Marco Polo

After a very quiet week for visiting cruise liners the Marco Polo arrived off Guernsey from the Isles of Scilly. The ship began life in 1965 as the Alexander Pushkin being at the time, one of the most prestigious liners in the Soviet Merchant Fleet.  After a career including trans Atlantic service between Leningrad and Montreal she was laid up in the early 1990's for expected scrapping.  An entrepreneur purchased the ship and two years later she emerged as the Marco Polo for a new career where her past life enhanced the cruising experience for her guests.

Whilst the Marco Polo was at anchor the MV Valiant left harbour on one of her frequent services to Jersey and Alderney. She was built in 1993 and is owned by Faversham Ships of the Isle of Wight.

She spent the morning in sunny weather off St Peter Port but the afternoon changed to thunderstorms and heavy rain. As the weather passed by the sun shone like a spotlight on the Marco Polo as she was anchored off Castle Cornet before her departure to Honfleur.

MSC Opera

The MSC Opera was back today on her way south to Spain and Portugal. She arrived from Ijmuiden via the  Big Russel before turning at the Lower Heads buoy to follow the pilot boat to the anchorage position.

Due to the strong winds and rising during the day the liner moved anchorage position a few times to provide for safe transfer of the guests to the tenders.When she first arrived the initial position was not suitable and she  moved astern to a more southerly position.

The shore party was on on there way ashore promptly but had a wait before the guests arrived. Not doubt during the day they suffered with the weather as thunderstorms and torrential rain passed over Guernsey. The ferry in the background is the Herm Trident passing the Island of Jethou which is currently leased by Sir Peter Ogden. There was once a cafe on the island which was raided by the police in the 1950s for serving drinks out of hours.

Oceana

It's that time of the year for the repeat visits with the Oceana on her way back from an Iberian Peninsular cruise making her last port of call St Peter Port. The weather is again glorious with many day trippers arriving on the fast ferry from Poole. They get a shorter day in Jersey because of the extra journey time but there seems plenty on the Condor Express as she heads south.

On a high tide in St Peter Port the view of Condor Express and the tenders shows the development to the north of St Peter Port known as Admiral Park, The tenders from the Oceana continued all through their stay but there were queues even in the middle of the day.

This small jetty at the Halfway provides the viewpoint for the Oceana on the easterly anchorage. The Halfway is known as such because it's, well, halfway between the two main harbours on Guernsey.

Caribbean Princess

Caribbean Princess is back today on another one of her British Isles cruise visits. She is anchored on the easterly anchorage with part of Fort George,  (appropriate name this week), fortifications showing in the foreground. Used as a barracks by the occupying forces in World War 2, it contains the unique German fortifications built on top of Napoleonic era ones. The small beach is the southern entrance to a tunnel which now contains an aquarium from which the "famous" bass was stolen recently. This fish was passed off as a winner in a local fishing contest, until it was identified by a local fisherman as such!

Staying for half a day causes queues for the tenders as the guests try and make the most of their short visit, meaning that the majority will leave heading back to the harbour as late as possible.

Wednesday was another sunny day with the sea calm giving the guests a good journey out to the Caribbean Princess. In the background are the islands to the north of Herm know locally as "The Humps".

MSC Opera, Oceana

Two regulars today, the Oceana arriving first on a Southampton, Zeebrugge, Guernsey, Southampton cruise along with the MSC Opera arriving in the early afternoon on a cruise from Spain, to the Netherlands and then south again. The helmsman on the Oceana tender has been in the job 25 years, and on a day like this it looks to be a good job.

Guernsey still continues to bask in a heatwave but some of the guests on the MSC Opera prefer to stay on board the ship and enjoy the luxury cabins on the stern with the bigger balconies.

With the capacity of these liners there was plenty of tender traffic going to and fro and the Oceana being on her usual easterly anchorage had the longer ride. The MSC Opera was the last to leave Guernsey and was on her way south to Vigo where she will arrive on Saturday morning. Both liners will be back at the end of the month, hopefully still in good weather.

Balmoral

On another hot summer's day the Balmoral, star of BBC's Tuesday night programme about an on-board vicar, arrived at St Peter Port from Southampton with over 1,000 guests aboard. The programme has received mixed reviews from potential guests and Fred Olsen issued a disclaimer saying that the BBC had full control over what it chose to film.

One of the last tenders to leave St Peter Port takes down the Fred Olsen house flag as she heads back to the ship. The Balmoral was launched in 1988 and was stretched in 2007 by having a 99 foot section added to the centre of the ship,so she is the largest ship in the fleet.

Tenders being hoisted as the ship prepares for departure provide interest for the guests. Her next port of call is Dublin, where she will arrive 18 hours later. Currently Fred Olsen is offering 3 cruises to see the Total Eclipse in March 2015 on the Boudicca, Black Watch and the Braemar, after the first one sold out immediately. 

Oceana

After the warmest weekend this year P&O's Oceana is at the easterly anchorage off St Peter Port on a short two night cruise from and to Southampton. The days now produce a lot of heat haze and the beaches of north coast of Herm are barely visible.

After a full day in Guernsey the crew of the Oceana with all guests aboard get the landing stage all closed up and prepare for departure. The Oceana was built by an Italian yard and entered service in 2002, and has capacity for over 2,200 guests

Holiday makers get a last view of the ship as she leaves for the overnight trip back to Southampton and a early morning arrival.  The tables at La Vallette on the east coast of Guernsey provide a good view of all the shipping and islands and keep the sun in the early evening of mid summer.  Later in the month Oceana will return to the Island as part of a cruise visiting Spain and Portugal.

Caribbean Princess

Today the Caribbean Princess is back in St Peter Port again for one of her frequent visits to the Island It was a misty day to start, but by the time of her early afternoon departure the sun was shining again. The tenders were running all morning, as were local ferries to bring ashore some of the 3,500 guests on board. Castle Cornet in the background was held by Royalist Forces for 8 years in the English Civil War whilst Guernsey was for the Roundheads.  At that time it was not connected by a breakwater to the Island.

As the guests arrived in St Peter Port a local guide dressed in Guernsey Militia uniform was available to help them  make the best of their short visit to Guernsey. This area is on the north side of St Peter Port and is where the Liberation Monument commemorates the Island's liberation from occupying forces on the 9th May 1945.

Caribbean Princess left Guernsey for Cobh early on Friday afternoon as part of her Round Britain cruise. The ship is seen from Salarie Corner, with the beach covered in Vriac (Seaweed). Local farmers used to gather this to put on their fields to provide the nutrients required, hence the many slipways around the Island so that farmers could get their horse, tractors and carts onto the beaches.

Sea Cloud II

Today arriving from Honfleur is the Sea Cloud II, one of the few three-masted tall ships in the cruising world. She is one of the luxury liners in the world offering her guests a unique "private yacht" experience. Anchored in front of Jethou there were no queues for tenders as she normally carries under a hundred guests.

Sea Cloud II has 24 sails and can carry over 32,000 square feet of sail area providing an alternative method of propulsion to her diesel engines. The original Sea Cloud was built in the 1930s, the largest private yacht at the time, and converted in 1979 when purchased by a group of German businessmen. Sea Cloud II entered service in 2001.

Despite the luxury of Sea Cloud II it seems the simple pleasures in life are still good as locals take an after work swim in Havelet Bay on the southern side of St Peter Port, the main town on Guernsey. The slipway is dedicated to a previous Queen's representative on the Island, Lieutenant-Governor, Vice Admiral Sir John Coward.

MSC Opera

The MSC Opera arrived at lunchtime from Ijmuiden, the port for Amsterdam, with over 2,000 guests on board.She is visiting Guernsey about every 10 days till September 2013 on cruises that start in Southampton and via the Netherlands, go to Spain and Portugal before returning via Le Havre.
In the later afternoon the MSC Opera seems to be part of Castle Cornet, the guardian of the approaches to St Peter Port, one of Guernsey's most popular tourist attractions, housing many museums.

On reclaimed land the North Beach Marina provides moorings for many local boats, as the MSC Opera prepares for her early evening departure.

With the anchor coming out of the water the MSC Opera heads to the east of the Great Bank. With the Pilot Boat in the lead, she is on her way to Vigo on the North West corner of Spain where she will arrive after a full day at sea. She was built in 2004 in St Nazaire in France, and is unusual in that the decks are named after operas.