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The Iconic Sydney Ferry

Renier — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:28:42 +0000

Not all Harbours can boast of a ferry service that can date as far back as 1789; the Sydney Harbour with its iconic Sydney Ferry is one of the luckiest. The Sydney Ferry was around when the Harbour city was just poised to take off; it has witnessed the arrival of migrants that seeded Australia; it has witnessed the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge; it has witnessed the building of the Opera House. Not known to many, but the Sydney Ferry is has been an icon of the Sydney Harbour long before the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, but with the talk of privatization and the changing economic tides, no one knows how long the icon can survive.

History of the Sydney Ferry

Long before Sydney Harbour cruises became one of the mainstreams in Sydney, the Sydney Ferry has been servicing the early settlers to transport people, trade, and livestock from the western most point of the Parramatta River to the east in the Sydney Cove. The first ferry in service was Rose Hill (a.k.a. The Lump) that was powered by sailors and oars who were usually convicts, exiles from the motherland, Great Britain. The ferry service has seen its first commercialization in 1861 when the North Shore Ferry Company assumed operation of the iconic ferry. Since then it’s been no other way but up for the ferry service acquiring modern watercrafts to heed the call of modernization.

Sydney Ferry Harbours

Today, this humble icon of Sydney has stops in the Darling Harbour, Manly Harbour, Mosman, Neutral Bay, Parramatta River, Taronga Zoo, Watsons Bay, Woolwich/Balmain, and the Cockatoo Island. You can’t afford to visit Sydney without having to experience Sydney Harbour Cruises aboard one of the icons of the Harbour City. The cruises are affordable starting at only 10 Aussie dollars, but the memory and the photos you can snap during the trip are priceless.

Sydney Harbour Cruises aboard Sydney Ferry

A tour around the Harbour City is not complete without cruising in one or two routes of Sydney Ferry. Riding in one of these Sydney Harbour Cruises provides an opportunity to get a different vantage point of the other icons of Sydney: you’ll pass by North Head Quarantine Station, Sydney Olympic Park, Opera House, Manly Bay, and you’ll have the opportunity to pass by Sydney Harbour Bridge under it, not over it. Don’t ever forget to take your camera with you when you take one of these Sydney Harbour Cruises because the pictures you can take are one for the postcards.

Rough Water Ahead for Sydney Ferry

It’s shameful to hear but nonetheless real; the looming privatization of Sydney Ferry brings more division than unity toward the safety and assurance at sea of one of the oldest icons of the Harbour City. Granted that the changing economic tide brings new challenges for the ferry service, but is there a price to save one of the city’s icons—a heritage that is not only a witness to the city’s progress, but one that plays an active role itself in creating what the city is now? Times like these once again test the patriotism and the Aussie spirit; Australians bond together to save Sydney Ferry—to see their work and progress and to extend a helping hand, head on to Save Our Sydney Ferries.

The Best Way to Keep Sydney Ferry Afloat

But the best thing you can do to keep Sydney Ferry afloat is to support its business by buying tickets whenever you can. People from around the world can pitch in to this effort too. When you tour Sydney, make time to ride one or two routes of this iconic ferry; not only will you have great story to tell and pictures to show your friends and family back home, you will have experienced riding one of the longest running harbor ferries in the world!

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Fantasea Ferry to Serve Your Holidays in Australia

Renier — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:28:17 +0000

If the outback adventure in the land down under doesn’t appeal much to you, perhaps you’re more of an ocean adventure kind of traveler—the Great Barrier Reef will not disappoint you in this regard. Considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, a single day is not enough to marvel at the pristine, stunning beauty of the barrier reef. And the only way to reach the only tourists accommodation in the barrier reef in safety, style, and comfort is onboard a Fantasea ferry. It’s how Oprah traveled to the Reefworld when she taped an episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” down under!

Fantasea Adventure Cruising Holidays to Australia

Imagine crystal clear water, reef teaming with life and colors of the sea, and the sun beating down on you to allow you to escape the winter chill; that’s only the beginning. At night the gentle chill of the wind reminds you you’re in the middle of the ocean but you quickly forget as soon as the stars starts to appear one by one until they fill your horizon like twinkling gems you swear you can touch by a single wishful reach.

The accommodation… is no less than a luxurious king size bed for the honeymooners or a spacious bunk style quad for families and friends. To experience this kind of holiday, perhaps you’re excused to burn your credit limit at least once.

The Fantasea Ferry Foundation

The Fantasea Ferry Foundation, owner of the Fantasea Adventure Cruising and the Reefworld, is the only licensed and duly authorized ferry and tour company allowed to ferry tourists in and out The Great Barrier Reef. The ferry company is one of the most ecologically friendly ferry services in the world putting tourist and The Great Barrier Reef’s safety first above profit. The company is very active in raising and donating funds to ensure the protection and sustainability of the barrier reef, so rest assured no harm is done to this wonder of the world in the middle of the ocean when you come visit in throng.

Once in a Lifetime Great Barrier Experience

A once in a lifetime holiday that you must experience at least with another significant person in your life is the Great Barrier Reefsleep by Fantasea Adventure Cruising. The experience is like staying in a 5 star holiday hotel only it’s floating above the barrier reef and stays afloat about 40 nautical miles away from the mainland. Experience the most rejuvenating, most tranquil 48 hours of your life in the Reefsleep where only you, your love one, and a couple of Fantasea Adventure Cruising staff is around in the middle of the barrier reef—the champagne glass as your witness. The underwater viewing adventure explodes into life at night; so make sure you don’t miss on this during your stay.

SCUBA dive or Fantasea Yellow Sub

If you’re pressed with time and can’t stay for the night, at least experience SCUBA diving in the Reefworld when you visit. And if you don’t know how to swim, there’s also the Fantasea Yellow Sub with underwater viewing deck to not miss out the view of the Great Barrier Reef up close and personal. Whatever you do, don’t leave the Reefworld without seeing one or two sea life that you can only see in the barrier reef.

Fantasea Ferry Bookings and Timetables

Now that you know what to expect from a Fantasea Ferry Cruising holidays to Australia, don’t pack your bag without knowing the timetable and bookings of the busy ferry company first. After all, you don’t want to head to the land down under only to find out the Reefworld is fully booked at that time. They have a website you can check for Fantasea Ferry Cruising timetable and bookings; spend some time browsing before buying your ticket to Australia.

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Hi Tech Ferries Save Mother Earth

Renier — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:47:23 +0000

Heeding the call to save Mother Earth, hi tech ferries are leaning toward going green by using alternative source of energy to power up their engines. There is the Solar Sailor from Sydney and the Hornblower Hybrid ferry from San Francisco, which are one of the pioneers when it comes to environmentally-friendly commercial ferries. For private ferry owners on the other hand, there’s the Stealth 520 RUV Executive Ferry that proves fuel efficiency and speed can coexist.

Solar Paneled Ferry

The Solar Sailor, Photo by Mad Mariner

Whenever you’re in Sydney Harbor, try to spot a futuristic ferry with solar panels fanning on top because you might just be looking at The Solar Sailor – which is one of the attractions in the Harbor aside from the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. The Solar Sailor can be powered fully by the sun and wind energy, thus slashing its carbon footprint in half compared to diesel-powered ferries. The solar wings track the sun automatically like a sunflower, and when the weather is not cooperative, they can be retracted and tucked safely away with a push of a button. The ferry can then shift to low-sulfur diesel (even biodiesel) to continue sailing. The Solar Sailor received the Australian Design Award in 2001, thus improving the image of green hi tech ferries around the world. Hong Kong, Germany, and the U.S.A. are just some of the countries ordering green ships from the maker of The Solar Sailor.

Hornblower Ferry

Hornblower Hybrid

Ferrying tourists to Alcatraz every day, the Hornblower cuts carbon emission by using two wind turbines and solar panels aside from its fuel-efficient diesel engine. The wind turbines and solar panels are used to power up the hi tech ferries navigation equipment and some of its propulsion engine. The construction materials for the ferry’s interior design are also compliant to LEED’s standards: the interior design uses recycled materials from the carpets to the countertops. And the Hornblower runs on Tier 2 marine diesel engine, which are more environmentally-friendly compared to standard catamaran engines.

Stealth 520 RUV Executive Ferry

Photo by http://www.hysucraft.com

If you’re an avid collector of private ferries on the other hand, you can also contribute to saving Mother Earth with the Stealth 520 RUV Executive Ferry. This green speed junkie runs on 603kW MAN Diesel Engines and QSPD Surface Propeller Systems combined with sleek, hi tech ferries external design enabling it to consume far lesser fuel compared to its counterparts. Each pair of 6-cylinder diesel engine produces 800 horsepower and consumes only 80 gallons per hour with sustained speed of 46 plus knots.

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Yellow Italy Ferries to Corsica

Renier — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:36:52 +0000

Corsica Ferries/Sardinia Ferries

The yellow Italy ferries or the Corsica Ferries/Sardinia Ferries, offer up to 30 crossings from Nice, Toulon, Savona, Piombino, and Livorno in the mainland to Ajaccio, Bastia, and Calvi in Corsica, Italy. If you’re planning to finally take your Italian vacation, Corsica offers some of the best beaches and breathtaking landscapes in Italy. Every corner in Corsica has something surprising to offer its tourists, and the cheap ferry tickets from Corsica Ferries/Sardinia Ferries gives you no excuse to travel to the island. There are fast and conventional ferries you can choose to fit your holiday schedule.

Facilities onboard yellow Italy ferries

When you board a Corsica Ferries/Sardinia Ferries ship, your Italian vacation shouldn’t halt until you get to your destination in the island. The ferry company made sure that you’ll have the same if not even better Italian vacation onboard their fleet. The restaurants, bars, cafes, pool and sun area, children’s playroom, and boutique will trick you into believing you’re in a plush hotel and not onboard a short ferry trip to Corsica. If you’re going to take the night trip, the top class cabins can rival 5-star hotel accommodation so that you can sleep like a bug in a rug during the entire trip if you want.

Cheap fare from Italy ferries

When you’re on a budget, it doesn’t mean you have to forego your coveted Corsica vacation because Corsica Ferries/Sardinia Ferries offer two cheap fare plans to budget travelers: the Viva Corsica and the Special Fare Jackpot Auto. The liner also offers reduced fares for people 25 years old and younger and students 27 years old and younger (proper IDs needed for verification). Invalid or disabled people and their chaperon, senior citizens over 60 years old, and Corsica residents also have special discount onboard Corsica Ferries/Sardinia Ferries.

Useful links from Italy Ferries

To get full information and to avail of cheap ferry tickets to Corsica, visit the liner’s Web page for Cheap Fare Corsica schemes. The page has the terms and conditions applicable to both cheap ferry scheme so that you’ll know what are needed to be legible.

To help you plan your travel, find other useful information for travelers, and complete timetable for 2010 operation, the liner also has a free brochure you can download. The brochure has activity suggestions while you’re in Corsica so that you can use it to plan your travel itinerary in the island.

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Popular English Channel Ferries Schedule

Renier — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:36:00 +0000

Norfolkline car ferry boarding

Brittany Ferries, SeaFrance, and Norfolkline are the three most popular ferry companies that serve routes from UK to mainland Europe. Although travelling by ferry is slower compared to travelling by plane, ferries schedule on the other hand are more stable and predictable compared to airline schedule. And the onboard entertainment and other perks with a ferry travel just can’t be beaten by any airline even if you choose to fly first class. To start your trip across the English Channel, take a look at the timetables of your favorite liner to plan your travel ahead.

Brittany Ferries schedule

Brittany Ferries serve the Plymouth-Roscoff, Poole-Cherbourg, Portsmouth-Cherbourg, and Portsmouth-Caen routes for foot and car passengers as well as freight. The liner has conventional cruise ferries and high speed ferries to serve you so that you can take control of your schedule – you can be in France in as little as 135 minutes onboard one of Brittany Ferries’ fast ferry. You can choose to travel by day or night and there’s a sailing everyday to keep up with the passenger number. To book your ticket or check the timetable, Brittany Ferries has a website you can visit at Brittany-ferries.co.uk to help its passengers.

SeaFrance ferries schedule

Before you even step foot in France, feel the French holiday experience onboard one of SeaFrance’s fleet from Dover to Calais. SeaFrance ferries provide a wide choice of activities from sampling French cuisines in La Brasserie and Le Relais restaurants to tasting French wines at the Lattitudes or simply relaxing and enjoying the view at the Le Pub. There are return trips everyday for car and foot passengers with full schedule, ticket booking, and other boarding instruction at Seafrance.com. The liner also offers easy route planner for car passengers confused about the shortest way to reach the port in Dover.

Norfolkline ferries schedule

Norfolkline on the other hand serves 24 cross channel sailings from Dover to Dunkerque, the shortest route between U.K. and France. The short 1 hour 45 minutes crossing time makes the route popular for car passengers so that Norfolkline ferries do not serve foot or coaches passengers along this route. Dunkerque is well connected to major highways to the heart of France and Belgium so that the Dover-Dunkerque route is an excellent gateway to mainland Europe from U.K. For Norfolkline Ferries schedule and car passenger ticket booking, head to Norfolkline.com for more information.

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Three IOW Ferries

Renier — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:35:00 +0000

Hovertravel hovercraft

The three IOW ferries to choose from when travelling to the island are the Wightlink, Red Funnel, and the Hovertravel ferries that operate from different ports in the mainland. If you choose to travel from Lymington, then Wightlink fastcrafts and conventional ferries will serve you, the Red Funnel will serve you from Southampton, and Hovertravel hovercrafts will fly you from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight. There are only a handful of commercial hovercrafts left in service nowadays; if you want to experience riding one, then travelling to the island from Southampton is one of your best option.

IOW ferries, the Hovercraft experience

Riding on an air cushion across a body of water is an experience you have to make especially if you have young children. Unlike other watercrafts that float on the water surface, thus slaved at the mercy of the water’s temper, hovercrafts glide above the water surface giving the passengers and illusion of flying instead of sailing. Being the world’s oldest hovercraft operator, Hovertravel offers the safest hovercraft ride for the whole family taking you to your holiday destination in the Isle of Wight. Hovertravel hovercrafts will whiz you across the Solent from Portsmouth to Ryde in just 10 minutes!

Other IOW ferries

If you want to cross the Solent onboard a conventional ferry and fastcrafts on the other hand, the Red Funnel and Wightlink ferries offer great options, too. Especially if you want to bring your car to the island, you want to choose either of these ferry companies because they offer car ferry service unlike their Hovertravel counterpart. A typical Solent crossing time from Lymington to Yarmouth onboard a conventional ferry is about 35 minutes and 25 minutes on a fastcraft. And if you’re travelling from Southampton, it will take about 55 minutes for a conventional Red Funnel ferry to take you to East Cowes.

IOW ferries ticket booking

For easy ticket booking to Isle of Wight, log on to any of IOW ferries websites to book ticket in just few clicks of your mouse. This way you don’t have to delay your boarding time because your ticket is ready before you even reach the port.

Red Funnel, Wightlink, and Hovertravel ferries offer travel and tour packages on their sites, too, so don’t forget to check them out before you book your ticket. After all, there are so many things to see and do in the island that you need a tour package from any of IOW ferries to start.

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Classic Ferry Boats

Renier — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:31:35 +0000

Classic ferry boats have three distinguishing characteristics: they are double ended, propelled by side paddle wheels, and a walking beam engine must propel the paddle wheels. The modern fast ferries today did not come into being already streamline and sleek even on rough waters. They came from a long line of classic ferry boats models that would shame Captain Cook sailing on his HMS Endeavour. One astounding example of a classic ferry boat is the Southern Pacific Company’s Bay City that serves San Francisco Bay in the late 19th century.

Classic ferry boats features

Nowadays, most classic ferry boats are on display in some maritime museum and others are converted into beautiful floating houses or floating museums themselves. You’ll know a classic ferry boat when you see one because it’s double ended; you can’t distinguish the bow from the stern because they look the same. Its side propellers are visible on both the starboard and the port side, and they are usually made of wood. They would have made a very distinct (others would call it noisy) sound when wading through the waters. And the side propellers are turn by a walking beam sitting on an A-frame atop the upper deck. One end of the beam is connected to the propeller and the other to the crank – it works similar to the foot pedal and wheel of your grandparent’s manual foot-pedal sewing machine.

Typical classic ferry boats deck

Certainly there were no pools or even snack bars onboard classic ferry boats’ deck. The main or the lowest deck contains the freight, cars, and half of the deck usually houses the walking beam engine. The second or the cabin deck is the passengers’ area, which should be modestly decorated but there were no snack bars or entertainment areas on this deck yet. Entertainment and dining area came later with the introduction of big steam-engine operated ferries. And the upper or the hurricane deck was off limits to passengers; the walking beam is too dangerous for passengers to get close to.

Classic boat museum

Today, most of the classic ferry boats, or at least their remnants, can be found in popular maritime museum like the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. It has the largest collection of maritime records including navigational instruments, ship models and plans, parts of historic ships, etc. Everything you want to know about early voyages are most likely featured in the museum’s collection, and their ship models collection features several classic ferry boats also.

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Ferries to Isle of Wight

Renier — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:30:24 +0000

This summer, let the ferries to Isle of Wight take you to the holiday destination across the Solent where there’s something fun to do for everybody. Call it England’s playground or island paradise, the Isle of Wight never ceases to amaze people. Even Queen Victoria fell in love with the island that she built the Osborne House here as her summer residence. If you’re going to travel to the Isle of Wight, you’re likely to board either a Red Funnel ferry or a Wightlink ferry that serve the residents and the tourists to the island.

The Red Funnel Ferry

The easily distinguishable Red Funnel ferry is the oldest ferry operator to the Isle of Wight with history spanning close to 150 years now. Though the ferry company is old, the same cannot be said to its fleet having the youngest ro-ro ferries and fastcrafts that ferries over 3 million passengers across the Solent per year. Proof to the company’s excellent service is its numerous awards received like the RoSPA Safety award, British Safety Council award, Investor in People award, and BS EN ISO award for fleet management. The two Red Funnel ferries to Isle of Wight are the Red Jet Hi-Speed and the Passenger Vehicle Ferry that sails to the island from Southampton 364 days a year.

The Wightlink Ferry

The Wightlink Ferry is proud to be part of the Isle of Wight from serving tourists and local residents to sponsoring events that spur activities in the island. The company is one of the largest ferry operators in the United Kingdom considering that it only operates across the Solent with small car ferries and fastcrafts. Thanks to over 5 million passengers a year that board a Wightlink Ferry to the island, the company grew to its size today. That’s why the company is giving back to the community by actively promoting the island life through sponsorships and projects.

Special offers from ferries to Isle of Wight

Come Valentine’s Day, Wightlink Ferry offers couples a chance to have a Wightlink Green Getaways to Tennyson Barn for only £220 per person including the return car ferry trip from Portsmouth or Lymington to Isle of Wight.

Red Funnel Ferry on the other hand offers discounted attraction tickets to see the many attractions in Isle of Wight such as the Amazon World Zoo Park, the Dinosaur Isle, the Osborne House, etc.

If you’re from United Kingdom or visiting the country, make some time to visit the paradise island. Ferries to Isle of Wight offer many tour packages you can book to make your stay cheaper, so there’s really no reason you can’t visit the heritage island just off the coast of Britain the south.

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Super Fast Ferries from Italy to Greece

Renier — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:27:25 +0000

SuperFast Ferries

When travelling from Italy to Greece, Super Fast Ferries has the safest, cleanest, fun-filled, and as the liner name suggests, fastest ferries in the area. You can sail from Ancona or Bari in Italy to Corfu, Igoumenitsa, and Patras in Greece, and there’s a ship sailing daily so that you don’t have to worry about meeting your schedule. Being a member of the Attica Group, Super Fast Ferries strive to give you only excellent service onboard their fleet. And the liner’s dedication to environmental protection is unrivalled among its colleagues serving the area too.

Super Fast Ferries onboard facilities

When you board one of Super Fast Ferries fleet, you’d think that you’re going for a cruise ship tour across the Adriatic Sea, but you’re not. The onboard facilities of each Super Fast Ferries ship such as swimming pool, shopping, casino and disco bar, outdoor snack bar, videogames area, wired and free Wi-Fi Internet area, and the massage area are making you feel like you’re on a cruise ship. And if you’re a company looking for ways to mix fun and work, you can hold an executive meeting while onboard from Italy to Greece with the fleet’s executive boardroom complete with audiovisual, video/TV, slides projector, computers, and experience staff to boot.

Super Fast Ferries environmental compliance

Aside from Super Fast Ferries’ commitment to excellent service, the liner is also committed to preserve the ocean ecosystem along its routes. The company is actively investing on new equipments and technology that reduce its fleet’s impact on the environment. For example, all propulsion and power generation engines of the fleet comply with NOx or the international standards for nitreous oxide emission. Onboard waste water purification systems are installed on all ships so that only clean water is expelled back to the sea. The liner even went to such distance as using lead-free paint only for its ships to eliminate lead leaching to the ocean.

Book a discounted ticket from Super Fast Ferries

Super Fast Ferries has plenty of ticket discounts for its goers from Italy to Greece and back. One ticket discount worth noticing is the 50% discount for hybrid or electric car tickets! . . . in line with the liner’s commitment to advancing the environment.

For ticket bookings, go to Superfast.com to choose from the company’s three easy ticket booking options. You can even book your meals, pet kennel, and disabled-friendly cabin from two of these options, too.

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Hawaiian Speed Ferries Rescue Haiti

Renier — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:26:46 +0000

MV Alakai

Two of Hawaii’s deposed speed ferries, the MV Huakai and MV Alakai, are commissioned to help in Operation Unified Response in Haiti. The MV Huakai and MV Alakai are the flagships of Hawaii Superferry who buckled in March 2009 under lawsuit after lawsuit, aside from low ridership. It’s a good time for these two speed ferries to show their might (in good purpose) to aid in relief operation in Haiti following the devastating earthquake in January 12. The first to arrive was the MV Huakai in January 29, and the MV Alakai will shortly follow after.

The high speed ferries control

The two high speed ferries are under the control of the Military Sealift Command during the operation and will be operated by U.S. civilian mariners as part of the U.S. contingent to Haiti. MV Huakai will be used to transport equipment and personnel to Haiti from the United States, and its ability to haul 450 tons of cargo and 500 passengers while maintaining 33 knots in the speedometer will be a huge contribution to the relief effort. MV Huakai left Fort Eutis in Virginia in January 27 with rapid port opening elements, communication devices, forklifts, Humvees, trucks, and aid personnel to arrive in Haiti in January 29.

The MV Alakai

Few days after MV Huakai left for Haiti, its sister high speed ferries, MV Alakai, will join her for the same mission in Haiti from Norfolk Virginia. MV Alakai can carry 866 passengers and relief cargos at top speed of 40 knots, and she will be tasked to move aid workers in and out of Haiti from different strategic points. The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) is working actively with other U.S. agencies to give aid to the Haitians after the devastating earthquake in January 12. MARAD reported that they have more than 20 commercial ships ready to sail to Haiti upon request by aid agencies.

Austal speed ferries

The two speed ferries, MV Huakai and MV Alakai, were built by the world’s largest high speed ferries maker Austal, based in Australia. But the two ferries were built in its branch in Mobile, Alabama for Hawaii Superferry.

However, Huakai never made it to Hawaii after her sister Alakai had a terrible reputation and eventually were taken off from service in March 2009. Hawaii’s Superferry Company purportedly never made any money from its speed ferries operation in the island, and the lawsuits never helped the company either.

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