Adem, that sign in the pics is a relic from Sallyline days, it has been there for donkeys!
Interesting about the check-in booths though?waiting with baited breath!!

thoes check-in/security cabins look just like the ones we had down at the hoverport for speedferries and hoverspeed

I hear they have put back the start date maybe it is to give them time to get the signs up the booths in place and connected to power and IT networks.

?..and Bonanza up the Bay of Biscay, brrr !

Adem,

I think you may have jumped the gun, the sign has been there for some time, you can see it on Google maps here

I don?t know Adem, maybe TEF are going to use them, but if that is the case then surely that makes use of the check-in desks within the terminal obsolete??
Who knows, maybe TDC have got their act together and are finally putting some funding into Ramsgate port??

Well according to a friend at Dover Harbour Board, Euroferries have purchased those booths from DHB, and yes they are the old Hoverspeed / Speedferries booths.
I used to work in those up until this time last year, when Speedferries went bust.

Hi Norman
I guess they still need time , they have only had 10 months to sort the IT stuff! You are right about the sign it has been there a very long time.

?Second hand Rose?

I jest, it?s a good sign that Euroferries are at long last putting their house in order.

Auntymoo are you applying for a job with them ?

Hi Belle,

No I don?t think so, not at the moment anyway. I would like to see it running a few months first. I dont see the logic in starting the service now, I would wait till Easter, but they obviously have their reason. I hope they put those booths out of direct wind and rain !! They are bloomin freezing in the winter and the doors are knackered, and you keep banging your knees on some electrical boxes. I really thought DHB would have scrapped them, when they demolished the old hoverport this year.

Maybe they did scrap them and they?ve been rescued from the skip !

I recovered a great garden seat, sanded down, lick of paint and it looks fab. Hopefully it?ll last the winter?.

I?ll be there over the weekend and will try to get a long lens on what (if anything) is going on.

As seen on another blog, DFDS declare their interest in buying Norfolkline from Maersk ? maybe EF should put in a counter bid sharpish! At least the ships are in our waters although they would need a lot more water at Ramsgate ? tee hee!

?Do not think just putting two check in booths in place is the way to start a fast craft service. having a fast craft would be an ideal start. These are for TEF replacing other ones, as mention in a nother post.?

Quoted from bfenthusiasts ??? anyone know if this statement is correct ?

So where exactly is the Bonanza Express currently? Is it lost at sea?

The Live marine traffic http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=224768000 shows its last whereabouts in british waters close to Ramsgate Its certainly not at Santa Cruz anymore i?ve been on the live webcams of the harbour and can?t see it anywhere. Also kinda odd that the live marine database which tracks every boat with a rador is not showing it in existence. I also read somewhere on a spanish newspaper site that the boat got stuck in reverse and crashed into a barge, and was currently in dry dock undergoing maintenance. So what is the real reasons for the continued delay? and the pr from Euroferries really is great, no updates to the website at all, and the customer service number is the same number for coach bookings. Now call me wrong but most companys would have all this seperate, and it certainly does look like a very small affair here, and unfortunately, if it does get off the ground, I can?t see it lasting very long. All the high speed craft around Ramsgate/Dover/Folkestone have all come and gone, proving that small high speed craft are not cost effective and or viable. If it was P & O would be running similar craft instead of traditional ro ro ferries.

Well very strange, I tracked the boat yesterday on marine traffic which gave its position in the english channel. Today it tracks the boat to Lake volta just outside Lagos, in Ghana. So maybe it did have some last minute hitches in sea trials, and is now being refloated on a lake and undergoing more trials before returning to the open sea? After all this isn?t that far away from the canary islands and would tie up with the spanish news reports.

http://www.localizatodo.com/mapa/

You will find her here as of 4 minutes ago, very much in Santa Cruz and in the same place as she has been for a while.

http://www.canarysatellite.com/puertoscam.html

With the webcam she can be seen on Zona 16 and that is very hit and miss.

Gary I just looked on the link and there?s no sign of BE in the channel. According to the Santa Cruz port AIS and website, she is still on their berth No 20 scheduled until 22/11

Tricks ? I?ve told you before, do keep up !

Did you know that there is another Bonanza, she often shows up around China ?.

The difference is of course the identification number:
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?MMSI=357729000

and our Bonanza :
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?MMSI=224768000

the latter being the correct id but not position.

Oh, dear Belle, thanks for the deft smack on the wrist, but now that these comments are being moderated they take a little longer than last week to come live. So I had spotted a very large BE in the China Sea before Gary and your perfect self had appeared on my WarpFactorNineMacBookProScreen!

Bet you?re not in Ramsgate port for the weekend photoshoot though? Jealous or what?

Do they speak Danish in Boulogne ? awaiting DFDS crew with those Viking helmets booking tables in ?Alfreds? and ?The Welsh Pub?, never did quite get the connection there!

Gary, Gary, Gary you really are new to all this ? Happy Birthday for Monday?. I saw BE in Santa Cruz this morning on the webcam ? maybe the port authorities are putting out a mirage at the request of EF and Fred Olsen to confuse us all.

Just when, over the past few days do you think this vessel made its way up the Bay of Biscay, as traditional ferries failed to leave port for the long journey and the Dover Straights were a no,no. It must be Dr Who and the Tardis at work again ? Or you really need to lay off the hallucinogenics !

Why will there be DFDS crew in Boulogne ? am i missing something?

I just typed a great piece about the Welsh and then fingered the wrong key !!!!!

The Welsh

http://www.nieuwblog.com/Le-Welsh,-un-plat-roboratif-typique-de-Flandres_a205.html

Nothing to do with Wales apart from a loose association with rarebit, see below at Chez Alfred where is it spelt of its origin.

Apparently some Monk had nothing better to do !

Chez Alfred:
En bref : Restaurant crée en 1937 de type ?Bistro Parisien?. Cuisine traditionnelle et spécialités : welsch, moules, poisson, fruits de mer.

Whilst I am being silly, did anyone ever see ?A Day to Remember? ?

?The plot of this movie is summed up very literally by it?s title. It?s the story of several middle aged but rather naive members of a darts team from a London pub who go on a trip to Bologne and each of whom experience their own little ?day to remember?. It?s all rather poorly executed and several of the performances are really quite dire. There are precious few twists and turns in the plot, and it?s all rather predictable ? it?s only saving grace is an excellent performance by the rather beautiful Odile Versois (who plays Martine) and her smashing little Peugeot. But not one I?d watch again through choice.?

Well, I think the reviewer is wrong ? best bit it showed cars being craned off the ferry ! And Chez Jules in Place Dalton almost unrecognisable from the fab restaurant it is today.

Photoshoot ? Do tell Tricks, darling, pretty please ?

Hi Peter

Sorry, I tease, DFDS have shown interest in buying Norfolkline and I thought EF might put in a counterbid and run into Boulogne ? see earlier chatter

Hey guys, yep im new here and thankyou for making me welcome. My apologies, it would seem that the marine tracker is not proving very accurate, showed me many different locations today for the same vessel lol. We have a seaside retreat on granville marina seafront, spend many weekends there and all school holidays before returning to our hometown of Luton. i?m constantly traking the harbour webcam for ramsgate port (can someone nudge it to the left a bit lol)really hope to see this take off, as would be hand for us daytrippers to stock up on the booze. Did i just say that? lol no really going back to the sally days whom we all love and miss, hope this pulls off although i remain optomistic.

Thanks for the links btw i spent all day searching santa cruz port listings etc and webcams!!

Gary

Hi
I had a look at the booths in place yesterday and I can?t really see them being for TEF as they don?t get enough passenger traffic to warrant having two check in booths let alone one. I only saw them from the cliff top but there is some sort of notice on each of them so may go and have a closer look tomorrow and see if they shed any light.

Click click that?s my trick . . . in spite of the foul weather forecast for Thanet this weekend I shall be out with my long digital lens in search of those check-in booths, any offers from models as check-in staff?

No I don?t remember that film but have had many, many days to remember in B but never with a darts team!

I wonder what happened to Applecakes ? bait for the fishing fleet perhaps?

Moring belle can?t get anything to show up for the webcam page, is it only online during certain times? i remove the puertoscam.html and get the main page but still can?t find any related webcams.

Cheers for the info.

Rgds.

Gary

http://www.canarysatellite.com/puertoscam.html

There you go Gary, on Zona 16 as I write but on zoom !!! Just have to pass by later.

So, it?s your own photoshoot, Tricks !

in response to belle nov 19th post
yes its correct these check in booths are for TEF. old ones were damaged by a lorry.

Yes Belle, and just like Alfred Hitchcock I sometimes appear in my own productions!

BE is not showing up on Localizatodo this morning, not the first time, someone?s got their tin hat over the AIS perhaps?

Did you know that Norman Arrow is tied up on Berth 16 Gare Maritime, proposed EF berth ?

Just seen BE on the webcam

Come on Belle, there?s a real chance for 15 minutes of fame here, get over to and buy some red and blue paint and a couple of brushes, I?ll be over later to give you a hand!

the missing bit was Leroy Merlin

Make sure it is only emulsion as history shows it will not be on there for long.

You lot are making me smile?.. !

Do you think EF would allow me to travel on the catamaran, through the Bay of Biscay. Now that would be a good mini cruise type thing. I can get a flight to Tenerife for forty quid.

Dont think i would like to be anywhere near the Bay Of Biscay on one of these tin cans!

Has anybody got an update on EF starting on 26th November ? that date was mentioned somewhere in the press a couple of weeks ago? Are EF still taking bookings even though the start date is unknown?
See the EF website has a Sailing Update section where it says any delays will be reported but there are no updates.

Any update on a 26th November start date ? that was the date being mentioned in the press about 10 days ago?

I love ?em though. It was great on the Fleetwood ? Douglas service with the IOMSPC.Every time I used it, it took longer than the conventional service due to high winds in the Fleetwood Estuary. Sadly, no day return service from Fleetwood now.

Now I don?t want Adem to get into trouble, but we are now Saturday the 21st, evening ? the vessel is still in Santa Cruz, it?s not likely to start a service on Thursday the 26th, leaving Boulogne at 7:30am.

If they have secured another vessel then all well and good, nevertheless should they be selling tickets ?

Typicall, expected departure day and zona 16 camera is focused on a cruise ship !! cheers.

Someone give the camera operator a nudge!!

That said she is still showing on the itinery list as being berthed in port, and the expected departure time has already lapsed.

Anyone want a wager that the ship leaves today?

http://www.localizatodo.com/mapa/

Gary she is still on this AIS as of 8 minutes ago?..

The weather was lovely in Ramsgate yesterday and those two booths have been installed exactly where Adem?s pics of 17th show them, at the end of the car waiting lanes. I have a pic but don?t know how to upload it.

No sign of any other activity whatever other than a stock of brand new TDC wheelie bins that provide capacity for enormous volumes of bovine excrement ? I wonder where that might come from?!?!

Back in the warm now after a monster squall hit Thanet early afternoon today.

18:00 hours witnessed on the webcam BE pulling away from birth and heading out to sea. Have the live tracker running and will be tracking its progress over the next few days. Lets hope its not another sea trial lol and this time its the real mcoy!

Lol either it was a different fast craft ie an island hopper or trackers not updating. More inclined to think it?s the latter.

Localizatodo is still showing BE at the same berth. Bencomo Express was leaving around 1800 and puertodetenerife is still showing she should have left at 1200 today

http://www.localizatodo.com/mapa/

as of 16 minutes ago she was still on the above and remained berthed ? are you sure you have the correct vessel ?

Not the first time someone has commented about the Bencomo Express !

Quoted from Michael Child/Thanet on Line :

?I went down to port Ramsgate to find out if anything that had happened down there re Euroferries, the girl on the Transeuropa desk said nothing they knew of, apparently the new booths are theirs.?

wake up transeuroper start a ferry sevice to Boulogne it might just pay off

I see on the webcam BE is still in Santa Cruz ? surprise, surprise! but not showing up on Locaizatodo.

It is probably just as well they didn?t start last weekend, they would be paying out and not getting in !!!!

I see Dover is struggling, wouldn?t be surprised if it shuts later, in the last half and hour it has worsened.

If you look at the Boulogne webcam, in the distance you can see the height of the spray over the harbour wall. Also you?ll see that Norman Arrow has been moved to Berth 13.

Just saw BE on webcam in usual spot ? any sign of another Press Release from EF ? ?Storms delay start of Euroferries?, maybe ?

Belle, the weather in Santa Cruz doesn?t look much better. What?s the link for the Bolougne port cam? I?m 70 miles inland from Dover and it?s rough here too!

At long last someone openly saying it as it is.

Without rumours or speculation or some home truths that could do with airing !

For the port webcam in Boulogne : http://80.11.186.26/

It will probably ask you to download something, it?s quite safe.

Otherwise you can find it through the Boulogne CCI webpages.

Seen BE several times today and it is the first time there has been a hint of a wave out there.

Here at the moment feels like the end of the world is nigh, very, very dark clouds passing over, hailstones and still the high winds.

The Norman Spirit 16:30 sailing cancelled transferring people onto the 22:00, expecting an improvement in the channel by 21:00 ? rather them than me !!!!

As I am in the North, I don?t get the Thanet Gazette, but I do like the style of Plain Jane?s writing. Perhaps they will do mail order?

Adem, I tried the link but this latest article isn?t there ? I would have liked to congratulate her. So, Jane if you read this, well done.

Just run a check on EF website up until 30th January 2010

?No sailings found?

Looks like the 1st of March is when you can book from at the moment, although that can get moved even further back. Perhaps they have realised the folly of starting in the windy season.

What might then mean, Belle?

Here we go again.
March will be May then July then September then November and then start again in March 2011?

Heard that TEF has bought a ex Sally freighter who can only use her stern to load. Will be fun at the berth.

Digressing slightly, anyone got any idea what was going on at about 3:30 this morning at the port when I was awoken by repeated blasts from a ships fog horn, went on for about 2 mins.

Back to EF, makes you wonder if Fred Olsen are happy with this or are EF now going to have to find another vessel as I wouldn?t have thought Fred Olsen really want to keep the BE doing nothing for the next 3 months and may even prefer to try and sell it.

http://thanetpress.blogspot.com/2009/11/euroferries-confirm-positive-news.html

I see the new timetable is on the EF website from the 1st of March 2010 (maybe).

There is going to be a lot of out of date choccies then in that fully stocked tax free shop at Port Ramsgate, oh and of course on the Bonanza aswell. Wonder if they remembered to cancel the milk delivery too? thats asuming they were planning on offering tea and coffee to its onboard customers.

Just thought I?d pop back and see if any more comments have been left. There are only just over 10 weeks to go till the next proposed start date, so can we expect more activity at Ramsgate in preparation for the service or once again is nothing going to happen.

Ten weeks is an awful long time to hold your breath Steve! Why not read the story about Pinocchio over Christmas?

I prefer the EF fairytale and I?ve already read Pinocchio.

Where?s Applecakes with her Lawyer attracting bullshit thesedays??

Well, I believe that Saturday will be one year on from the first announcement of this service??. the last Press Release said that one would follow with details of a start date, has their been one ?

I do not think the 1st March date for commencement of bookings will be it??

B E has moved within the port complex to near where the Fred Olsen ships berth http://www.localizatodo.com/mapa/
also showing on
http://www2.puertosdetenerife.org/appnet/mapa_buques/F_MAPA_PUERTO.aspx?TIPO=PUERTO&SID=3szwuv451dgem5550m5fii45
that she is bound for Los Critianos 19:00 on 17/01/10.
Who knows what will happen then?

I saw her move off the berth yesterday, there was no Euroferries on her side.

Los Cristianos has been changed to Agaete Gran Canaria, that is the run that the Bencomo does ??

Back to the old routine again then. I e-mailed Mr Ladyman to see if he had any news as the EF livery has been removed again from the BE and his reply was.

?Euroferries are still actively organising a service to start soon. More announcements will be made soon I believe.?

Sounds like to BE is no longer in the picture to me.

Agree Steve, looks as if she will be replacing another of FO?s vessels whilst on annual service.

I notice that the dredger was out in the shipping lane about half a mile off Ramsgate on Friday. Is that just routine work or are they getting ready for something bigger than TEF or the windfarm have now? It seemed far enough out not to be in prep for BE.

http://thanetonline.blogspot.com/2010/01/euroferries-update.html

and here appears to be the answer ??.

If you ring the customer services number, you just get a message saying that they can?t answer your call because all their lines are busy, if you send an e-mail you don?t get a reply. Be interesting to see if a press release does appear. I?ve also emailed Adrian Gillan but I don?t expect to get a response.

Just to say that BE now appears to be taking on passengers etc in Santa Cruz.

Glad to see that she is now doing 32 knots towards Agaete.

Looks like the update is correct. BE is on LocalizaTodo steaming straight for Gran Canaria. At least she is working off the Christmas Turkey?!?!

Yep ? she is obviously back in service on the route Santa Cruz to Agaete.

What now I wonder, maybe they have secured another vessel ?

Just had a reply from Mr Ladyman from my email pointing out that the BE is now back in service with FO. His reply was.

?They do have something in mind. I am not at liberty, unfortunately, to give details of their plans nor to explain what the problem with the Bonanza was. They are very positive about a start in the not too far distant future.?

Bit of Deja Vu here. Just like this time last year.

Got a reply from EF customer service.

Dear Steve,

An announcement will be made regarding the commencement date to Euroferries service.

I have added your email address to our contact list so you are kept up to date with Euroferries news and updates.

Kind Regards,

Poppy Redmond

Euroferries Customer Service Dept.

Can I suggest that they post something on the website to make it clear to prospective clients that part with their credit card details ? no doubt they will refund all those that cannot travel as planned and I hope along with the 2.5% credit card charge.

Bet Ladyman wishes he hadn?t got involved or ?introduced?them to TDC as he pointed out last year.

I see they have taken off all reference to the BE from their website

I looked 20 minutes ago ?. someone pulling their finger out, what about a start date ?

Timetable still showing sailings from 1st March, but what year?

Giving the benefit of the doubt of this companies intentions, things can go astray?. nevertheless they will have known the situation since the beginning of December when the livery was wiped out again.

It is only today after Michael Child published the photographs on Saturday that they have acted by removing reference to BE from their webpages.

Shame.

Hi , which dredger was it?

Sorry, I don?t know. Didn?t have my ?bins? handy, and I?m not familiar with the different species from a distance!

Hi
They have been doing work in preparation for cable laying from the wind farm, so that maybe what you saw.

Are you sure about that Steve? I believe the cables are going in to Pegwell Bay near Richborough. The dredger I saw was nowhere near that alignment. Much closer to Ramsgate port and within the existing designated shipping lane.

Well just a guess. The cables are going in by the Sportsman pub and I saw a dredger type vessel in the bay last week obviously when the tide was in.

The UR101 have been laying near the port to do some cablelaying work for the windfarm.
Perhaps this was the dredger that you saw.

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/ramsgate/Ship-s-owner-pulls-plug-Bonanza-lease/article-1746752-detail/article.html

start date ?later this year? ??..

Well what a suprise. I think we were all aware that the 1st of March was a no go and it will be interesting to see how many more excuses they can come up with.

4 weeks to go. What odds have we that the service will go ahead?

R.O?Tate, a pint says it wont!

I see we are back to the same comments from last year from EF, namely:

We can?t release any information due to a confidentiality agreement with proposed partners etc,etc.

Had a walk past port the today and of course no sign of any work going on.

Paul,
You can have the finest from Ramsgate Harbour,inner Marina

Lets see how confidential they will be with the BBC next Monday. BBC1 Inside out 19:30. If anyone can make sense I think the Beeb will. They did it with the last Euroferries startup venture in Dover.

Chatter on bfenthusiasts about old Speed One now Sea Leopard?.

She?s on this AIS, maybe one to watch
http://www.shipais.com/showship.php?refresh=2&count=1&map=-1&mmsi=235007470

Seems they don?t want to talk to Aunty ?.

LD Lines in Ramsgate in partnership with Transeuropa??Watch this space?.Norman Spirit being pulled from Dover-Boulogne bout 12th March..announcement tomorrow probably?.RMT crew union in talks with LD Lines today !!!!!

Announcement was made today at 1pm. Norman Spirit to run out of Ramsgate and to be renamed Ostend Spirit. LD Lines in partnership with TEF, service to start approx 15th March !!! Whats next ? perhaps a fast craft to Boulogne or Ostend ???

So the Prins returns!!!! Last seen in Ramsgate Feb 28 1997.

http://www.doverferryphotos.co.uk/pastandpresent/filip.htm

Interesting history. Let?s hope its not as windy as her first crossing to Ramsgate.

Well as there has been no response from EF over the BBC broadcast yesterday and now with the upcoming TEF/LD lines tie up do we have any bets on actually hearing anything again from EF.

Just tried a booking on Euroferries site and even though you can put in date etc, when it searches it comes up with an error page.

Must have been updating. Now if you try and book after 1st March, no sailings are found.

Just looked again. First sailing date now seems to be the 18th of March.

I tried this morning, it does work for after 18th March.

Reply from EF customer services.

Dear Steve,

I have copied your email address to our news & update contact list so you are kept apprised of future developments, such as the upcoming launch events at both Ramsgate and Boulogne ports.

Kind Regards,

Poppy Redmond

Should be interesting to see who if anyone turns up.

Adem, maybe you could ask Jane Wenham-Jones to let us all know when she receives her free ticket to cross on the first boat out ?

Adem, just a little thaught, perhaps these booths in the photographs were bought down in preperations for this tie up with LD and TransEuropa?

(Edit for Applecakes ? Not stating as fact, merely just a thaught.)

Just did a price comparison for a trip from the 18th March leaving France mid morning returning evening of the 23rd March. Car + 2 pax

LD Lines ? Boulogne/Dover 50 Euro
P&O ? Calais/Dover 71,50
Euroferries ? Boulogne/Ramsgate £66.60/75 Euro (using 1.14) utilising the first date available on their website
Seafrance ? Calais/Dover 88 Euro
Eurotunnel ? Frethun/Ashford 166 Euro

Everything seems to have gone very quite on the EF front. I am waiting with bated breath for the launch events to be announced. I see the timtable still shows dates from the 1st of March even though bookings don?t start until the 18th. Perhaps they have given up updating the website as there is no point.

Not yet, but I am expecting one to arrive imminently, or in a couple of months, maybe.

From ECR?s blog and still counting ??

It?s been 404 days since Dr Steve Ladyman MP announced the ?imminent? launch of the Euroferries fast service between Ramsgate and Boulogne.

(09:40) Just tried to ring the customer contact number and you still get the message that calls cannot be answered as they are busy, at this rate I don?t think one vessel will be able to cope. I might try and email Mr Ladyman once again and see if he is willing to divulge any info.

Response from Mr Ladyman.

?All I can tell you is they have another vessel lined up and are in discussions with Thanet Council. I?m keeping my fingers crossed once again.?

Poor chap I do feel sorry for him as he is being messed around by EF like everyone else.

Have you seen Thanet Strife today ?

http://thanetstrife.blogspot.com/

It isn?t April the 1st already ?

Someones pulling our preverbial. Whot is Applecakes doing at the moment?????

Euroferries response to an investigative e-mail from another blog can be seen if you follow this link
http://forums.bfenthusiasts.com/showthread.php?t=6483&page=60

I was going to book a crossing for my birthday on the 18th but obviously can?t do that now, so I emailed EF saying how disappointed I was and here is the reply.

Dear Steve,

Thank you for your email.

Euroferries are also disappointed by the delays, however the timing at this stage is not in our hands.

Euroferries are ready to initiate commencement of its service between Ramsgate and Boulogne, unfortunately we are currently awaiting for the green light and confirmations from certain other parties on specific matters to allow the service to commence.

Due to this fact, as a precaution we have closed bookings on the 18th thus minimising any possible inconvenience to our customers.

Passengers affected have been contacted ASAP to be offered apologies and alternative sailings with a complimentary upgrade or a refund if requested.

I hope this clarifies the situation, if you have any further queries please feel free to contact me, in the meantime best wishes for your birthday on the 18th.

Kind Regards,

Poppy Redmond

Well I have heard a rumour that preparations are going on onboard the Sea Leopard (ex Speedone) and that it has been chartered to do this service, only room for about 2 single deck coaches onboard though, however, it does not stop them boarding them as foot passengers and connecting with coaches in Boulogne

25 March 2010

CONDOR FERRIES ADDS NEW

FAST CATAMARAN TO FLEET

Condor Ferries has added a further wave-piercing fast catamaran to its fleet.

The new ship, which is called Condor Rapide, is a younger sister of the well-known ferries Condor Vitesse and Condor Express and will be coming to Weymouth where she will be prepared for service in Condor Ferries livery inside and out during April.

Condor Ferries operates ferry services to Western France and the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey out of Poole, Weymouth and Portsmouth.

The 86 metre fast cat will sail between Jersey, Guernsey and St Malo and replaces Condor 10 which had been in service since 1993. She is expected to come into service in late May.

Prior to joining the Condor Ferries fleet which operates from the Dorset ports of Weymouth and Poole the ship sailed for brief periods in Australia, and across the English Channel. She is most notable for her service as part of the Royal Australian Navy when she was known as HMAS Jervis Bay.

The ship was the first large catamaran to be used in a naval capacity and took part in the international peacekeeping taskforce in East Timor transporting troops and aid as well as rescuing people.

Condor Ferries Managing Director, Simon Edsall, said: “Our investment in Condor Rapide demonstrates belief in our business and confidence as a major ferry operator in the Western part of the English Channel.

“She is in excellent condition, her previous owners have invested a seven figure sum in upgrades, and Condor Ferries will spend further substantial sums in the coming months to ensure she meets the highest standards.

“This new investment will also help us to meet the extra demand created by the withdrawal of Brittany Ferries’ ‘Barfleur’ service from Poole earlier in the year,” he added.

Condor Rapide will increase capacity for those wanting to travel from the popular South Coast ports of Weymouth and Poole to St Malo in France with their car this summer.

Although the ship is just 12 metres longer than Condor 10, the interior space in both the passenger areas and on the car deck is significantly larger. This will be particularly evident in areas such as the duty free shop which is almost twice as big.

Sea Leopard gone to Condor Ferries

Cool, at last a use for Speedone, that deffinately knocks another nail in Euroferries coffin

I see the earliest booking available is now the 25th of May.

Earlist sailing is now 12th June. I emailed Poppy last week but haven?t had a reply yet. How strange.