Hi all, I hope everyone's well and enjoying the summer!
We're off the France next week and we're going from Portsmouth to Caen by overnight ferry. We normally do it via the Eurotunnel but we fancied a change so off we jolly well go!
Anyway, Brittany sent us an email with some helpful tips and information and a couple of videos that show us what to expect. All very useful apart from one bit... The French Captain on the video is describing the boarding procedure and saying how acurate everything has to be. He then goes on to say that "we have a lot of caravans and motorhomes that need to be reversed on.."
At this point, I started to get very worried. I'm not the best caravan reverser in the world, in fact quite the opposite. I will now be living in mortal terror of this boarding so what I'd like to ask is has anyone had experience of this and does the reversing thing happen a lot? I thought I' drive on at the back and drive off the front! Any advice or re-assurance will be very gratefully received,
Cheers all,
Andy
------------- "Where ever you go, there you are!"
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That's news to me, and we have used those ferries on that route many times.
They are huge, and caravans go straight into the bottom deck with articulated lorries. Frankly I've never known anyone have to reverse on or off, but a phone call to Brittany Ferries customer services in the morning will perhaps clear things up. Good luck.
I wonder whether they were talking about the two ferries running from Portsmputh to Le Havre? They are smaller ships and you go both on and off at the stern only, but even there the ships are wide enough for caravans to fo a U turn inside.
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With back door only ferries with trucks we used to either reverse on or u turn inside, but once u turned one often had to reverse into place. No probs really, the crew see you back ok.
To explain what happens though I havent been on these particular boats but used to use many of the Harwich Hoek boats including the fast cat and the likes of the St Nicholas now on Cherbourg I believe.
Many of these boats only have one entrance exit, so you have to turn round on the boat and its easy enough heck Ive done it on some smaller boats in the eighties with a truck and a frame drag (rigid truck and A frame trailer truck)
However they have to load at the rear as well, many vehicles are turned round straight away on loading so your ready to drive off, down one side, round the end turning round always driving forwards and back to the door area ready to get off but as they need to still get everyone else on your held back from the doors. So first on first off but not quite, when the last vehicles are loading they now block the exit and as there is no way for the first on to drive straight off they have to reverse one or two of the last on, off. They will rarely put a caravan on last unless no choice, your late, neither will they enjoy 60ft of truck and drag, they need vehicles they can maneuver easy so usually the cars who will then reverse off freeing space for the other side to drive straight off then everyone slowly in turn drives down the sharp end and turns round and off you go. In all my years driving I have done it twice once truck (we was late, even phoning for them to hold the boat we was that late) and once car but bear in mind I was on the Harwich Hoek 6 crossings roughly every 9 days so percentage wise less than .01 percent your chances are really slim Dodger of needing to be the one
------------- Mark
Uttoxeter (Race days)
Le Serignan Plage (clothed one) August and Scheveningen on way back
After the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster most ferries now only have one vehicle loading/unloading door so this last on, reversing off lark can happen to anyone on any route especially when full/busy. They just dont normally warn you off it but it seems they do now
The spirit ships (herald) used both front and rear loading unloading using what was called a double linkspan which meant vehicles loaded/unloaded either end onto say E and G deck at the same time using the double deck linkspans, you can still see them at Dover and Calais. Rarely used now.
------------- Mark
Uttoxeter (Race days)
Le Serignan Plage (clothed one) August and Scheveningen on way back
We have used the Portsmouth Caen crossing loads of times and have never had to reverse any time. The crews are excellent and well versed in loading. You have nothing to worry about. The other good thing about that Ferry is there is a campsite Des Pommiers 5 minutes down the road which stays open for the Ferry.
Quote: Originally posted by dodger936 on 07/6/2015Mark,Thanks for that, it's re-assuring
It may be re assuring for some other trip some other time...but it just ain't so for the Portsmouth to Caen ferries.
They have doors at each end , load in through one, park in straight lines on board, and drive out the other end on arrival. Just as Les. and June have said.
Never had to in 10 years when travelling with Brittany ferries, in the summer holidays in cars when solo and whilst towing trailers.
Only on the fast craft when solo ( to fit behind a pillar) so that's not going to happen with a caravan
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We have used Brittany Ferries for the last 12 years. I have never had to reverse on any of their ferries, like others have said drive on one end and off the other. Do you know the name of the ship, I may have travelled on it?
The Condor Clipper into Cherbourg has only one loading point but the crew are so adept at loading that I've never had to reverse on that either, just do a wide U turn at the end of the ship.
The part that worries me is running one of the crew over when they keep calling you forward into the parking place!! I have visions of the poor guy being trapped between the van in front and my bumper.
Sue
Hi Sue, we're going on the Normandie and coming back on the Mount St summat or other...
Can I just say thanks to you all for your replies, they are appreciated
Mont St Michel or Normandie are the two boats on that service nowadays. They do have front and rear but they also operate a stand in boat which only has rear Armorique. The Finistere is an ex cruise ship converted to a ferry and cars on the top vehicle deck have to reverse down the ramp on that one but they dont put caravans up there but there is some reversing on lower, high vehicle decks as thye have to fill that boat to maximum As I said as caravaners they will not have you reversing unless really no option. My two times reversing where when crammed on at the last on single entry boats like Finistre and bear in mind that was when doing around 130 crossings a year for about 12 years thats a lot of crossings and many odd things out of the norm happen with that many.
------------- Mark
Uttoxeter (Race days)
Le Serignan Plage (clothed one) August and Scheveningen on way back
Well, once again, thanks to my friends on here and all the above comments, we aren't worried about the trip anymore and we can relax and look forward to the trip,
Thank you all and have a great summer!
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Topic: Ferry boarding
