Tag Archives: catamaran

Ships Look Better From A Distance Part 2

A while back, I produced a post about the way in which ships look a lot rougher when up close compared to from a distance. In that case, it was a Washington State Ferries vessel I was considering. In the shipyard in Victoria that was across from where we were staying, there was a catamaran ferry undergoing work. The bow of the ship was very close to the fence and you could see exactly the same thing. The steelwork welds were easy to see at that range and remind you that these ships are heavy engineering.

V2V Express (I Guess)

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During our visit to Victoria, there was a fast catamaran ferry moored up in the harbor. It was named to the V2V Express. Based on the name, my assumption is that it provides a fast connection between the downtown harbors of Vancouver and Victoria. However, at no point while we were there did we see the thing move. I don’t know whether the service is seasonal, not yet implemented or has failed. The boat just sat there during our visit. If anyone knows the story, do let me know.

RedJet

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The fastest way to cross the Solent between Cowes and Southampton is the Red Jet. These catamarans have replaced the hydrofoil service that was the quickest way over when I lived in Cowes. The hydrofoils were interesting to ride on, particularly when the weather got a bit rough, and they had a single prop that, if they threw it off, left them bobbing out in the water awaiting a tow. The RedJets are clearly bigger and probably a lot more reliable while still being fast. I have never ridden on them but my family do frequently.

Red Funnel’s Finest

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If you want to get to the mainland from the Cowes area, Red Funnel are your main option. They have two services to Southampton. The car ferry operates from East Cowes while a fast catamaran provides a passenger only service from West Cowes. Both types of ferry came by while I was on the seafront. The car ferry headed out while the cat waited outside the harbor. I guess the strong winds meant they were looking for a bit more space. Once the ferry was gone, the cat came in to the harbor.

Boats from Above

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Continuing with the round the Island flight that Pete and I took, we ended up having a bit of a maritime excursion. It seems that anyone with a boat was out waiting for us, whatever form those boats took. As we reached Yarmouth, the Wightlink ferry was arriving so I got a shot of it. As we reached Cowes, the Red Funnel ferry was coming out so we got it too. Just off Cowes, the paddle steamer Waverly was blasting along (she really can move) so an orbit of her was required.

On to Fishbourne and two more Wightlink ferries. One was just departing and the other just arriving. They have to turn around at this point so a little dance ensues as seen from above. Then it was on to Ryde and there we get a hovercraft making its arrival. None of this was planned so I guess we were just on a lucky roll. Then, as we headed across to Portsmouth, the catamaran from Ryde was on its way so we got a shot of that too. I guess that is a full set for access to the Island!