (and maybe 70s)? When I was a kid we used to get it to England/Wales nearly every year up to the early 90s and it was one of the most exciting rituals ever: the fact that we'd usually have to leave home in the middle of the night, the arrival at the port (mostly Rosslare; Cork/Dun Laoghaire the odd time), the driving of the car onto the ferry, the exploring of the ferry itself, the standing out on deck (jebus I was easily thrilled ), the sleeping in a cabin if it was a night ferry...

The eventual excruciating boredom though would put a dampener on things, not to mention the sickness if you didn't take your sea-legs (anti motion sickness tablets). :eek:
The crowds of violently ill people queuing for the toilets was like a terrifying glimpse into a post nuclear holocaust nightmare - and the reek was overwhelming. Pretty bad conditions by today's standards! One year I didn't take any sea-legs - I'll never forget how miserably sick I was.
Other members of my family would be even worse...

Remember this well too. Getting the Sealink from Dun Laoghaire to Hollyhead and when coming back we would get the B & I (before it became Irish Ferries) back from Hollyhead to Dublin Port. The odd time we would drive down to Rosslare and get a ferry to Fishguard.

I also remember those anti-sickness tablets. Horrible pink things and they never worked for me as I would still get sick every year I took them. It was only when I refused to take the things did I stop getting sick.

ger vallely

Lucky you! We used to get the floor manys the trip. Still twas great fun then, not sure I'd love it now mind you.

Dudess

Eutow wrote: »

I also remember those anti-sickness tablets. Horrible pink things and they never worked for me as I would still get sick every year I took them. It was only when I refused to take the things did I stop getting sick.

Bizarre - they worked brilliantly for me I must say.
God, when I think of how sick my poor bro and mother used to be - I mean, if it was a stomach bug it would be quite a worrying one. Violently, uncontrollably ill like. :eek:

stovelid

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

The first ferry I ever took was Dublin to Liverpool, on B+I's Connaught.

Yea I remember the B + I - North Wall to Liverpool. The overnight trip was a holiday in itself for the kids. Must have been a pain for parents.

Donkey Oaty

stovelid wrote: »

Yea I remember the B + I - North Wall to Liverpool. The overnight trip was a holiday in itself for the kids. Must have been a pain for parents.

The excitement was incredible all right. I think the cabin was my first time staying in a room that wasn't a family or friend's house.

I was on the (slow) Dun Laoghaire/Holyhead Stena Line ferry recently and they had a kids club which seemed great - magic tricks, etc, whoops of delight all the time.

The bar staff were all the kind of chirpy Scousers that used to appear in 1970s TV dramas, and I mean that in a good way.

Agricola

The only recollection I have of ferries when I was a kid, was making the long trip to Rosslare Harbour to pick up my Aunt, maybe twice yearly. Looking at the boats coming and going, getting a bottle of orange in the harbour bar, watching the passengers file into the big lobby area and waiting to see her coming through, weighed down with luggage, it was a great ritual. I remember once when she was going back, they let me walk with her all the way in on the boat, stay for 5 minutes and then head back before it was due to sail. Wow!

Bearhunter

I remember it well, even the ships - the Lord Warden, teh St Patrick, The St Killian...I emigrated that way - sailed to Fishguard and then caught the train to London. Used to come back that way too until flights got cheap enough. 'Twas great, loved how the floor used to come up to meet you when you'd had a few pints...

FatherTed

Went on the Holyhead route many times and a few times to Liverpool. Some some strange reason I have it stuck in my head watching the Rockford Files on one of the televisions on the boat. I went on a school trip once, about 30 15-16year olds and a few teachers. Everybody drunk including the teachers. Ah dem the days, back in the bad old 80s.

Also went Rosslare to Le Harve once, jeez that was a long trip but the bar and the disco were great.

John C

A school trip by ferry to Swansea and onto Barry Island "fun park"

Dublin or Dun Laoighaire > Liverpool
Rosslare >Fishguard train to London.

Dun Laoghaire >Holyhead

THe ferries to Holyhead and Fishguard were short and thus tolerable.

My last ferry was Cherbourg>Rosslare returning Rosslare>Roscoff with my car. This ferry trip was pleasant.

LadyW

Anyone remember the Jetfoil?? I travelled to Liverpool on it and I will never forget how rough the journey was... Lots of people were very sick....

John C

Off topic from Ferry but still water transport.

Jetfoil to Ostend was fast, minimum vibration.

Also Hovercraft Dover > Bologna. Short and sweet.

Fishing boat, Balimore area > Sherkin Island, County Cork. Windless summer day.

mikemac

John C wrote: »

Also Hovercraft Dover > Bologna. Short and sweet.

Boulogne

bullets

I've never been on a Ferry (sniffle )

~B

squeakyduck

I can bearly remembering getting the ferry to Hollyhead when I was a kid. My dad's girlfriend brought me on a day trip and I brought my mum back a stick on the wall notepad with a pen!

It was such a booooring trip though!

mikedublin

I remember going on a "Sealink" ferry from Dun laoghaire to Holyhead back in the late 70's with my parents on the way to a holiday in Llandudno. I think it was called the St.Columba, and had a big bar with wall to wall windows at the back of the boat (stern ?). I remember as a kid going around and helping myself to the almost empty miniture bottles of brandy and gin - my first taste of the hard stuff !
Out on deck I remember looking up at the funnell and how everything out on deck was covered in salty grime.

Run_to_da_hills

My first cousin is a captain for Irish Ferries on the Rosslare route, during the Volcanic Ash "crisis" he took time to walk around and chat to passengers. The boat was full to capacity. He couldn't get over the amount of people that were never on a ferry in their lives, especially those under 30 that were brought up with cheap flights. Apart from being slower he said people couldn't get over how relaxed they were compaired to flying.

In the 80's it was a way of life and it looks like I will be going back to them again. I like the flexibility of the open monthly return and not having restrictions on luggage.

The Columba was changed to the Hibernia after a major refit in 1991.

twitch1984

I used to love the arcade games on the ferry the money that I put into them when I was young going over and back, I could probably own a ferry by now:D

Run_to_da_hills

twitch1984 wrote: »

I used to love the arcade games on the ferry the money that I put into them when I was young going over and back, I could probably own a ferry by now:D

I won a ball of coins on the Rosslare to Cherbourg ferry, staff tried to tell me that the machine was faulty. I think it was around £20 in 10p coins. (This is when 10p was the same size as the old 2 shilling coin. )