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.
Taking any of the Washington State ferries provides with some interesting scenery. Puget Sound is surrounded by large mountains so you can see something in most directions. The other ferry plying our route passed us mid-way across the journey and catching it with a mountain in the background was not tricky. The ferries seem large when you are close to them but they are quickly put in context with a volcano in the background!
Growing up on an island must bring a special affinity for ferries because, whenever I see them, it brings a spark of interest as to what people are going to or from. I lived on the seafront for a portion of my teenage years and the ferries would pass our window each day as they headed to the mainland. Ferry travel at night was often a thing because it would be either the beginning or end of a longer journey. Something about the lights on a ferry at night seems very welcoming to me.
We had a terrace overlooking Puget Sound that we were able to hang out on in the evenings and the regular ferry traffic across the sound caught my attention. It is dark out on the water but the lights from the passenger decks and the lighting on the open car deck beneath shine out across the water. Seeing it from a slightly elevated position on the shore helps as well. Seeing this just makes me feel good. I guess decades away from living on an island hasn’t changed some things deep inside.
Our vacation included a few ferry rides. Washington State Ferries come in various sizes depending on the route you are taking but they are all a fairly decent size. However, we passed this guy on one of our legs. This is what I would call personal ferry service. I imagine that, with so many islands and less traffic to most of them, this is the best way to deal with transportation needs. I don’t know whether there is a schedule or if it is on demand but I love the idea. I imagine the onboard catering is pretty limited though.
Another Isle of Wight development is the hovercraft. Much early development of the concept was done on the Island and many were produced in East Cowes. Hovertravel still provide a frequent service between Ryde on the Island and Southsea on the mainland. I got a couple of opportunities to shoot these hovercraft while visiting. On the day Pete and I went flying, we arrived over Ryde just as one of the hovercraft was coming in. Another was parked on the slipway at the time.
When we left the island, I headed up on the upper deck of the ferry to see what was going on and had two over the hovercraft come by in opposite directions. It was rather windy up on deck but I was able to get some usable shots of the two of them individually and as they crossed. Apparently, Hovertravel are in the process of acquiring new craft to replace the current AP1-88s that are in service. Given that they were built in the late 1980s, they have provided good service. It will be interesting to see what replaces them. I wonder whether the new vehicles will arrive before I next get back.
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!
In this post I showed some shots from the ferry from Seattle to Bremerton. I also got a bit of video while on the boat so here you go.
I have been to Seattle many times but this trip gave me an opportunity to do something that I haven’t done there before. My friend Hayman and I were off to visit a buddy of Hayman’s who lived over near Bremerton. From Seattle you can either drive around or take the ferry. We decided to take the ferry. I have watched the Washington State Ferries go back and forth across Elliott Bay and Puget Sound before but had never been on one.
Having grown up on an island, ferry trips were a pretty regular feature of life. It was all rather familiar although the passengers were a different crowd. These boats seem to be predominantly commuter boats. People stayed in the cars to have a nap and the foot passengers upstairs also seemed to be zonked out in large numbers. Having lots of people around sleeping or reading reminded me a lot of my days commuting by train in to London.
Consequently, as I wandered around taking pictures and looking at new things, I was very conscious of looking like a total tourist. Since that is exactly what I was, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised! Still, tourists never look cool and trying not to look like one is something I normally try to do. Spend most of your life in places populated by tourists and you certainly don’t want to be confused for one!
Pulling out of Seattle in the afternoon means the light was shining on the city. It was still early enough in the day to not be the best light but it was still an attractive sight. As we moved away from the city, we went through a narrow passage to get to Bremerton itself. The shoreline was populated with lots of nice looking places. I imagine they are quite popular residences. It really did remind me of the Isle of Wight in many ways – quite a throwback for me.
