Britannia

The sun was barely up behind Sark when the Britannia arrived from La Coruna. Coming around the south east corner with the Pine Forest as a foreground the seas look empty apart from the liner.

If the Britannia had come a day earlier the guests could have enjoyed the Air Display.  This included the Red Arrows "Missing Man" tribute to the Island's much loved Lieutenant Governor who died suddenly last weekend.

No blue skies met the Britannia as she dropped the anchor on her day's visit. She is on a Iberian cruise and has sailed as far as the north coast of Spain before turning north to Guernsey and her home port of Southampton. For the winter season she will sail from Southampton at the end of October to Bridgetown, Barbados. Before that though she will return to Guernsey on Sunday on a two day cruise from Southampton.

Berlin

The Berlin is back today for another visit from London. The weather for tender operations was perfect with hardly any wind or swell, enabling guests to enjoy their day in Guernsey. She left in the early evening for Ijmuiden with the guests on board no doubt enjoying the two restaurants on board. She is back in local waters next week and the end of the year will see her cruising in the Red Sea on one week cruises.

In the late summer sunshine the steps leading to the high ground and back streets of St Peter Port provide hidden view at ever turn, you've just got to search them out. These steps lead down into the Market Square of St Peter Port with its cafes and shops in the old markets.

Guests who returned early to the liner or did not go ashore enjoy the afternoon sunshine on the stern of the Berlin, as do the crew on the lower deck. Two tenders were in operation, but no large queues developed with the small capacity of this liner at just over 400 guests.

Azores

Another day, another liner. This time the Azores back to St Peter Port on a "Treasures of the British Isles " cruise out of Bristol, although her previous port of Le Havre in Normandy seems a little out of the way. It's the time of year when islanders are making the most of the late summer sunny days. This was the first of two ferries returning from Sark this Sunday.

This tender from the Azores makes its way up the southern fairway to the cruise liner pontoon. As with the Marco Polo yesterday, the Azores was also once a trans-Atlantic ocean liner. Launched in 1946 as the Stockholm she was one of the smaller liners at the time carrying just under 400 passengers.

When she leaves St Peter Port the Azores  will be chasing one of yesterday's visitor, the Prinsendam,  to Tresco in the Scilly Isles before finishing her cruise in Bristol on Tuesday. At this time of day the local fishing boats return to port and the pleasure boaters finishing their sailing for the weekend.

Marco Polo & Prinsendam

Two today with the Prinsendam and the Marco Polo enjoying a September Saturday in Guernsey. An ideal day for tender operations although a long ride for the guests on the Marco Polo. The fast RIB which takes sightseers around Herm and the the rocky outcrops of Guernsey gives their passengers a close up view of the liners.

The Casquets Lighthouse to the west of Alderney was clear today although I'm not so sure it would have been visible to the guests on the Prinsendam from deck level. The Casquets have been the scene of many tragic ship wrecks over the years including the SS Stella, (marked by a plaque at St Peter Port Harbour) and HMS Victory, a predecessor of Nelson's famous flagship. Next port of call for the Prinsendam. is Tresco in the Scilly Isles as part of a Celtic and Gaelic cruise.

Marco Polo looks pristine in readiness for its next cruise.  After this British Isles Cruise, she will sail to Canada as part of her 50th Anniversary Voyage, not returning to Tilbury until early October. She is going back to her roots as in the 1960s she operated a trans-Atlantic service, as the Alexander Pushkin, between Leningrad and Montreal, being one of the fastest ships in the Soviet merchant fleet. A regular visitor to Guernsey, long may she be seen in these waters. The sun shone on the Marco Polo and the north of Sark, but Jethou lies in shadow.

Marina

The Marina arrived at St Peter Port this morning having sailed from Dover last night. She left Stockholm two weeks ago, and she will arrive in Civitavecchia in three weeks time. Guests could have joined the liner in Amsterdam, and some will leave in Barcelona rather than continue on to Italy. The weather was kind for the whole stay with the sun shining for the afternoon.  The anchor is not dropped yet as the Marina comes up to the anchorage, with the Golden Spur, St Peter Port pilot boat, close to the spot.

The cliff paths to the south of St Peter Port pass through Fort George and its fortifications. The soldiers from the fort use to bath at a bay called Soldiers Bay, but access was closed off for many years due to rocks falling and other safety issues. You can still reach it though judging by these two bathers enjoying the solitude of the area. Hidden in the other side of the cliffs  is a tunnel, used by the occupying forces in World War Two, which is now an aquarium.

The low spring tide shows up the many rocks highlighting the dangers that local mariners have when navigating these waters. No one on the balconies of the Marina, no doubt all enjoying the day ashore. Next port of call is Concarneau, a walled town with a delightful small ferry on the south west coast of Brittany. These destinations demonstrate the ability of this Oceania Cruise small luxury liner to visit different ports that the larger liners bypass.