Fine Whine

Which is a strange one Tony because I’ve just disembarked NEX and we were in at 18h30, half an hour early, and Bretagne normally docks at 18h20... Hang on, I’ve just checked the schedules and she wasn’t due until 18h45 tonight anyway, looks as though there are tidal issues at St Malo this week. Chris

This happened in an unexpected squall yesterday afternoon while leaving Venice, very nearly another Costa embarrassment which won't help their relationship with the locals.... Chris https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/venise-un-nouvel-accident-de-paquebot-evite-de-justesse

It could have been "oh dearie me" from those onlookers standing on Westminster Bridge, but I would imagine the man on the bridge with the smart white shirt said something closer to "oh B¤%%*§^S"....

Whoops, that won't look very good on the CV... Chris

Couldn’t agree more chid679, I’ve been meaning to post along similar lines but too busy - well said! Chris

My parents were very brave and went on camping holidays in the late 50's and early 60's when Europe was very different to how it is today, it being less than 15 years after the end of WW2. In 1965 we took my grandparents and on arrival at our first stop Fred my grandad was desperate for the loo and shuffled off into the distance while we set up the caravan and awning. After what seemed like an age he returned absolutely soaked. He found the sanitary block ok but starting on one side each loo being of the Turkish type (hole in the ground) was either filthy or out of order; on turning the corner there was a huge improvement so he did the necessary, pulled the flush only to find he was in the shower block .....🤣 A true story I can assure you - Chris

Great loos! That really is a room with a view, you wouldn't need to use air freshener either....🤣 I've used that little ferry from Dinan several times although for obvious reasons it's tidal restricted. Entering St Malo is fabulous on a sunny morning and heading back to Dinan the estuary just gets narrower and narrower - well worth it.... Chris

I can see where you're coming from Colin, but ...... I'm pretty sure you've posted on here about your experiences on QM2; we were fortunate to spend an unforgettable 10 days in the Caribbean on her back in 2007 and have booked a 2 week reverse trans-atlantic cruise next year via Iceland. If we turned up in New York to find she had conked out only to find the replacement vessel was MV Black Watch or MV Thompson/Marella Celebraton, we would be just a wee bit miffed even though either vessel would get us from A to B in comfy cabins! My view is people who book Portsmouth - St-Malo do so because it's there own "mini cruise ", made all the more memorable because of the waiter service restaurant which is an integral part of the holiday experience. Chris

But that’s only a half pallet Neil, 400 kgs...

Fair enough, my comment was slightly tongue in cheek but 1100kgs does seem a lot to me... Cael noson braf (I hope that’s correct) Chris

Rhys are you sure about that figure? That’s almost a pallet and a half of wine ( I should know 😳), as much as many panel vans can legally carry - I’ve just looked up Xantia on the car info site which came back with these figures...if you managed to get that amount of wine under the noses of Plymouth Customs then I take my hat of to you..! Chris Weight Curb Weight 1170 – 1592 kg Gross Weight 1710 – 2085 kg Max Trailer Load, braked 12% 1200 – 1500 kg Max Trailer Load, unbraked 660 – 750 kg Cargo Capacity 408 – 616 kg Max Roof Load 75 kg Max Towbar Download 85 kg

Just to clarify, "Yes" was in reply to Solo's second point about corner cutting rather his first about recompense.. Chris

Yes.... Chris

4 berth Commodore cabin These spacious ensuite and air conditioned cabins with window include: Twin beds plus sofabed & recess bed TV & DVD player Tea and coffee making facilities Mini bar (soft drinks only) Balcony Hair dryer Access to Commodore lounge with free Wi-Fi access Priority restaurant booking Newspaper Continental breakfast or afternoon tea served in your cabin (dependent on sailing time) Presentation box of toiletries Box of macaroons and basket of fresh fruits Complimentary Nespresso coffee machine in the Commodore Lounge Fresh linen and towels provided Continental plug socket There we go Ken, taken from the BF website... Chris

It should'nt be complicated hf_uk, just take the original exterior plans to satisfy all her thousands of fans, increase the appropriate width and length dimensions so she has the same hull size as Honfleur, increase cabin capacity to a maximum 1600 beds and bingo, you'll have a modern Bretagne 2 (I think they could/should bring back the Prince de Bretagne name) with sufficient cabin space in high season, vehicle decks that are fit for purpose in this age of wider cars, and space for a few more HGV's to keep the bean counters turning. Flensburg should let BF have the hull plans for nothing rather than claim compensation for current delays as happened with MSM and the Van der Giessen yard, then everyone"s happy .... Chris