Azura

Hard to believe it's April, it seems more like June, especially with the French vedette Victor Hugo leaving St Peter Port with day trippers on a warm evening. With the Azura in the background preparing to leave it seems everybody had a good day in Guernsey.

Basking in the final warmth of the day the guests on board the Azura have enjoyed a cruise south to La Coruna. It may be a shock at 6am tomorrow morning in Southampton.

Castle Cornet is the fortification which has guarded the approaches to St Peter Port for centuries, a popular visit for guests on board the liners. Matching "Union Jacks" on the Castle and on the bow as Azura heads back to her homeport.

Europa

A month ago Europa 2 visited St Peter Port for a half day visit, this Bank Holiday Monday it was the turn of Europa. She has a reputation as the most luxurious small cruise liner and on some cruises has a Michelin starred chef in one of the smaller restaurants on board. This Bank Holiday the weather is sunny and warm but the seas and Castle Cornet look surprisingly empty.

I don't know if any guests made it to Moulin Huet, but the cafe was open today for the many cliff walkers about this morning. With the car park at the top of the footpath it's a steep walk to the cafe and the beach, but Renoir managed to make it for one of his paintings.

It was just before midnight when the Europa left for St Malo and tenders were running well into Monday night giving guests the opportunity to enjoy an evening ashore. Europa is on a cruise from Hamburg to Lisbon and will then head for the Mediterranean, and eventually on to Cape Town and the Far East for Christmas. Taking advantage of her size she visits the smaller ports and Friday will see her in St Jean de Luz, a town at the western end of the Pyrenees.

Astor

Astor was back in St Peter Port on another sunny August day. Her days at sea might have been a bit different if she had started on her intended sailings between Cape Town and Southampton, but before being completed she was sold to a another shipping company. With her current owners she does sail into Cape Town occasionally, and April next year will see her spend two days there. In the foreground is the pier at Salarie Corner, with the Island of Sark in the background.

Astor left at tea time bound for Honfleur and then on to Zeebrugge. The seas off St Peter Port look empty for August even though the sun is still shining. October will see her heading westbound across the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal and onto Auckland. The sea off St Peter Port will look even emptier then!

Queen Elizabeth

The St Peter Port Pilot is shortly to board the Queen Elizabeth as she comes around the south east corner of Guernsey on a grey Saturday morning. There's a stiff westerly wind blowing judging by the flag on Castle Cornet which many of the liners guests will visit today.

The waters outside of St Peter Port harbour are surprisingly empty on this July day as the Queen Elizabeth makes her way up to the anchorage. She is on a cruise out of Southampton visiting Guernsey and Bruges. Sunday will be spent at sea before she heads for Zeebruge, the port for Bruges.

Shortly before dropping anchor, tenders are already being swung out ready to get the shore party ashore promptly. The liner also used two local ferries as tenders to ease congestion for the transfers to the landing pontoon in the heart of St Peter Port. Not many early risers amongst the Cunard guests to enjoy their arrival.

Astor

TO THE LADY who lost her wedding ring in Boots I believe it has been found. This blog EMail is nklepgur@gmail.com.



Astor was the Cruise Liner visiting today, not leaving until well into the evening after a long day in Guernsey. She left Tilbury last Wednesday on a British Isles cruise. She visited Scottish Islands before heading south to Dublin and the Scilly Isles, before arriving at St Peter Port. Astor, extensively refurbished 6 six years ago, is one of the smaller liners to visit the Island, catering for just under 600 guests. Tomorrow one of her sister ships in Cruise & Martime Voyages will visit, the Magellan.

Leaving the anchorage in the last sunlight of the evening the rocks and islands to the north of Herm show clearly. The sea does not look very summery yet, even for the 12th July. Astor's next destination is Honfleur in Normandy, before she heads back to Tilbury.

Amadea

She is almost home, her last port of call before arriving in Hamburg. Amadea left Europe before Christmas last year, sailed down the coast of Brazil, visiting amongst other ports Rio de Janiero and Buenos Aires, before sailing around Cape Horn into the Pacific.

The beginning of February this year found her off the coast of Chile visiting the "Cape Horners" port of Valparaiso, before continuing to Peru and Ecuador. In March she was sailing through the Panama Canal visiting Cuba and other Caribbean Islands and by the end of the month she was back this side of the Atlantic in La Coruna before heading north and home.

With the trees still looking wintry with no summer growth the Amadea opens the season in Guernsey being the first liner to visit in 2016. With an arrival at breakfast time she was on her way to Germany early afternoon. Sunday will see in her Hamburg where this well traveled lady rests before heading south to the Canary Islands in mid-April.

The waters outside St Peter Port Harbour look very empty at this time of year, no ferries or visiting yachts yet, only the Amadea looking part of Castle Cornet. A lack of tourists on top of the Castle as well on this warm April day.

Amadea is the first liner to use the pontoon with the longer access ramp giving a less steep climb from the tenders to the shore. St Peter Port continues to improve the arrival for guests and this is the second year to use this area to land in the heart of St Peter Port

Berlin

On the last day of August the Berlin arrived at St Peter Port for a day's visit. One of the smaller liners visiting this month, with a capacity for 400 guests, the experience will be a bit different from the Azura which visited yesterday. One day there will be some guests standing on the top of the bunkers at Castle Cornet, but not today.

The Berlin left London yesterday giving the guests on board time to see the Tall Ships moored by the Tower of London. Early this evening she will leave for Ijmuiden, the port on the North Sea coast connected by canal to Amsterdam and Haarlem.  Unusually there were no yachts or ferries outside the harbour as a tender heads back to the liner.

Royal Princess

It's Bank Holiday weekend in a few days in England. Many people take holidays this week to tag the Bank Holiday on as a extra day. So the weather this morning is rain, strong winds, rough sea, mist and not the day to take a tender ride into St Peter Port. Stay on board and enjoy the amenities of the liner. The Azamara Quest had already cancelled and sailed from Southampton directly to Bordeaux. Royal Princess arrived early this morning and was already straining at the anchor as it got less dark.

After the many successful visits of the Royal Princess this year it was a shame that this last one was not. When she arrives back in Southampton after circumnavigating the British Isles she will cross the Atlantic and spend our winter cruising out of Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean. She will spend next summer cruising from Barcelona and Civitavecchia.

After an hour or so the decision was made to abort the visit to Guernsey and the Royal Princess sailed for Cork. The last view of the liner this year in Guernsey waters looked rather lonely with no tenders or ferries around her. Winter is coming fast it seems. Some of the guests on board may enjoy the liner for almost a month as they combine their British Isles cruise and then the Atlantic crossing.

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.

Le Boreal and Boudicca

It did not go well for the Boudicca today in Guernsey. She arrived at the anchorage from Dover early this morning with her guests ready for a long day ashore. After the shore party had landed it seemed that the swell was too great, the tender was recalled, and two hours later the ship was continuing her passage to Falmouth where she arrived at tea time. The disappointed guests on board did not even have time to visit Castle Cornet which was tantalisingly close.

By the time Le Boreal arrived from the south, the weather had changed from a grey, drizzly day to one of sunshine and really heavy rain showers. Le Boreal's decks were empty as she came to the anchorage vacated earlier by the Boudicca . Only four months ago Le Boreal was in Antarctica, one of the newer ships for those challenging cruises, being launched in 2010. With the sun behind the liner and the rain in front she made an impressive sight.

By the time she had anchored the showers had passed and her guests enjoyed their short half day visit to Guernsey, before leaving late afternoon for Caen, where she will transit the canal at Ouistreham.

When the guests came ashore they would find plenty of buses, (now closer than ever due to the new landing area for tenders,) helping the independent traveler enjoy Guernsey. Alternatively, in between some of these buildings are small, ancient, pedestrian lanes which are a fascinating way to explore St Peter Port.

Crystal Symphony

It's the time of year when the cruise liners migrate to different destinations. The Crystal Symphony arrived late morning from Ijmuiden, the port for Amsterdam,  and spent the day at anchor in glorious sunshine off St Peter Port Harbour. The photo is taken from the cliff path on the east coast of Guernsey which affords views of the other Channel Islands. In the foreground are the outlying works of Fort George, and on the horizon is the island of Alderney.

The liner dominates the view of Castle Cornet, a popular visit for cruise liner guests on short visits to Guernsey. It's a 15 minute walk along the sea front to the entrance of the Castle. In the foreground is the "Noonday Gun", fired at noon every day when the Castle is open. In two weeks time the liner will be sailing past South Beach, Miami taking home the American guests on board.

MSC Opera

The sun shone at the start of the weekend as all the commuters were going home, with St Peter Port Harbour bathed in sunshine and looking rather busy. With the MSC Opera at anchor, the Commodore Clipper is about to leave for Jersey, the Herm Trident is taking some lucky visitors to Herm and the French vedette, Granville, is also in the harbour.

The breakwater leading to Castle Cornet is overshadowed by the MSC Opera as the last tenders make their way back to the liner. She is bound to the Mediterranean when she leaves Guernsey before returning at the end of the month on her northbound journey.

Aurora

On the last day of August on a 48 hour cruise from Southampton the Aurora's destination was St Peter Port. The clock on Castle Cornet shows 20 minutes until departure time, with all the tenders back on board she will be preparing to leave for her overnight journey back to Southampton.

With the guests enjoying the last of the summer sunshine and local boat owners making the most of the warm days in Herm, Aurora catches the sun as she leaves the anchorage.

Sarah-P returns from a day's fishing, passing The Peastacks on the south coast of Guernsey, as the Aurora clears the pilotage zone for St Peter Port Harbour. There is a cliff path all the way along the south coast of Guernsey running along the heights, as well as dropping down to the bays, some of which can only be reached on foot or by boat.

MSC Opera

The MSC Opera arrived this afternoon on one of her frequent summer visits, on her way from IJmuiden in the Netherlands to Vigo and then Lisbon. IJmuiden is at the head of the North Sea Canal to Amsterdam, the name means "mouth of the IJ". With the strong afternoon sun on another hot day the tenders operate from the shady side of the liner.

MSC Opera did not depart until early evening so although she arrived just after midday at the anchorage her guests had the opportunity for a long half day visit to to the Island. On a idyllic summer's afternoon the islets which lie off the north coast of Herm are clearly visible. Know locally as the "humps" they are home to wildlife such as grey seals and razorbills which can be viewed on the rib rides which operate from St Peter Port.

Adonia

The Adonia arrived early from La Rochelle and enjoyed a day of record temperatures in Guernsey, the hottest so far this year.  She left for the overnight passage to Southampton before the rain started to fall and missed the threatened thunder and lightning.

Castle Cornet in the foreground, one of the premier tourist attractions, gave visitors a good view of the Adonia, the smallest ship in P&Os fleet. Since being built in 2001 she has had a few name changes including Minerva 2, R8 and Royal Princess. One of her sister ships, Azamara Journey,  is sailing for Azamara Club Cruises, frequent visitors to Guernsey.

Somebody had a unusual background to their wedding photos this afternoon. Castle Cornet is a favorite venue for wedding celebrations; a wonderful setting on a warm summer's night.

Aurora and Voyager

Today the Voyager arrived in St Peter Port, almost a year since its aborted drive-by at the anchorage when 2 other liners were at anchor but the Captain decided not to stay. This view was taken from Castle Cornet as the pilot boarded ready for a early evening departure back to Portsmouth. The weather has been hot and sunny for the past few days, good for the liner's guests and islanders.

On the southerly anchorage off Fermain Bay the Aurora has spent Thursday and Friday at anchor. The moorings at Fermain, the steps in the photo, are a favorite spot for fishing as well as enjoying the view of the bay. The cafe here is popular with local and visitors and is accessible only on foot.

With her overnight stay, the Aurora gave the chance for night time photos, here "balanced on top" of Castle Cornet, viewed from La Fregate Hotel, with its award winning restaurant.

Ruby Princess

Today the wind moderated and there were not quite as many showers as the Ruby Princess paid her first visit to Guernsey. Having left Fort Lauderdale on the 27th April, she has followed in the footsteps on her sister ship the Emerald Princess which recently visited. She is currently on a British Isles Cruise and after leaving St Peter Port will head for Cobh in Southern Ireland and then to the Scottish Islands. The roofs of Hauteville show in the image below, home to Victor Hugo's house.

The Ruby Princess was in St Peter Port only for a short half day visit and for her 3,000 plus guests had her tenders running as well as local ferries.

Many of her guests took the opportunity to visit Castle Cornet as well as take a walk on the Castle Breakwater for some picture opportunities with the castle and St Peter Port as a background.

Saga Sapphire

The Saga Sapphire sailed from Falmouth late last night and arrived in Guernsey for a half day stay. She spent her time in Guernsey anchored off Castle Cornet giving her guests a short tender ride to St Peter Port. Saga Sapphire joined the Saga fleet in May 2012 after her refurbishment in Palmero and was the first to appear in the new livery of Saga. The liner was launched in 1981 and became the MS Europa before undergoing many name changes before being transferred to Saga in 2011.

On departure for Dover, the Saga Sapphire headed south, with the Commodore Clipper in the background  passing the Casquets off Alderney, the most northerly of the Channel Islands. The beaches on the north coast of Herm still look inviting even in these early days of September.

With Herm and Jethou forming a background these islands can be added to the list that Saga Sapphire has sailed by on this cruise including the Isle of Man, Isle of Mull, Orkney, and Skye on her Celtic Britain and Ireland cruise.