World’s worst ferry company or crossing

Mate I was a Sole trader with a PTY Ltd Company and the last few years of my working life involved insane amounts of paperwork to comply with Gov required crap most involving safety. You had to rack your brain to imagine all sorts of deluded examples of Dragons and Metiors that might cause catastrophic safety risks. It got to the point where it was creating more stress than protection. Paper Pushers insist on pushing more and more paper to be pushed. I am 100% in agreement to be safe, but not to where it's impossible to move because of non-existing risks. Better go angle grind that leaking fuel tank before it becomes an issue. That's a joke BTW, please don't ring the Safety Hot Line.
 
smlav said:
I’ve used BF three times in 23, Ply-Santander return twice on the Pont Aven, and once Portsmth-St.malo return, can’t recall which boat for that one. Both Spain x’ings were £550 return, bike and rider. No complaints at all about cabins and food, other than the food has gone down hill post Covid but is okay - there’s a lack of fresh stuff now. Long delays in disembark, but that seems to be the norm these days.
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Pont Aven is a proper ship, the new ferries are totally unsuitable.
 
Steve G. said:
BC Ferries ( British Columbia Ferries). The largest vehicle transport ferry fleet in the world.
40% sailing cancellation rate in 2023. Logistical problems include unprecedented mechanical breakdowns, and staff not showing up for work to fill minimum requirements to sail the ships. A complete socialist run cluster-fuck.
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Couldn't agree more, get some phillipinos in, let them sleep in the bilge, feed them on scraps, sorted, privatisation at it's best!
 
Sell all your companies to the Chinese, at least they understand The Market and don't have any worries about the safety or comfort of the work force.
Oh you've already done that!
Paul
 
The IOM Government bought the Steam Racket for squillions a couple of years ago when they could have bought it for buttons a couple of decades ago. (During some of that period they allowed Maquarie to rape and pillage millions from us). It has already wasted a further packet since the acquisition but they won't answer questions or include the company within the ambit of our FOI system, as they argue it's being run as an arms length commercial company and free from political interference. My arse, it's just because they don't want to be answerable to the tax payer who is funding it all. However, they have finally admitted the Ben has suffered 'minor' damage requiring dry dock, but are still not admitting it was caused by the anchor not being stowed correctly.
 
pf1 said:
Pont Aven is a proper ship, the new ferries are totally
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pf1 said:
Pont Aven is a proper ship, the new ferries are totally unsuitable.
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Went out on the pont Aven and back on the Santona - got to say that the new boat was very comfortable- only one night per crossing and the weather was brilliant so was up sunbathing on top deck looking for whales most of the time - saw plenty of dolphins
 
You may have noted the reference to a siltation issue at the harbor entrance. Apparently the port owner, Peel Ports have said to the SteamRacket if you need more depth for your new boat, get dredging then, not our problem.
Meanwhile at another site a few miles down the coast in the Mersey, the SPCo have had similar problems with the proposed new Liverpool ferry terminal, costing millions in additional dredging costs. Apparently nobody spotted the mud, and unexploded ordinance, on the river bed before the very bad deal was struck with, wait for it, Peel Ports.
Peel Ports is part owned by billionaire John Whittaker, who, incidentally, lives in, wait for it, the IOM.
You might think, living in the IOM, he would be keen on having a reliable ferry service. But why would he, he goes everywhere by private helicopter.
 
In fact, the only overnight ferry ride I’ve had outside Australia was with Maurice Turner.

Holland to …. maybe Devon???

Maurice was the worst, the most boring, sad sack person to go sailing with. The sailing equivalent of rooting a woman that is a sack of potatoes in bed.

Praise the lord, there was plenty of red wine for me, and water for Maurice.

I found the party atmosphere at the stern bar the best place to be.

Okay, I’ll fess up, he was ‘as crook as Rookwood’. (Rookwood is a cemetery in Sydney)
 
chrisk said:
In fact, the only overnight ferry ride I’ve had outside Australia was with Maurice Turner.

Holland to …. maybe Devon???

Maurice was the worst, the most boring, sad sack person to go sailing with. The sailing equivalent of rooting a woman that is a sack of potatoes in bed.

Praise the lord, there was plenty of red wine for me, and water for Maurice.

I found the party atmosphere at the stern bar the best place to be.

Okay, I’ll fess up, he was ‘as crook as Rookwood’. (Rookwood is a cemetery in Sydney)
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Probably Felixstowe (Suffolk - UK east coast) 🏍👍
A better class of root...? 🤔🤣
 
Done the Tassie crossing 4 times, I was shitting bricks the first time. Before that, my only open water trip was a Fishing trip off Sydney and I thought I was going to Die doing that. So I was walking into my backyard at 5am after a long night at The Burban and Beef Steak at the Cross and ran into my Dad heading the other way, he was doing the Local Pub Fishing club trip so smart and full of Piss me tags along. 6 hours of full-blow heaving till I was well empty and still going, later I swore to never do that again. So I had the pills for the Tassie trip but it was fine. Even the trip where you needed to walk about holding any handrail you could reach or end up on your arse. Either not being pissed to the gills helped or I have grown out of it.
 
I have been crossing to the Isle of man on ferries for decades starting in 1971, I didnt miss a year until the late 90's and from then until now I go every two years, but stay for a month, it is EXTREMELY expensive and always was, a few years ago IOMSPC were making 35% on average on turnover, any ferry company anywhere else (IOW excepted) was strugling to better 5%. The boats, staff and service have always been shit, realy, realy shit, remember having your bike craned on? remember waiting in massive rail cargo sheds at Liverpool with no facilities and for the que to move when you have booked the 0100 sailing of practice week Saturday, a year in advance, if lucky boarding at around 0800, bikes being roped together by stevedores with very little care and no one around to untie the ropes when docking (most carried knives in those days and we all just cut the ropes) very often no where to sit for the 4.5 hour crossing, I have slept on a metal staircase! on one occassion at Heysham I had to reverse the caravan around 300 yards in the car park and then down the loading ramp (very heavilly ridged, and narrow) and into the car deck, but (of course) directed to the "blind side" absolutely no need for it whatsoever, I can manage it easilly (I stilll today hold HGV class1) but 95% of others with trailers or box trailers could not (caravans were not allowed on the IOM at this time but I had a special permit, which amounted to a planning permission void) and the delay in loading was dire, I noticed that this roll on roll off ferry only ever opened on set of its doors, (the bow end) so it was reverse on and roll of WHY? I absolutely detest the IOMSPC and found it a total joy to fly there a few times, but then you dont have your bike, The lure of the IOM outweighs the ferry which I just suffer year after year, and who ever pays a substantial deposit a year in advance without being told what the price will be and then paying the balance six months !!! in advance, last time with an eight week old £24,000 caravan, I was manouvering out of the car deck with a coach to my side in the other lane, it was very tight, (Ben My Chree) I was being directed by a hi vis clad dummy, I felt something and stopped at the same time as the coach driver blared his train horns, The "insect eyes" mirror on his LHS had collected the high level marker lamp on the caravan, above the line of vision of my mirrors of course but, suddenly the hi-Viz was not helping, ("well who was driving? you or me?") a very close call , an inch or two would have written off the caravan, but as luck would have it, it only damaged the marker light.

We should not have to suffer such abismall service and high prices.

CLEM
 
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