Crystal Symphony & MSC Opera

Unexpected visitor to St Peter Port today was the Crystal Symphony. She arrived from St Helier after being unable to launch tenders due to the weather in Jersey. The ship arrived at the Lower Heads buoy at breakfast time and after picking up her pilot headed for the anchorage. The past 6 days have been spent visiting Ireland and this afternoon she will head for the end of her cruise in Dover.

There must have been a lot of phone calls being made for tour buses and guides to enable the surprise guests to enjoy their unexpected visit to Guernsey. The sun shone on the liner as she passed the islands of Herm and Jethou, not too sure if it would continue for the rest of the day.  In a few hours time the  MSC Opera will join her in Guernsey.

Once the MSC Opera arrived the anchorage seemed busy with the two liners, the tenders, as well as the B-Gas Lydia awaiting orders for her next sailing. Although the MSC Cruise Liners have been frequent visitors to these waters they will disappear next year when MSC leaves Britain in 2015 and the MSC Opera will spend next summer with cruises out of Venice.

Shortly after the MSC Opera dropped anchor the St Peter Port lifeboat was alongside for a medical evacuation.

MSC Magnifica

A unlucky visit for the MSC Magnifica as the swell was too great to launch tenders, although she stayed on the anchorage for two hours to see if it would moderate. Just after 1030 she left the anchorage for her next port of  Le Havre. She will be back once more this year before heading to South America in November to spend our winter cruising in the waters of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.

Ruby Princess, Leopard 3

Chasing yesterday's visitor, the Celebrity Infinity, around the west coast of the British Isles is the Ruby Princess on her last visit of the year. She will leave Southampton on the 8th September heading for Norway, Iceland and then on to New York for the end of September. After rounding Cape Horn during January 2015, she will spend the summer of next year cruising from Seattle, North to Alaska. Guernsey in 2015 will see the Royal Princess as a regular visitor. The guests on board had a good view of the luxurious yacht, Leopard 3, as she left St Peter Port at midday.

The Leopard 3 stretched her legs after she cleared the south coast of Guernsey and hoisted those vast sails, maybe heading towards her record breaking 40 knots.

Celebrity Infinity

It's been quiet in Guernsey recently as the season starts to slow down and the cruise liner visits get less, however this week sees visits of the regulars. The Celebrity Infinity arrived this morning from Le Havre on a 14 night cruise around the British Isles. This is her last visit of the season, and in early October she will head over to the other side of the Atlantic. Once there she will cruise the Caribbean, journey through the Panama three times, then head down to South America, and in December sail eastbound around Cape Horn, a well traveled ship!

The liner had some company in St Peter Port today with the luxury yacht Leopard 3.  Her website describes her as a "luxurious signature charter yacht, a passage record breaker and a race winning super maxi yacht." The mast is 47 metres tall and can carry 15,000 square feet of sail. Her next major event is the world renowned "Les Voiles de St Tropez" in late September.

Azamara Journey

The Azamara Journey arrived this morning from the Scilly Isles and spent a full day at anchor before leaving for Southampton just after tea time. Compared to a few weeks ago the temperature has dropped and there is more wind about, but any day is a good day on Guernsey.

More chimney pots in St Peter Port.  Near this viewpoint is Victor Hugo's house, owned by the City of Paris, and frequent destination for the many Cruise Liner guests that visit.  Azamara Journey is one of two liners which Azamara Club Cruises have, the other being Azamara Quest, also a frequent visitor to Guernsey. They are owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises and have recently become a partner for Saga Holidays through a third party cruising programme.

Crystal Symphony

A busy week for Guernsey with cruise liners visiting most days this week. It was the turn of the Crystal Symphony today on her cruise from the port of Dover up the west coast of the British Isles. It was a short half day visit where just under a 1,000 of her guests enjoyed a sunny, blustery visit on the island. Castle Cornet is in the foreground of the image below with some visiting yacht buoys beginning to empty as the summer days shorten.

Just after midday the last tenders were being taken on board, as the Guernsey Pilot boat stands by to start the liner on her way to Waterford in Southern Ireland which she should reach early tomorrow morning.

Ruby Princess & Arcadia

A busy day for the island today, with the Ruby Princess and the Arcadia visiting. The Ruby Princess is going around the British  Isles having left Southampton last night, with the next port of call Cobh. Tenders were in the water early from the Ruby Princess with the first guests ashore before 8.00 a.m.  The Arcadia arrived at the anchorage about 40 minutes later.

This Guernsey fishing boat must have felt a bit intimidated as he sailed under the bows of the liner.

St Peter Port harbour was a hive of activity this Saturday lunchtime with the two liners at anchor and Condor's fast ferries arriving and departing for England. In the foreground are the many chimney pots of St Peter Port which tumbles down from the high ground in the west towards the harbour. The Ruby Princess left mid-afternoon, with the Arcadia returning to Southampton early evening on her two night cruise.

FTI Berlin

FTI Berlin arrived at the anchorage to a late summer sunrise for a half day visit to Guernsey. She left the River Thames early on Wednesday morning with just under 400 guests on board. On her departure she headed for the Spanish port of Vigo.

Being a half day visit some guests chose to spend their time in St Peter Port or take guided tours which included a visit to Castle Cornet. The eastern part of St Peter Port towers above these guest as they walk the southern arm of the harbour on their way to the Castle.

Despite a sunny arrival at St Peter Port, by the time the late morning departure beckoned, the weather had taken a turn for the worse with rain showers and grey skies. Here the Condor Vitesse heads north to Weymouth with the south coast of Alderney on the horizon. One of FTI Berlin's claims to fame is that she starred in a popular German TV show, the translation meaning "Dreamship".

Oriana

On her way south from Southampton to the north coast of Spain, as well as calling in at La Rochelle, the Oriana spent the day at St Peter Port. South of the town there is a steep winding hill where the trees grow bigger and bigger each year, the liner just about shows above them, with the north coast of Herm and the distant coast of Normandy in the background.

Just before 6.00 pm the last tenders are aboard as the liner prepares to leave. The Sark Belle is just leaving St Peter Port and will make the last return of the day from Sark to Guernsey.  In the summer months there is the opportunity to spend almost 12 hours on a day trip to the Island of Sark, 9 miles east of Guernsey.

Celebrity Infinity

On another ' Round the British Isles ' cruise the Celebrity Infinity arrived at St Peter Port this morning, having left Harwich two days ago.  There were few queues for guests, with Sark Shipping providing the Bon Marin and the Sark Venture for tendering operations as well as the liners own tenders.

It was a busy scene outside the harbour this afternoon with the Celebrity Infinity getting ready to sail, Condor Express coming in on her way north to Poole, as well as the yellow Bumble Bee coming in from a South Coast cruise before leaving for Alderney.

With the pilot on board the liner leaves the anchorage bound for Cobh whilst the St Peter Port pilot boat follows ready to take the pilot off. One of the more famous items on the liner is in one of the restaurants, glass paneling from the US liner United States.  This liner took the Blue Riband from the Queen Mary for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic.

Voyager

The Voyager should have had a half day visit to St Peter Port today but on her arrival at lunchtime found that it was too rough to launch tenders.  After trying for a while she left and headed for her next port of call, Ostend.  The island in the background is Herm with the beaches stretching all around the north coast.

In September she will spend her time operating in the Mediterranean and Black Sea before heading for South Africa in January next year. In March 2015 she will sail towards Iceland to view the Total Eclipse.

Ruby Princess

The weather has got a bit cooler than the past month but still a lovely calm morning met the Ruby Princess as she arrived at the anchorage on a round Britain trip. St Peter Port is her first port of call after leaving Southampton yesterday afternoon where her guests will enjoy a half day visit. The anchor had not even dropped before the shore party were on their tender to set up at the liner pontoon for the first arrivals.

Guests on board the Ruby Princess had the opportunity to have their photo taken with a English Icon, not quite Guernsey though, more suited to the Tower of London.

The image above was taken from the ferry to Sark, where today they commemorated the 100 year anniversary of the start of World War 1 with a special church service. They also tied red sashes around the graves of Sark Men who returned from the war and later died in Sark. Those who did not die in Sark were remembered with these crosses. With no cars on the island, the full church was surrounded by cycles.