Prinsendam & Britannia

Last night the Prinsendam arrived at St Peter Port at the start of her Celtic Explorer cruise, sailing down the Big Russel, with calm seas as the sun was setting. No guests came ashore overnight, but plenty were on deck to enjoy their arrival at the anchorage. In the image the Island in the background is Sark.

As the sun set there was cloud on the horizon but it parted just enough to shine on the liner after she anchored.

This morning she had company as the Britannia arrived at the end of a cruise which has taken her to the north coast of Spain. Seas were calm as she sailed along the south coast of Guernsey arriving just as the sun was rising. It seems there have been less cancellations due to weather this year, but that could be just wishful thinking.

Unusual to have two liners in lit up. It was just dark enough for them both to be illuminated with the Britannia on the outer anchorage and the Prinsendam closer to St Peter Port. Temperatures are still high in Guernsey today with not much wind, ideal for guests to enjoy themselves on the island before leaving at 6 pm.  Britannia returns to Southampton and the Prinsendam on to the Isles of Scilly.

Britannia

Britannia was in town today where guests enjoyed another sunny summer's day. Arriving a little later than normal the tenders were soon running to the harbour. The liner pontoon in St Peter Port, bringing guests to the heart of the town, is proving beneficial, but it maybe a bit small for the larger liner tenders. This guest, making the most of the photo opportunity, gets one of the empty tenders heading back to Britannia.

A photo opportunity for another guest, this time on the bridge deck level,  getting her last photos of Guernsey before Britannia sets sail. Only two more visits due here for Britannia before she heads away from Northern Europe for warmer climes. The Union Jack colours look particularly striking in this shot.

St Peter Port is the last call for Britannia as she heads back to Southampton after a two week cruise to the Mediterranean. One of the last tenders heads back to the liner, as the island of Herm in the background prepares for a busy weekend and the forecast good weather.

Britannia

Guernsey puts on its Sunday Best for the Britannia today when she arrived on one of the best days of the year so far. With a Motor Sport event along St Peter Port's seafront, inviting beaches and the glorious coastline guests on board would have been spoiled for choice. The sea was calm for tender operations and many locals took the opportunity to take their boats to sea this Sunday.

The Britannia left Southampton last night and Guernsey is her first port of call as she heads down to the north coast of Spain. Guests on board will have the opportunity to get ashore in France when the liner stops at La Rochelle, but the close proximity of the French coast to the Channel Islands was made obvious by the site of Cap de la Hague nuclear processing plant, clearly visible on the horizon.

 Just after tea time a few locals fishing off St Martins Point may have had a shock as the Britannia came past heading south leaving for La Coruna.  For a minute she caught the sun and shone and sparkled, a perfect end to her visit to Guernsey. The Island of Sark is in the background, and some of the guests may have visited the finals of the Sheep Racing  on the island this weekend!

Ocean Nova & Britannia

Two different ends of the scale with the visits of today's Cruise Liners. St Peter Port is the last port of call for the Britannia on her way north from La Coruna in Spain on the way back to Southampton. Ocean Nova, the diminutive liner in the foreground, was here earlier this week and has returned, making St Peter Port her first port of call from Portsmouth.

Ocean Nova left at lunch time bound for Alderney taking the passage that the larger liners cannot past St Sampson's and the Corbette D'Amont beacon. Later this year in November she will feel more at home as she sails to Antarctica, having been built in Denmark for the waters of Greenland.

There is quite a contrast in the number of guests on each liner: 80 on the Ocean Nova, and over 4,000 on the Britannia. The last tenders are being hoisted on the Britannia as she prepares to leave for Southampton, with a Trident ferry in the background on the last trip of the day to Herm. 

Britannia

Bank Holiday Sunday in Guernsey today and the first of the sea front closures in St Peter Port. The guests on board the Britannia,which was on a short taster cruise from Southampton, appreciated the market and various attractions that were available a short walk from their landing area.

If they ventured to the north of the Island or took an Island Tour they may have seen Guernsey's own race course which is looking good for tomorrow's meeting, although the weather may not be the same as the photo. Taken on Saturday night from the kite, this image looks towards the Braye du Valle, the area of water which originally split the Island in two.

Almost an on time departure for the Britannia as she headed to sea past the Trinity House vessel, Galatea. She is in local waters to look after navigation aids. The Union Jack bow seems to suit this liner better than some others in P&Os fleet, fittingly so as the Lines flagship.  In the background is the Normandy coast at Cape de la Hague.

As the guests on board see their last view of Castle Cornet and Guernsey thoughts will be turning to the choice of dining on board, with ten options and then which entertainment venue to enjoy. By tomorrow morning they will disembarking in Southampton. Britannia then prepares to leave on an Iberia cruise that will see her back in Guernsey next Sunday returning from Spain.

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.

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.