Comments (Newest First):

 

Post 983

  Howard McSweeney, Dover

Great panoramic photo there Paul, stunning event just like the Regattas of old.

Love watching the lifeboat in action, done a tour of the interior last year and it is quite an eye opener what they manage to fit into such a small space.

Sunday, 27 July 2014 - 17:08

 

Post 982

  Ed Connell, Dover

Nederland Reefer at the Dover Cargo Terminal today, not seen her before. Also a platform was towed round to the Eastern Arm a couple of nights ago, purpose as yet unknown.




Sunday, 27 July 2014 - 17:06

 

Post 981

  PaulB, Dover

What a breath-taking day it was on our beautiful Dover seafront yesterday. Literally thousands and thousands of people attended the spectacular Port of Dover Community Regatta, as you can see in the picture currently showing at the top of page. The event was great with absolutely everything and anything going on..from the Channel Port Dash to the Classic Cars to the rocknrolling Elvis impersonators giving us a blast of the 'don't be cruels'. The seafront itself is a great venue and not to be underestimated, its cosy, clean, colourful, compact, and delivers brilliantly. A huge well done to the top team at the Port of Dover for putting this on and doing it so well. They even organised some good weather, they must have a direct line to the almighty...

There are lots of pictures but let me start with the RNLI display. These guys put on a great show every year and they did so again this time...blew me socks off so it did and shivered me timbers as well..


The Dover and Walmer lifeboats in hi blast action. Brilliant stuff guys! The commentator warned everybody to stand back from the waters edge...whoosh!!

That's it for now. Will put up more pictures over the coming days when I sort through them all.

Extra: Just to show that real life is never very far away. A short time later just after the fab Blades aerial display..the Lifeboat was called into real action assisting a yacht in the channel. Never a dull moment around here...




Sunday, 27 July 2014 - 07:02

 

Post 980

  brian, dover

still not working for me mike.

Saturday, 26 July 2014 - 06:10

 

Post 979

  Mike J., Dover

‘Sea News’ viewers who use AIS & are interested in cruise ships may be interested to know that the COSTA CONCORDIA is carrying an AIS beacon & her progress under tow can be tracked on ‘Marine Traffic’ AIS.

Just go the ‘Marine Traffic' home page & type in her name in the ‘vessels’ box & her details should come up.
Click on the little diamond-shaped symbol beneath her name & a map showing her location will pop up.

Alternatively you can use the the 'Channel Traffic' AIS map [working OK for me Brian !] available on the Dover Forum.

Drag it to the right area & then zoom in until you find the CONCORDIA & her little convoy heading for Genoa.


Friday, 25 July 2014 - 11:15

 

Post 978

  PaulB, Sea News, Dover.

Just a swift reminder about the COMMUNITY REGATTA on Saturday 26 July Dover Seafront.

Another chance to read the info:

"The event will officially be opened by the Admiral of the Fleet the Lord Boyce KG GCB OBE DL on the music stage at 10.45am, followed by the start of a full day’s musical entertainment on the stage including Mel Harris, Ben Mills, Dover Has Talent, Jodie South and the Electric Beatles, all guaranteed to get the crowds up and dancing.

In the arena, the Kent Fire and Rescue Services and a range of blue light services, will be demonstrating their skills by dealing with a dramatic kitchen fire, and the Dover and Walmer RNLI boats will stage a breath-taking sea rescue in the harbour, showcasing their bravery and dexterity on the water.

Over 300 classic cars and bikes will be on display along the eastern end of the seafront and over 100 stalls selling a wide range of food including tasty treats from Germany, Spain and the Caribbean and hand-made cakes and sweets, to crafts, ceramics and plants.

There will be plenty of community information available from charities including the Dover Lions Club, Emmaus, the Royal Life Saving Society and the British Heart Foundation through to Health Trainers, KCC Wardens and the Air Cadets.

A climbing wall, fair rides, face painting and glitter tattoos will be some of the activities available for the children, although not exclusively as we are sure there are plenty of mums and dads who would like to have a glitter tattoo or try their hand at climbing the wall!

Bringing the event to a close will be an air display over the harbour by the renowned Blades aerobatics display team, who are all former Red Arrows pilots. The 15 minute display will include more than 30 exhilarating manoeuvres containing a variety of mind-blowing aerobatic stunts flown just feet apart."

Picture top is from a few years back and shows the brilliant fastpaced Lifeboat display at the Regatta. Wow!
Lots to do and see. Better get charging that camera!





Friday, 25 July 2014 - 10:48

 

Post 977

  PaulB, Dover

Some good news for all...the massive area of scaffolding and metal railings and workhuts etc etc were moved away yesterday from the seafront. Extensive work went on all day long as the guys shipped out and the entire area is now clear. Thirsty work in all that heat. They did try their best to clean things that's for sure, but the inevitable work area white dust still remains semi embedded on the promenade.. maybe the weather will take care of it. Clearly the repairs to the sea wall now complete.
You can see some of the sea wall scaffolding from a distance here..and below a crop of the picture above.


Friday, 25 July 2014 - 07:29

 

Post 976

  PaulB, Dover

Yes Brian it is a very busy weekend indeed, the Port have asked people to leave plenty of time for their journey as have the ferry companies as some delays are expected all round. It's inevitable at peak times. The local hotels appear to be packed out once again too - thriving at night along the seafront.
The ferries are currently working very hard indeed. Late evening pic above of The Pride of Burgundy leading the way out followed by the Dieppe Seaways.
Below we have the cruise ship Saga Sapphire leaving us yesterday evening...lit by a slanting sun.


Friday, 25 July 2014 - 06:37

 

Post 975

  brian, dover

I also note that the channel traffic is not working again,it has been like it for about 3 days now.

Thursday, 24 July 2014 - 21:19

 

Post 974

  brian, dover.

I note that Eurotunnel will be able to let go of my ferry link in 2017 under French law.

Thursday, 24 July 2014 - 19:01

 

Post 973

  PaulB, Sea News, Dover.

MyFerryLink experiencing strong summer demand......
(24 July 2014) MyFerryLink has today lodged its appeal before the Competition Appeal Tribunal (Tribunal) against the Competition and Market Authority's decision of 27 June 2014 which found that the CMA had jurisdiction under UK merger control law to review the acquisition by Groupe Eurotunnel S.A. of certain assets from the former SeaFrance business.

Consistent with its previous, successful, challenge in December 2013 to the CMA's original decision of 6 June 2013, MyFerryLink continues to believe that the CMA does not have jurisdiction as a matter of UK law and we are confident of arriving at a similarly positive outcome.

MyFerryLink expects that the case will be heard by the Tribunal at a Hearing in the autumn, with judgment towards the end of the year or early in 2015 and in the meantime the CMA has confirmed that any Order imposing the remedies will not have effect while these proceedings are ongoing.

In the meantime MyFerryLink wishes to reassure its customers that it will continue to do what it does best by offering its unique blend of high quality on-board service at highly competitive prices.

MyFerryLink operates up to 24 daily crossings on the Dover-Calais route, with high season summer fares starting from £39 each way for a car and up to nine passengers.

To find the best fares, visit www.myferrylink.com or call 0844 2482 100.
Berlioz.



Thursday, 24 July 2014 - 17:13

 

Post 972

  PaulB, Dover

Further to the Post below. According to info on Twitter, a load of sheep, lambs, and calves left Ramsgate this morning for the continent in blisteringly hot conditions. They left on the Joline...as seen below in Dover yesterday wednesday.

Thursday, 24 July 2014 - 15:15

 

Post 971

  PaulB, Dover

Our infamous 'friend' Joline was back in harbour today wednesday. The notorious live animal exports vessel hung around in the blistering heat all of the long day or most of it. Let us hope there wasn't any animals on board..because in this weather, well who knows, but it could be a worst case scenario. As you can see there is an animal truck on the vessel, perhaps though it is an empty truck.

As I write the Joline is now making its way to Ramsgate.. hmmmm...wonder what exactly happened. Would Dover not take it...?
Baking in Dover, and that's just yours truly.

Wednesday, 23 July 2014 - 18:00

 

Post 970

  PaulB, Dover

The Saga Pearl II arriving on a slate grey Tuesday morning. The day did warm up but it took a while, but as they say..better late than never.
And below another one of these Military Ops/training vessels HMS Smiter arriving in the harbour..on Monday I believe it was. Just spotted it at the last minute and this was the only picture. She left yesterday heading west. We are seeing plenty of these types of naval vessels and have featured them previously...worth scrolling back for some better pictures. By the way..that's the new buoy already playing a featured role.
Good link that Brian. Went and had a look. Freaky Friday for sure

Wednesday, 23 July 2014 - 06:43

 

Post 969

  brian, dover

the film clip that mike j, mentions is now on the main forum.

Tuesday, 22 July 2014 - 06:59

 

Post 968

  PaulB, Dover

Late last week the dredger David Church and the Harbour Patrol boat moved across the harbour with intent. What was afoot? ..wondered the passer by with a scratching of the head. It was a nice day for it whatever it was, with the sun beating down all was right with the world.
Before too long all became clear as one of the large buoys was lifted out of the water..presumably to repair it thought the same passer by. But no...it looks like a new buoy has replaced the old one, at least so to the untrained eye of the landlubber. All change again. Part of the ongoing all round improvements.


Tuesday, 22 July 2014 - 06:51

 

Post 967

  PaulB, Dover

Thanks for the tip Mike, will have a look for that. I agree with you ..never seen anything quite like it before and the speed of its arrival was astonishing...I put this picture on the main forum in colour, the colour wasn't good as it was quite late and with a rather odd light and rather odd atmosphere, so have experimented in black and white and here we are..but it doesn't do the phenomenon justice.
See also the earlier picture in 896.


Monday, 21 July 2014 - 18:55

 

Post 966

  Mike J., Dover

Re the roll cloud & the freaky weather last Friday night mentioned & illustrated in posts 896 & 897.

Somone aboard the BRAEMAR filmed it's arrival as the ship headed downchannel after sailing from Dover.

We can't post links on here, but if you go onto the YouTube home page & type 'Frightening Storm in the English Channel' into the YouTube search box it should pop up at the head of the offerings.

Impressive.

Here in Dover I've never seen the wind pick up so quickly from almost nothing - dust & debris flew past almost horizontally for a few minutes.



Monday, 21 July 2014 - 16:19

 

Post 965

  PaulB, Dover

The Ryndam a-coming and a-going....
A busy weekend for cruise liners again here in Dover. Yesterday we had the double header of the Braemar and the Ocean Princess. Unfortunatly for much of the day general poceedings were shrouded in a grey oul' fog or a terribly romantic mist..depending on your aspect. And speaking of all things romantic...the pictures here are of the Ryndam from Saturday, both coming and going, with both arrival and departure blessed by subtle perfume-advert style pastel colours.
Bon Voyage !

Monday, 21 July 2014 - 07:02

 

Post 964

  JanT, Dover

Watching last night from the top of Buckland estate it was certainly a very dramatic storm, have never seen anything like it, started across the seafront and across the western heights and it travelled very quickly across Whitfield.
Followed by some very dramatic lightning, love the picture below captures some of the eeryness of it all.

Saturday, 19 July 2014 - 10:35