Ferry travel

Questions, tips & observations about taking your Bongo over the water.

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Dawn Rollins
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Ferry travel

Post by Dawn Rollins » Sun May 31, 2015 8:37 am

I'm looking into going to Holland on the Harwick to Hook of Holland crossing. When it comes to choosing vehicle size do I choose
a) motor home /minibus to 6M long. Or
b) car, MPV, 4x4 over 1.8M
Does anyone know?
Dawn
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Muzorewa
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by Muzorewa » Sun May 31, 2015 8:47 am

Go for MPV or high-car, just make sure you're certain of the length & height of your Bongo, including any bikes sticking up or behind. An AFT Bongo is 2.1m high (actually a bit less) and about 4.5m long but if you have a back-box or bike-rack you'll be nearer 5.0m.

Probably never an issue on those North Sea crossings but on Caledonian MacBrayne in the Outer Hebrides where they use a lot of small rock-dodgers, when it's busy and they're struggling for space, they'll measure any suspect vans and if you've under-declared the dimensions, you won't be sailing. And if you're booked on the one sailing per week from Oban to Port Askaig on the Isle of Islay, that really scuppers your holiday :wink:

Also I could never understand North-Link Ferries to the Orkneys being so bothered about the van size on booking, turns out you're in the same space as livestock trailers, petrol tankers & coaches so what does it matter? :?

Image


On some ferries you have to reverse on too, the pic below was Pentland Ferries from the Orkneys, I was asked to reverse up the ramp and put it in front of the blue van. One move and "Nicely done sir" from the stevedore. The white motorhome on the other hand, he nearly reversed into the Pentland Firth and eventually they just left it where it is as they have a schedule to meet :lol:

Image
Image
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jimmo62
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by jimmo62 » Sun May 31, 2015 9:39 am

We booked Calais to Dunkirk for June this year and the difference in price for car to motor home was only £5 each way so I booked as a motor home to be safe....
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Simon Jones
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by Simon Jones » Sun May 31, 2015 10:10 am

It would be quicker to drive from Calais to Dunkirk than take the ferry :). Most websites I've used show the dimensions as well so sometimes we use 'car over 1.8m' and sometimes 'motorhome' if we have the back box on which takes us over 5m long. It seems once you get over about 6m long then the prices really ramp up.
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by Diplomat » Sun May 31, 2015 10:41 am

Muzorewa wrote:


...the pic below was Pentland Ferries from the Orkneys,

Image

Looks like one of those ferries where you get a free soaking in salt water, a high risk on open crossings during bad weather.The tractor unit in the foreground appears to have rust around the edge of its roof.

I'm currently an active critic of Condor Ferries' recent choice of a high speed craft with an open foredeck where cars are parked for a long Channel Islands/UK crossing. Furore began after a lady from Guernsey took a photograph of waves breaking over the bow onto cars parked in the open well of the car deck.

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Nobody wanted to buy that particular Austal 102 ship and it remained unsold for several years until some mugs came on the scene and got rid of two perfectly good watertight and proven Incat ferries to pay for it. It is worrying to note that some of the newer Incat fast ferries have also gone for a similar design. It's not as if deck hands need to look over the rail to see where the mooring lines are going. It just seems to be a style gimmick I can only assume that marine architects are not ferry using car owners, or else they are paid so much that they can afford to trade in frequently.


I have one vehicle which has never been on an open ferry. It is 12 years old and has no rust. Every vehicle I have taken on an open car deck has soon shown rust, particularly on seams, in the corners of windows and around the roof line. Wasing down after the trip doesn't make a lot of difference, maybe waxing beforehand is a good idea.

Regarding size, Condor recently tried to book me on as a minibus rather than a large MPV until I pleaded that I have only five seats. I didn't tell them that I could carry two illegal immigrants on the flip down footrest seats!


Frank
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billymansell
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by billymansell » Sun May 31, 2015 11:39 am

I'm sailing Harwich/Hook of Holland on Tuesday night so just checked my booking information booked through Direct ferries. My tin top Freda's booked in as a car (L 5.99m, H 1.99m) outwards and for its Dunkirk return.

On my Tallink sailings from Stockholm and Helsinki I have had to book it as a car and then van respectively.
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by tanglefoot » Sun May 31, 2015 1:47 pm

Cor Blimey! That's exactly where I'm heading for soon.....to buy a bottle of peat whiskey from Islay is something I have been dreaming of for years...the things you have to think of when you have a Bongo eh?
Cab-ova pete
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by Cab-ova pete » Sun May 31, 2015 3:59 pm

Hi billy, do you mind telling me roughly how much it cost you all inc?
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billymansell
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by billymansell » Sun May 31, 2015 4:30 pm

Cab-ova pete wrote:Hi billy, do you mind telling me roughly how much it cost you all inc?
Peter
Yep, no problem. It's cost £117.36 with 1 berth cabin sailing 8 hours through the night so I get to the Netherlands at 8am, hopefully refreshed and ready to go.

It's considerably cheaper sailing during the day without the cost of a cabin but then you lose a big chunk of a day whilst at sea.
The all black 2.5 V6 - "looks more like a pimpmobile than a playbus"
Dawn Rollins
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by Dawn Rollins » Sun May 31, 2015 5:30 pm

Thanks for all your replies. Yes there's not that much difference in price really is there. Just any saving is always good, and it is only like an MPV with a sink and a cooker in:-)
Cab-ova pete
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by Cab-ova pete » Sun May 31, 2015 6:13 pm

Cheers billy, yeh deffo cheap enuff :D, I must get out there soon, haven't been for a while? Love the drive hitting some of the flea markets on route! I had a wail of a time out there in the 80/90s, one weekend I bumped into the band called cypress hill :shock: may not be your cup of tea but the best weekend I've spent there :D seen Ziggy Marley and Damian Marley playing at the milky way wow!! Enjoy it matey, beautiful place back in the day, hopefully still is :D
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by Dawn Rollins » Sun May 31, 2015 6:42 pm

Do you know if you require special things to drive in Holland. Eg my brother says in france you need hi-vis jackets and warning triangles for if you break down. Also a breathalyser?? I remember when we went as kids my Dad painted the headlights yellow and put black sticker triangles on to make the light shine the other way?!
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by Bob » Sun May 31, 2015 7:20 pm

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Diplomat
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by Diplomat » Sun May 31, 2015 7:41 pm

Dawn Rollins wrote:... I remember when we went as kids my Dad painted the headlights yellow and put black sticker triangles on to make the light shine the other way?!
I think it was those yellow headlights that nurtured my dislike of anything to do with French motoring.


Frank
My schoolmates idolised Biggles, I wanted to be Alcock & Brown
They flew, I took up naturism
Cab-ova pete
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Re: Ferry travel

Post by Cab-ova pete » Sun May 31, 2015 7:46 pm

Don't be like that French, :roll: I mean frank :lol: the French can't help it :shock: :lol:
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