Fine Whine

Can get you in the horse chestnuts just when you think all’s going well….

Can’t think what your on about Colin…..

I’m surprised Brigitte hasn’t pitched in yet on this one, her second favourite ship…🤣 And what a stupid (and inconvenient when you’re taking snaps) place to plant a tree…. Chris

With a name like Whippingham I had to look that one up! What an interesting history especially during the Dunkirk evacuation - one trip over and 2700 troops saved, she must have been low in the water that day… Chris http://paddlesteamers.info/Whippingham.htm

if it is I can guarantee @IanN wouldn’t be one of them - he’d have jumped ship mid crossing in frustration…..😂 Chris

You are joking Ian of course…..🤪 Club Voyage is aimed at regular travellers so you probably need at least 2 trips per year to justify the outlay. My life dictates that I sail with BF at least twice a month and I personally find an immediate 30% off the standard fare/free or half price cabin/10% restaurant discount/breakfast allowance with an overnight cabin to be unbeatable value when compared to airlines who promise lots, but in reality you get a couple of smarties for flying twice around the world. The last time I logged on my renewal date was 08/21, that’s now 11 /21 and counting, more than happy with that. Chris

Thanks Jonno but my worry is will the test come back in time if sent to an independent lab? It looks as though it’s no longer necessary though. I was talking to a friend last night who reckoned that fully jabbed travellers from U.K. arriving in France only need to show a copy of the vaccination certificate and sworn statement. Having just checked the Gov U.K. website that does appear to be the case. France is now even accepting passengers flying back from South Africa without any undue stipulations if they have a full service history, so why the U.K. is still insisting on mandatory self-isolation from France is beyond me. I managed to successfully negotiate all the paperwork yesterday arriving at lunchtime on MSM including both dogs, and the pre-ordered day 2/8 test kit arrived at home from Randox that morning. £90 with BF discount, let’s see if it’s processed in good time… Chris

Is the quoted speed of 23 knots wrong then? Bretagne often poodles along at little more than 15 knots once she's passed the Cap de la Hague when returning to Portsmouth so there should be scope to leave St Malo nearer midday if that's the correct figure.... Chris

If Bretagne 2 doesn't have an à la carte restaurant similar in size to Les Abers I'll eat my hat, underpants and slippers in one go. BF aren't stupid - they've set the bar historically high and customers using the St Malo route ex UK will be expecting something similar or better. I understand some thinking that standardisation could become boring but it's up to BF to create something different in each vessel and I for one am confident they will. At the end of the day if the cabins are comfortable, the ship airy, comfortable and spacious with a choice of food options does it really matter what it looks like from outside? They need to invest in tonnage immediately, it's long overdue for a multitude of reasons, and getting 2 E-flexers for 220 million rather than 2 bespoke vessels for 400 million (BF quote) doesn't bother me for one in the slightest. Chris

But they do have all the details of your passenger locator form on their screen even before you disembark. My turn on Saturday @ 13h15…. Chris

100% correct SC…. @nodwad I do love your contributions, rants and occasionally hilarious comments but the AHC is an incredibly complicated document and unless you cross out/fill in the appropriate sections your pooch passage could well be refused. That’s why most accredited vets charge so much because in reality they’re not too keen to do them. Chris

And to add to that- we had a regular Irish couple in Roscoff last Friday who were denied boarding Pont-Aven because their Antigen test wasn’t fit for purpose (maybe it was a home one). They managed to get a PCR test in town on Saturday morning (just, the local pharmacie owed us a favour)and came back through Cherbourg on Sunday with IF. Chris

Because of this David. Type of test You must make sure that the test provider you choose can meet the standards for pre-departure testing. The test must meet performance standards of ≥97% specificity, ≥80% sensitivity at viral loads above 100,000 copies/ml. This could include tests such as: a nucleic acid test, including a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or derivative technologies, including loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) tests an antigen test, such as a test from a lateral flow device It’s your responsibility to ensure the test meets the minimum standards for sensitivity, specificity and viral load details. You must check with your test provider that it meets those standards. You may not be able to travel if the test does not meet these standards. It’s your responsibility to ensure you get the right test that meets the above requirements. Maybe it’s just me being paranoid but I’ve fallen foul of the ever changing rules so often I’d rather be on the safe side. If anyone follows my advice and tries the airport option are they going to check the test meets the quoted performance standards? I think not and I personally would prefer to get the most accurate result possible, even if that means I do test positive and have to self isolate to protect my fellow travellers. Coming ex U.K. I’ve been using the Boots antigen test for the last couple of months and I trust them to tick the correct boxes. Chris

Just a few thoughts and personal experiences about testing ….. Last Tuesday Mrs FW came to the house in France with me, the first time for almost 12 months because we believed quarantine would no longer be necessary on return to U.K. from amber countries if doubly jabbed. This Saturday 2 of our offspring are holding a joint engagement party in Emsworth having cancelled wedding plans multiple times. Imagine the reaction to the BBC news flash late on Friday that France was the only amber country not to be included. The following morning was doom and gloom personified because the local lab in Cherbourg doesn’t work weekends so even a test the next morning wouldn’t have been back in time to get home and purchase the 5 day test to release, in time to be out of jail on Saturday. The early news that Boris and Co were on a trial scheme and not self-isolating didn’t improve her sense of humour either - strangely enough quite the opposite. A quick trawl of the internet found several airports offering on-site PCR or Antigen tests for anyone travelling over the French holiday period but by now it was 2pm on Saturday and Caen and Rennes had already closed. Nantes however open until 19h00 with or without an appointment so I dragged her into the car and 3.5 hours later we were at Nantes airport. Just outside the passenger terminal, lo and behold the Eurofins portable building, we were ushered in, test done in 5 minutes, really helpful and efficient team there (English spoken if needed). Back in the car, the same drive in the opposite direction and results (negative) came back by text and then internet the same evening. Hallelujah! She then rearranged her ferry crossing, took the car on the Sunday 16h30 MSM to be back in Emsworth that evening. The cost:- Fuel to Nantes and back €60 PCR test €45 Extra ferry cost to take car, planned to go as a footie £80 Day 2/8 tests at home £98.50 Day 5 Test to release this Friday with results back in 12 hours (to be free for Saturday) £200 No further comment needed to describe my/our exasperation re the dithering and confusing messages about travel. On the plus side if anyone is currently in France and needs a test in a hurry here are 3 options: https://caen.aeroport.fr/INFO-COVID19 Testing centre on the 1st floor open 08h00-12h00 on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday https://www.rennes.aeroport.fr/ Again on first floor, open every day from 09h30-15h00 except Thursday, Sunday until 14h00 https://www.nantes.aeroport.fr/fr/services-shopping/centre-de-depistage-covid. open 7/7 from 07h00-19h00 As long as you have a passport you just turn up and join the queue if there is one. I imagine most other major French airports will be offering something similar but I do suggest going for the PCR test rather than Antigen, just to be on the safe side. @BFlongtimefan please send me a PM if you’re still stuck. Our local Cabinet d’Infirmières will send someone to the shop and test you on site although that means getting to Cherbourg. I’m around until Friday evening if I can help Chris

Ian I'm no fan of Boots the Chemist but apart from my very first adventure with them back in January (results came back 60 hours after the PCR test) and they immediately refunded my £120, I've had no problems whatsoever so I disagree with the money making excercise comment. It's not cheap though and I'm down to the tune of over £1000 in Covid tests to date already! The other problem is that the laboratories processing the tests are independent to Boots so out of their hands. My last one 3 weeks was done by Eurofins who totally failed me a month ago, again refunded the money but seem to have turned the corner since. Chris