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.

Voyager & Serenissima

They left Portsmouth together last night and now they are at anchor together at St Peter Port. The Serenissima arrived first and as normal is anchored closer to the harbour entrance, with the Voyager further out. Even though the sun is shining not many yachts are out this morning as the Voyager prepares to put her guests ashore for their day in Guernsey. Tonight she will continue her cruise towards Madeira and the Azores

High tide at Rousse Tower on the North West corner of the Island, one of the 19th century fortifications restored by the States of Guernsey. Nearby is Rousse Kiosk a favorite place to eat, sit and enjoy the views. It is a short walk from a stop on the 91 and 92 bus route around the Island.

Even these two liners, small by today's standards, are world players. Voyager will spend early 2017 sailing in the South China Sea visiting Vietnam as well as Indonesia. The same dates will see Serenissima sailing through the Panama Canal after visiting Colombia. Amazing, two well traveled liners in our small Island.

Voyager

Visits are not quite as frequent as the season is getting towards its end, The Voyager arrived today from Ostend for a half day visit. The guests on board made the most of their short visit by taking coach tours around the island, they were out early and had the opportunity to see the west coast beaches at high tide with hardly anyone on them. Grandes Rocques only had these dog walkers on the beach.

Shortly after lunch time the last tender was heading back to St Peter Port to collect the guests who had enjoyed their short stay on Guernsey. The St Peter Port Pilot was boarding the liner in preparation for the departure to Oporto.

Some guests may have made it to Herm, the beaches certainly looked inviting in the late summer sunshine. The Voyager, with a capacity for just over 500 guests, finds favour with those who prefer a "quieter" liner and a smaller ship to call home during their cruise. The liner was bought at auction by its owners in 2009 and was refurbished for the British cruise market in 2012.

Voyager

It's that time of year for cruises of the British Isles and today the Voyager arrived from Falmouth. She is on a 12 Day Heritage Cruise of the British Isles out of Portsmouth. Leading towards her is the empty Castle Breakwater which on Saturday was filled with fireworks for Liberation Day. With a low tide the islands of "The Humps" stand out in the background.

The 70th Anniversary of Liberation from enemy occupation bought the crowds to St Peter Port to see one of the biggest cavalcades in recent years. The Royal Navy contingent was led by officers and sailors of HMS Northumberland and HMS Daring.

Next port of call, and the end of the cruise, is Portsmouth. Voyager will be back in Guernsey in two days time.She went into service in 1990 but was bought in a auction by her current owners, Voyages of Discovery, in 2012 to be refurbished for the British market. Just as the pilot boarded, the Condor Liberation arrived on her way north to Poole, giving her passengers a close look at Voyager.

Azores and Voyager

In July 1956 the first major peacetime passenger liner disaster since the loss of the Titantic occurred  at the Nantucket Light Vessel, the inbound and outbound focal point for shipping sailing to New York. The bow of the Swedish liner Stockholm sliced into the Italian liner Andrea Doria, causing the Stockholm's bow to be battered into nothing and the Doria to sink, with some loss of life. The Stockholm at the time was the smallest passenger ship operating on the North Atlantic route. Today after many name changes and owners, (as well as recently being impounded in Lisbon,) the Azores arrived at the anchorage off St Peter Port.

There were two liners in today, the other being the Voyager, which prompted two lanes at the new pontoon. I think they will need a Disney queuing system when the Costa Pacifica arrives next weekend. The 'small' on the road is not a comment on the size of the liners, but the "small" cars that were recently allowed to park there.

Guernsey has enjoyed ten days of wonderful weather with temperatures reaching 24C/75F, but today as the guests came ashore to enjoy their visit, the cloud got thicker, the rain came, and the wind got stronger. With the two liners viewed from the Salerie, with the Voyager in the background, the day did not look inviting. So much so that the Voyager sailed early at lunch time for La Coruna to miss the worsening weather.

It was just on tea time with the last tender back at the liner, and the pilot on board, that the Azores hoisted anchor and set sail for the Isle of Scilly with the wind and rain increasing. At the harbour the landing pontoon was towed away to allow dredging to continue at the position of the new landing area. In the background is Brehon Tower, built in the Napoleonic wars to protect the entrance to St Peter Port. Local rib tours take you for a close up look.

Voyager

The Voyager should have had a half day visit to St Peter Port today but on her arrival at lunchtime found that it was too rough to launch tenders.  After trying for a while she left and headed for her next port of call, Ostend.  The island in the background is Herm with the beaches stretching all around the north coast.

In September she will spend her time operating in the Mediterranean and Black Sea before heading for South Africa in January next year. In March 2015 she will sail towards Iceland to view the Total Eclipse.

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.