Azura

A short taster cruise for the guests on board the Azura today. She arrived from Southampton this morning and spent the day on the anchorage before departing for Zeebrugge, the port for liners with guests wishing to visit Bruges, a short bus ride away. For those guests who stayed on board the views of the beaches on Herm, with the nearby French coast in the background must have been enticing. The longer stays do allow the independent guests to take advantage of the 20 minutes ferry ride to Herm to enjoy the island.

When the coaches visited the silversmiths in St Peters they probably drove past the poppy field which is now looking its best. The field was planted by the St Peters Floral Group in 2014 in commemoration of the sacrifice made by the men of the Bailiwick of Guernsey who went to fight in the 1st World War. The land owner has given use of the field for four years.

Being a Saturday, many boat owners took advantage of the fine weather to enjoy a sail and enjoy the calm seas. The last tender is alongside the Azura, as is the St Peter Port pilot boat, and shortly she will leave the anchorage.  With the sun shining on the bow the Union Jack colours stand out and give no doubt of the origin of this liner in foreign ports.

Berlin

Not a good day for a short half day in Guernsey for the guests on board the small liner Berlin. She left Vigo in Spain on Wednesday. For most of her visit the weather was dull and rainy with a heavy mid afternoon shower that almost hid the liner from view.

Within thirty minutes the weather had changed totally, sunny enough to see the local fishing boat the Petite Mel returning from a day's fishing making the most of the southerly swell.

With the rain now cleared away to the east the Berlin is preparing to sail with the last tenders completing their transfers. The liner caters for just over 400 guests from the German market who tomorrow will enjoy a visit to London, sailing under Tower Bridge in the early evening.

Mein Schiff 1

On their way south to Bilbao the guests on board Mein Schiff 1 enjoyed a full day in Guernsey taking advantage of all the island has to offer. On the anchorage closer to the harbour it was a short tender ride into St Peter Port. The new landing area seems to be working out well for the guests with none of the earlier teething problems, although the northern part of town does not get the same number of guests walking through it.

Maybe one of the coach tours went past the "Henry Tree", although it is so tucked away in the lanes of St Peters this is unlikely.

There will not be many more regular visits of Mein Schiff 1 as in the next few years she is due to be transferred to Thomson Cruises to modernise their fleet. She originally entered service with Celebrity Cruises in 1996 as the "Galaxy" before going into service with TUI Cruises when they started operations in 2009.

Ventura

It was the turn of the Ventura today on a 4 day cruise from Southampton. She first went to Zeebrugge, and after spending yesterday at sea, made Guernsey her final port of call. She was one of the largest cruise ships built for the United Kingdom market, but lost that crown to the Britannia, which visited Guernsey on Sunday.

Some of the guests walked north out of St Peter Port this morning and they might have visited the restored Gun Battery at Delancey Park, which overlooks the north end of Belgrave Bay. There were over 60 of these defence positions around the coast built to provide protection for the island in Napoleonic times. Many have been restored and provide views to be admired.

Ventura left early this evening and will cruise overnight to Southampton. Guests on board took advantage of the still warm day to enjoy their final views of Guernsey and the beaches of Herm. Tomorrow Ventura  will stretch her legs and depart for a two week cruise to the Western Mediterranean.

Queen Mary 2

Fresh from Cunard's 175th Anniversary celebrations in Liverpool the Queen Mary 2 sailed yesterday from the spiritual home of Cunard to surprise these young yachtsmen in St Peter Port as she came up to the anchorage. Sea conditions were ideal for tender operations and the liner spent a half day in Guernsey.

Two view points for the anchorage are on Clarence Battery (local name is the Cow's Horn), or on the cliff path to Fermain. In the trees above the Battery is one of the seats to enjoy the views.

The Queen Mary 2 is on a 10 day cruise around the British Isles, including the memorable visit to Liverpool, and Guernsey is her last port of call before heading back to Southampton. Tomorrow afternoon she will act in her iconic role as a transatlantic liner and leave for New York where she will arrive on the 3rd June. With Castle Cornet in the foreground, and  Herm in the background, the liner adds to this classic Guernsey view.

Britannia & Queen Victoria

Last night the Queen Victoria stayed at anchor off St Martin's Point before leaving before breakfast for Liverpool.  She should arrive there mid morning on Bank Holiday Monday. The sun was shining on the south coast of Guernsey but just offshore there was a sea fog which revealed only the superstructure of the liner. As she left she created her own "cloud", an unusual effect.

By the time the Britannia had anchored the sun was shining on Guernsey on this Bank Holiday weekend. The guests coming ashore from the liner swelled the numbers visiting the first "Taste Guernsey Seafront Sunday" this year. With a market, eateries and cooking demonstrations there was something for everybody's taste.

The sun did not last all day, but in the morning when some of her guests wandered out onto the Castle Breakwater the sun lit up their P&O Cruises' flagship.  There was not much room by the lighthouse due to a fishing competition in progress. The Britannia left early evening bound for La Coruna. After visiting Bilbao and La Rochelle she will return to Southampton next Saturday morning.

Queen Victoria, Ventura and Island Sky

This was the first big test for the new pontoons and shore side area in St Peter Port today with over 6,000 guests coming ashore from 3 liners. Late afternoon when the queues normally form there was no sign of any, and it all seemed to be liner tenders and no extra ferries. The Queen Victoria and the Ventura are on the anchorages, the Island Sky alongside the New Jetty and also in port are the French ferry, Victor Hugo and the Commodore Clipper.

Town was busy this Saturday morning and the High Street played host to guests from the USA, and Japan as well as some residents of Liverpool on this Cunard's 175th Anniversary Cruise. Market Square was quiet first thing although the cafe at the Old Queen's Weights was full with customers enjoying the sun that luckily appeared as the first tenders came ashore and then shone all day.

The Queen Victoria is at the start of her cruise but the Ventura is near the end of hers, from Southampton to the Netherlands and Guernsey. The Queen Victoria visit is part of Cunard's 175th
Anniversary celebrations in Liverpool on the 25th May when for the first time all three "Queens" will be together there. The Queen Mary will be visiting Guernsey next week.

The third visitor today was the Island Sky which arrived at lunchtime and went alongside in the harbour. She was in St Peter Port until early evening and departed for Portsmouth.  With just over a 100 guests on board this is a very different type of cruise compared to over 3,000 on the Ventura.

Royal Princess

A busy 3 days coming up for Guernsey with some of the bigger liners coming in. Today is the turn of the Royal Princess, back for her second visit this year. Today was a soggy foggy day with the best bit as the guests were boarding the tenders early this afternoon at the end of their short visit. These "Beefeaters" did not look too unhappy as they boarded the tenders at the new pontoon, only installed this week.

This new pontoon allows more tenders to lie alongside although with only one access ramp it is difficult to see how it will cope with multi-occupancy of different liners' tenders.  The tenders from the Royal Princess are among the largest to use the pontoon, although today they were helped out by a Sark ferry and a Herm ferry.

The St Peter Port pilot boat, Golden Spur, looks diminutive against the Royal Princess with its 30ft by 20ft "Movies Under the Stars" screen.

Shortly after 3.00 pm with the pilot on board the Royal Princess showed off her maneuverability as she turned to head south to the Lower Heads buoy, and then headed for Cobh in Southern Ireland where she will arrive early tomorrow morning. The liner is on a 12 day British Isles cruise, departing Southampton last night, and will cruise around the whole British Isles, with destinations including Orkney and Edinburgh. She will make more visits to Guernsey during the year, but next season will be spent in the Western Mediterranean.

Silver Explorer

A small one for the middle of the week. The Silver Explorer arrived from St Malo at breakfast time and spend a half day visit in Guernsey before setting sail for Tresco just after lunch time. With Clarence Battery in the foreground, (the correct name for the Cow's Horn as it is referred to by locals), the Silver Explorer is anchored in calm water compared to the choppy sea to the north of the island.

Carrying under 140 guests and with her ice strengthened hull the Silver Explorer must be finding the waters of the English Channel a bit benign after her expedition adventures during the year. October this year will see her transit the Panama Canal before heading for Valparaiso of Cape Horners fame, then on to Antarctica for the summer season. April 2016 should see her back in Guernsey.

It's the time of year in Guernsey when the hedgerows are lush with wild flowers. The next few weeks will see them cut before they start blocking the narrow lanes of the country parishes. This bank is a short walk from Fermain Bay on the way to St Martins. Not many liner guests end up in these country byways, but they are a wonderful sight in April and May.

Azores

Another "British Isles Discovery" cruise today with the Azores visiting for a full day's stay having arrived from St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly. Tonight she will be on her way back to Bristol, having left on the 8th May going north to the Outer Hebrides and Orkneys. Yesterday the anchor that she "left here" on her last visit was retrieved by a tug and will be shipped to Bristol.

Friday afternoon in Guernsey and, with the start of summer, the exodus from the marinas as work ends is a regular routine for a lot of Guernsey boat owners. Herm is a popular destination for a weekend stay, along with Sark and ports on the nearby French coast.

Tomorrow morning just after the sun has risen the fleet of yachts in St Peter Port will start their race back to Perros-Guirec and Morlaix as part of the Tresco Trophy. The location of the marina gives easy access to the restaurants in town. Fish & Chips is always popular with the French at the nearby chip shops in Fountain St.

Arcadia & Serenissima

Not many tenders today from the more distant Arcadia anchored off St Peter Port as she is a conference venue for, I think, IT Directors. Originally intended to be Cunard's 'Queen Victoria' the liner was transferred to P&O, and certainly looked familiar after Queen Victoria's recent visit. The smaller Serenissima should have been in Herm this afternoon but conditions were not suitable so the guests enjoyed a longer stay in Guernsey. She will leave for Alderney early tomorrow morning.

Changes could be afoot for those guests wishing to take coach tours in Guernsey. Parking trials were taking place tonight to assess suitability. The walk  in the rain from the current parking area could not have been nice for recent guests from the Queen Victoria. The yachts in the Old Harbour are part of the Morliax Yacht Club annual Tresco Trophy Race.

It is unusual to have a "Conference Cruise" so close to the harbour, rather than at the southerly anchorage, so two liners staying overnight made for a unusual sight this evening. The view from the Blue Mountains, above the harbour, makes the most of this, along with Jethou and Sark in the background.

Voyager

It's that time of year for cruises of the British Isles and today the Voyager arrived from Falmouth. She is on a 12 Day Heritage Cruise of the British Isles out of Portsmouth. Leading towards her is the empty Castle Breakwater which on Saturday was filled with fireworks for Liberation Day. With a low tide the islands of "The Humps" stand out in the background.

The 70th Anniversary of Liberation from enemy occupation bought the crowds to St Peter Port to see one of the biggest cavalcades in recent years. The Royal Navy contingent was led by officers and sailors of HMS Northumberland and HMS Daring.

Next port of call, and the end of the cruise, is Portsmouth. Voyager will be back in Guernsey in two days time.She went into service in 1990 but was bought in a auction by her current owners, Voyages of Discovery, in 2012 to be refurbished for the British market. Just as the pilot boarded, the Condor Liberation arrived on her way north to Poole, giving her passengers a close look at Voyager.

Royal Princess & Marco Polo

Early morning joggers out at Jerbourg would have had a shock this morning when the Royal Princess appeared from around the headland. One of the larger liners to visit Guernsey this year, she left Fort Lauderdale in Florida at the end of April before arriving in Southampton on Liberation Day, May 9th. She arrived in Guernsey as part of her 12 day British Isles cruise.

Following her to the anchorage on Sunday was the Marco Polo which was also on a British Isles cruise. She arrived from Tresco, having left Tilbury on the 3rd May. The change in design and the comparative size is shown as the Marco Polo arrived for a full day visit.

If guests from the liners made it as far as Sark they would have found out that May 10th is Sark's Liberation Day, the day she was freed from enemy occupation at the end of World War II.  This is a day later than Guernsey and Jersey. A contingent of Chelsea Pensioners, Ghurkas and sailors from HMS Daring and HMS Northumberland were in the island for the 70th anniversary service at Creux Harbour. A plaque was unveiled on the harbour wall by Mrs Nellie Le Feuvre, the last remaining deportee living on Sark.

Aurora & Ocean Nova

The military kept the Aurora company at the anchorage today. She should have come tomorrow for the 70th Liberation celebrations but as the weather did not look too good for tender operations she came a day early. The Ocean Nova was anchored to the west of her and HMS Northumberland to the east.

The guests on board the Aurora were treated to a small display with a Sea King helicopter exercising with the local lifeboat. She still looks rather strange with that blue funnel of her new colours instead of the buff one. She left just after tea time heading for Zeebrugge and Bruges before heading back to Southampton early on Sunday morning.

The Ocean Nova, looked small by comparison headed out through the Little Russel for Alderney, a rare sight with more liners using the passage between Herm and Sark, the Big Russel. With Vivian beacon in the foreground, and Brehon Tower and Herm in the background, the guests on board saw a lot of the Channel Islands today.

Artania & Queen Victoria

We should have had the Artania pay us a visit today but with a southwest Force 6 to 7 she did not spend too long off the southeast corner of the island before heading for Cherbourg and Le Havre. It would have been an appropriate liner today in view of the recent happy event, as she was named Royal Princess by Diana, Princess of Wales, whose son Prince William and his wife, have just given birth to Princess Charlotte, fourth in line to the throne. This was the Artania on a visit to Guernsey in September 2012 when the weather was kinder.

What liner guests don't see is Guernsey when the tenders do not operate. At L'Eree this morning, the southwest corner of the island, the sea was rough and the sea pinks were hanging on tight as the wind blew but the sun shone.

Yesterday in the rain was not a good day to see the Queen Victoria. This was her on her maiden Round the World voyage as she docked in New York early one January morning in 2008. It was just after sunrise when she came up the Hudson to dock with that iconic skyline as a backdrop.

Queen Victoria & Sea Explorer 1

It is Bank Holiday Monday in the United Kingdom and as is traditional the weather fizzled out today to heavy rain and mist. But in the morning when the Sea Explorer 1 and the Queen Victoria arrived it was not too bad. From the Blue Mountains, Sea Explorer having arrived from Portsmouth, looks lonely on the anchorage. She left at lunchtime bound for Sark.

The Blue Mountains does not attract many liner guests, but gives views of the other Channel Islands and nearby French coast. A short walk downhill to the harbour shows the illustrious company that the Sea Explorer was keeping, with the Queen Victoria anchored nearby. Yesterday afternoon the Cunard liner sailed with the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary 2 from Southampton as part of the 175th Anniversary of the Cunard Line.

The Condor Liberation passengers had a close up view of the Queen Victoria as she sailed past on her morning trip to Poole. Today she has two sailings to Poole and will be departing north again late evening from Guernsey.

The weather had taken a turn for the worse as these guests from The Queen Victoria board the last tenders having just returned from a visit to Sark. She left just after tea time and the next port of call is Le Havre. On the 7th May at 2.10pm in Cobh the Queen Victoria's whistle will sound to mark the exact time when the Lusitania was torpedoed off the Old Head of Kinsale 100 year ago. Early on that Thursday morning the liner will pass over the spot of the sinking.