MSC Opera and Marco Polo

The Marco Polo arrived today from the Scilly Isles on a British Isles Discovery cruise and spent the day on the westerly anchorage. The visitors to Castle Cornet, in the foreground, certainly had a good view of the liner.  So will visitors over the next few day of the National Powerboating races and the Guernsey Airshow taking place off the Castle, one of the better spots to view both.

The MSC Opera arrived at lunchtime for a half day visit on the way to Lisbon and had the Sarnia Cherie for company, a oil tanker, part of a pair which Guernsey owns to safeguard its fuel supplies. This is necessary as St Sampsons harbour dries out at low tide, and these ships can sit on the harbour bottom.
The Herm beaches look inviting in the background, with temperatures still in the mid 20's, warm enough to sunbathe and swim.

Queen Elizabeth

Today was the turn of Cunard's Queen Elizabeth arriving from Dublin after a day at sea yesterday. Her maiden voyage was in autumn 2010 to the Iberian Peninsula. For company on the anchorage today she had the Sarnia Cherie, one of Guernsey's own oil tankers.  She was purchased to safeguard the delivery of oil to St Sampsons Harbour which dries out at low tide. Because of this the double hulled ship, built in 200,7 has to sit on the bottom of the harbour.

If you were in Castle Cornet you had the opportunity to see her through the pay per view telescopes, now costing 50 pence or 1 Euro, I though they were still 10 pence. Is this where the one from the airport went? This must be one of the few dual coinage pay machines on the island.

This game of lawn bowls goes on despite the view of the Queen Elizabeth in the background. Tonight the liner will leave Guernsey bound for Southampton where she will end her 10 day cruise around the British Isles.