Caribbean Princess

St Peter Port is the first port of call for the Caribbean Princess after leaving Southampton last night and it's a glorious April day to celebrate the Queen's Birthday. Fresh from her multi million dollar refit in March she has some new "waves" on her bow.

Even the shore party seem capitavated by the early morning, taking photos of the liner as they headed into harbour.

St Peter Port Pilot boat heads back to harbour at the start of the days visit.

Vistafjord Caronia Saga Ruby

With the Astoria in St Peter Port today,(originally the Stockholm on the North Atlantic Route), another of the regular visitors to Guernsey in past years is heading for the breakers' yard. When liners were not as frequent as today, the Vistafjord was at St Peter Port in the summer of 1979.

Renamed in 1999 as the Caronia she visited St Peter Port in Cunard colours during the first decade of the 2000's.

In 2005 she became the Saga Ruby, a much loved liner until she was retired in 2014. Her distictive shape could soon be no more, as now named the Oasia she is rumoured to be heading for the breakers yards.

A history lesson in this photo from August 2009, with Saga Ruby in the background, the Minerva leaving the anchorage and the Spirit of Adventure in between.

Astoria

The Astoria arrived at St Peter Port this morning from Ijmuiden after a change of itinerary, she was due to arrive later in the week. She left at tea time heading for Falmouth.

A familiary shape in Guernsey waters, the Astoria has visited in recent years as the Azores, being renamed in 2016. She is one of the few original North Atlantic liners still in service.

AIDAvita

AIDAvita arrives in St Peter Port, first visitor of the year 21st March 2017, left Miami 5th March, on to Hamburg 24th March.

Many Titles for this photo, St Peter Port pilot boat, Golden Spur,  under the watchful eye of etc etc etc!!

By the time departure time  came for Dover guests were able to enjoy the spring sun, though with coats on.

One guest is determined to get a photo of the anchor coming up,

Azura

Compared to the last few weeks the short crossing by tender from the Azura looked not as peaceful as it had been. She is on a two night cruise out of Southampton to Guernsey which seems to attract guests celebrating special birthdays and even wedding dinners.

St Peter Port had the morning sun which showed off the town cascading up the hills. Not many guests would have made it to one of Guernsey newer restaurants, the cream building with its huts in the gardens, accessible only by steps that climb the hill.

Azura entered service in 2010 and with her sister ship Ventura were the largest ships in P&Os fleet until the arrival of the Britannia. With Herm in the background she makes an impressive sight as her own tenders come alongside. During the day the Herm Trident also helped out, moving large numbers of guests at a time. Azura made her way back to Southampton just before 6.00pm.

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.

Oriana & Voyager

As the end of August looms and the colder months get closer so a trip to Herm on these last sunny days is called for. The bonus was the view from Herm of the Oriana and the Voyager. Oriana dropped anchor first on a British Isles cruise. St Peter Port was the first port of call with some guests making the most of their long day in Guernsey to take a trip to the smaller island. In the image Herm Trident passes the Oriana on her short trip to Herm.

The Voyager arrived mid morning coming from Ostend. She picked up the Guernsey Pilot off the Lower Heads buoy before sailing towards the anchorage, seen here passing between the Island of Jethou and St Martins Point on Guernsey. Voyager, one of the smaller liners visiting this year, carries just over 500 guests but is still well traveled, spending Christmas and New Year in the Far East.

Although the last to arrive the guests on board Voyager had a shorter tender ride into St Peter Port, and here she is coming up to anchor with the Pilot boat marking the position. She left just before the Oriana at tea time and is heading south for Vigo.

Ventura

P&Os Ventura spent Sunday at St Peter Port on her way north from a cruise to the west coast of Portugal and Spain. She made the most of the August weather arriving before breakfast and departing at tea time. The sea front was closed to traffic so guests good make the most of a "Sea Front Sunday"

Guests taking any Bus or Coach tour which goes as far as L'Eree on the west coast may have noticed the geese and ducks that inhabit the fields and nature reserve. What they don't see is that as dusk falls the geese on one side of the road head to the reserve on the other side, some fly, some walk, but they seem to know when there is no traffic!

Before the geese crossed the road the Ventura left the anchorage and headed out on her way to Southampton around the southern tip of Sark. This is the first time I've seen the Ventura in the new colours. I don't remember seeing the eye-catching red line at sea level before on the other P&O Liners, maybe she is a bit high in the water.

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.

Europa 2

A short morning visit for the Europa 2 before heading to Sark for the afternoon. On entering service in 2013 she was named the Number 1 Cruise Liner in the world by the Berlitz Cruising Guide. The liner, built in St Nazaire, is an all-suite and all-balcony ship carrying just over 500 guests. It's the variation in the different types of liners that anchor off St Peter Port that make it so interesting, unlike ports that have the "weekly" turnaround.

Shortly after arriving tenders were running the short distance to the harbour with its landing area almost in the heart of St Peter Port. Jersey, in the background, is the largest of the Channel Islands.

The summer season is now well underway in Guernsey and with the recent good weather the beaches are busy and beach kiosks and cafes in St Peter Port are bustling. This one above the old harbour is visible from the liner landing area, and when seated here you have clear views of your liner, the harbour and other Channel Islands.

With the Guernsey Pilot just taken off the Europa 2 after her afternoon in Sark she sails down the south coast of Guernsey in glorious evening sunlight bound for Falmouth.

Caribbean Princess & Azamara Quest

Today and yesterday have seen two liners visit on cruises around the British Isles. The Caribbean Princess arrived yesterday at the start of her cruise and left mid afternoon bound for Cobh, passing the Azamara Quest at the end of her cruise having arrived from the same port. With the heat haze still coming off the land after the previous day's record temperatures the Caribbean Princess provides a contrast with the cliffs of the south coast of Guernsey and the Island of Sark.

The Azamara Quest is a very different liner from the Caribbean Princess catering for the destinations that the larger liner cannot visit. With only a quarter of the number of guests the line attracts the boutique liner afficianado who appreciate the more intimate ship. She left early evening bound for Southampton where her next cruise will head to St Petersburg.

Summer in Guernsey attracts many different type of boat, and on the anchorage tonight, as the Azamara Quest left,  was the Regina Maris, a sailing ship built in 1970.  According to her website she accommodates over 30 students, and spends a lot of time off the coast of Africa as a sailing training ship, home porting in Amsterdam.

Caribbean Princess

Back home to see the Caribbean Princess visit St Peter Port on one of her regular sailings this year. She had company at the anchorage with Guernsey's adopted ship HMS Daring. This combination of Warship and Cruise Liner is not seen very often as the Caribbean Princess left mid afternoon bound for the Irish Sea and Cobh.

HMS Daring was launched in 2006, entered service in 2009 with a home port of Portsmouth. In 2008 she became Guernsey's adopted ship and has  visited the island many times during her career. This time was a short visit leaving overnight on Friday. Although accommodation has improved on naval ships in recent years I'm sure the crew on the Daring had comments about the Caribbean Princess facilities.

Crystal Symphony

Busy week for Guernsey with liners visiting everyday. This Wednesday it was the turn of the Crystal Symphony on her way north from Lisbon to London. Built in Finland she entered service in 1995 and caters for just under a 1,000 guests. She was given a major refurbishment in 2008, with a smaller one in 2012.

Many of the guests took the tours provided leaving parts of St Peter Port looking very empty. This is Mill St on the outskirts of town, where the shops seem to peter out, leading to residential areas. This street is home to many small shops that cannot afford High St rents, including Ben Le Prevost's Chocolate shop and art galleries. The cobbled street is a fine feature.

Crystal Symphony had THV Patricia for company at the anchorage on one of her regular visits to the Channel Islands. The liner will be on the other side of the world in six months as she cruises the waters of the southern oceans visiting Australia and New Zealand. Crystal Symphony departed just after tea time heading south for St Malo where many guests will visit Mont St Michel or enjoy the creperies Intra Muros.

Celebrity Silhouette

If you wanted to see Guernsey you had to come ashore. The Island was shrouded in fog, cancelling flights at the airport and not making for the best experience for the guests of the Celebrity Silhouette on a British Isles cruise. Having arrived from Dover the liner left mid afternoon for Cobh in Southern Ireland.

Guests on the tenders did not have a much better view as the fog thickened around the harbour. The range of nationalities that cruise liners bring to Guernsey is surprising and  today included a family from Venezuela, who appreciated the kindness of Islanders and who saw the beauty of the Island even with today's inclement weather. As it always seems to happen, withing two hours of Celebrity Silhouette leaving, the fog lifted, and the sun came out giving a lovely end to the first day of this bank holiday weekend.

Last year was a different experience with the sun reflecting off the sides of the liner as she left St Peter Port.

Ventura

Not a lucky day for guests on board the Ventura which cancelled its visit to St Peter Port. She is on a short cruise from Southampton to Guernsey and Bruges but conditions outside of the port were not suitable for tender operations. As Ventura left St Peter Port fishing boats were still returning to harbour where some of their catch will be enjoyed in the restaurants tonight.

The weather yesterday on Guernsey was sunny but blustery with the clear skies on the west coast giving a good sunset. The bunkers of Fort Hommet continue to keep watch over the beaches although time and tide take their toll 70 years on. This one on the north side of the headland has its wooden shuttering still in place after all this time. Armed with a 10.5 cm gun they kept watch over the bays of Cobo and Grandes Rocques. On the opposite side of the headland one has been restored and is open  to the public at specific times.

Ventura is not due into Zeebrugge, (where guests will travel to Bruges), until Saturday leaving guests on board time to enjoy Ventura's large Arena Theatre as well as its many restaurants. With good visibility there would have been views of the Normandy coast as the liner headed north past Flamanville. Her next cruise will be to the Mediterranean journeying as far east as Santorini where hopefully tenders will be running in kinder weather.

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.