2006 Review                 (Updated 21st Jan 2007)

28th January - Winter Social

Our Winter Social, the first TSS event of the new year, took place at the Churchill Hotel, on the seafront at Dover. 41 members enjoyed a very pleasant three course meal.

The meal was followed by a very entertaining and informative slide show given by Mike Jackson entitled "My Voyages on Bulk Carriers". This covered Mike's voyages on several bulk carriers during the 1970s and 1980s. Some wonderful slides of many ships long departed from today's shipping scene were shown.

Many members stayed in the hotel on Saturday night and partook in a organised visit to Dover Coastguard Station on Sunday morning.

After breakfast a convoy of 21 members plus 2 local guests of the organiser made the short journey to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency building at Langdon Battery on the cliffs at Dover. We were treated to a two hour presentation of how the organisation
is run, explaining their responsibilites in the both keeping an eye on the traffic separation zones in  the Dover Straits (where there can be around 600 vessel movements in any one day) and the surrounding areas, plus the duties involved as the coastguard.

We even received a surprise close by fly-past by one of the search and rescue planes 'Echo November'.

A thoroughly enjoyable two hours and thanks goes to Ted Ingham and Gordon Wise of the MCA, both shipping enthusiasts, for taking the time to show us around. It was most refreshing to be 
welcomed somewhere as a 'ship spotter'. 

Thanks also to TSS members Mike Jackson and Andrew Humphreys for organising the visit and also for putting together the slide show on Saturday afternoon. 

Final thanks go to Paul Mason for organising an excellent weekend.

Dover - bathed in winter sunshine during our Winter Social!

TSS members being shown around the MCA building at Dover.

The veteran steam turbine cruise vessel OCEANIC at Barcelona on 20th March.

Pullmantur's BLUE DREAM departing from Barcelona with MSC's MELODY in the background.

Bulk carrier ELECTRA I catches the evening sunlight during one of our harbour trips.

Gaudi's Parc Guell during our city tour.

Gaudi's unfinished cathederal Sagrada Familia

Reefer COOL EXPRESS in Barcelona Docks.

GRAND MISTRAL was inactive in the port for our entire stay.

ROSE BROOK was in the port on our last day in Barcelona.

The modern AIDACARA at the cruise terminal on the 23rd March.

Photographs by Chris Brooks

20th March to 23rd March - Barcelona

Early on Monday morning, 20th March, 19 members of the TSS assembled at London Gatwick airport for a three night trip to Barcelona taking in some sunshine, shipping and Gaudi!

Having left a cold grey London it was pleasant to arrive in Barcelona on a warmer, bright day. After a painless check-in at the three star Montblanc Hotel close to the city's main tourist area, La Rambla, members of the group eagerly made the short walk down to the harbour and were surprised to see that there were five cruise ships in the port.

Unfortunately a number of the harbour cruises run by the Las Golondrinas were pre-booked by various school parties, which meant that TSS members had to wait until the late afternoon harbour cruise, or take the longer "coast cruise" which toured part of the dock complex on it's way back from the coast in order to view the shipping at close quarters.

Some excellent photographs of the various cruise ships were obtained during the harbour trips - with the highlight of the cruise ships being the veteran steam-turbine Oceanic dating from 1965, as well as the New Flamenco, Grand Mistral, Blue Dream and MSC's Melody.

Tuesday morning was taken up by a city tour organised by our travel company. This tour was very interesting and took in Gaudi's eccentric Parc Guell, the famous cathederal of La Sagrada Familia, which is still being constructed, as well as a walking tour of the old city and the La Rambla thoroughfare.

On Tuesday afternoon  a number of members took another harbour cruise. Only the Grand Mistral was left from from the previous day's cruise ships, but other bulk carriers, container ships, ro-ro's and ferries were noted and photographed, including the departure of the container carrier Melfi Italia II assisted by a local tug.

Wednesday was another free day, some members explored the city of Barcelona, some visited the excellent Maritime Museum, whilst others made their way down to the harbour to see what shipping had turned up overnight. A number of TSS members took another harbour cruise in the afternoon.

We were booked on a late afternoon flight on Thursday, which meant leaving the hotel at 14:30 for the airport. Luckily a coastal cruise was due to leave the harbour at 11:30 and return by 13:00, so this gave a number of members one last chance to photograph the new ships in the port. Two cruise ships had arrived early in the morning, these being the Coral and AIDACara and these were duly photographed during the cruise as were some new merchant shipping arrivals.

After an uneventful flight back from Barcelona we arrived at Gatwick airport on Thursday evening after a thoroughly pleasant few days. 

Our thanks go to Ian Cochran and everyone else who contributed to the organisation of a very pleasant trip.

22nd April - AGM at Southampton

On a beautifully sunny Saturday afternoon, 48 TSS members attended the AGM on-board Blue Funnel's Ocean Scene at Southampton. 

An excellent three course lunch was first served followed by the AGM. After the AGM business was completed, we had a 3 hour cruise of Southampton Docks and Southampton Water as far as Fawley Oil Terminal.

As the cruise season has just started in earnest in Southampton, we were fortunate to be able to view the cruise ships Black Watch at the City Cruise Terminal and P&O's Arcadia at the Mayflower Cruise Terminal, in perfect photographic conditions.

The container terminal was also busy with three large container ships present, the Shanghai Express, CMA CGM Verlaine and NYK Castor. 

After viewing the Western Docks, we proceeded down Southampton Water to photograph the tankers on Fawley Oil Terminal, passing the inbound Grimaldi vehicle carrier Grande Mediterraneo, arriving from Antwerp, on the way.

Fawley was quite busy with four tankers present, including the large Stellar Voyager. The new Solent Towage tug Tenax was also present at Fawley and viewed at close quarters.

We then slowly cruised back to Southampton, with just some time to see the departure of the Black Watch, before the cruise ended in Ocean Village.

With thanks to Simon Martin for organising the day and the crew of the Ocean Scene for another successful day in Southampton.

P&O's ARCADIA was at Mayflower Cruise Terminal....

.... and the BLACK WATCH was at the City Cruise Terminal.

SHANGHAI EXPRESS was one of three large container ships present.

GRANDE MEDITERRANEO inward bound in Southampton Water.

STELLAR VOYAGER at Fawley.

Photographs by Chris Brooks

ADSTEAM ANGLIA performed a little dance for us even before we had set off on our cruise.

AMNA S was out in the anchorage awaiting a berth...

...as was the BRITISH EXPERIENCE.

The new Medway tug ADSTEAM HARTY passes us to meet....

... the HYUNDAI SHANGHAI which was bound for Thamesport ...

... which passed the EVER DIVINE outward bound from Thamesport.

Photographs by Chris Brooks

Unfortunately, Saturday 6th May turned out to be a cloudy day with weather forecasts predicting rain in the afternoon. Nevertheless, TSS members from all over the country converged at Gravesend in good spirits for the first Thames and Medway cruise for 2006 on board the Princess Pocahontas.

Before the cruise had left the landing stage, one of the Adsteam tugs, Adsteam Anglia, gave us a demonstration of her manoeuverability at close quarters as she was escorting the large outward bound container ship Monte Pascoal.

After casting off we proceeded downstream, bound for the anchorages off Southend. One the way we passed the oil jetties at Coryton which were quite quiet with only a couple of small tankers present.

By the time we reached the anchorages, it had started to rain slightly, but we still got some good pictures of the ro-ro Eva Oden, the BP tanker British Experience and the old bulk carrier Amna S, all waiting for berths in the Thames. Luckily the rain did not persist for very long.

We then turned out attention to the Medway, with reports that two large container ships would be moving in the next hour or so. We were not disappointed, as we arrived in the Medway to witness the Ever Divine departing from Thamesport, assisted by the new Medway tug Adsteam Harty. Having pulled the Ever Divine from her berth the new tug then sped past us to meet the inward bound container ship Hyundai Shanghai. The Hyundai Shanghai was on her maiden voyage from the Far East, having been delivered from her builders in Ulsan, South Korea earlier this year.

We made our way back up the Thames, passing the outward bound EK-Sky on the way. Unfortunately, the container terminal and grain terminal at Tilbury were both devoid of shipping. We continued upriver as far as Dartford before turning around and returning to Gravesend, where the cruise ended.

With thanks to the organisers and the crew of the Princess Pocahontas for another enjoyable day out.

20th to 27th May - Continental Tour

On Saturday 20th May, fourteen participants of the Continental Tour arrived in Harwich to take the Stena Discovery HSS ferry over to the Hook of Holland. Despite some windy conditions on the previous day, we had an uneventful, comfortable crossing. On arrival at the Hook of Holland, we transferred to the Delta Hotel by coach where the remainder of the twenty-three participants joined us after making their own way to Rotterdam.

Having settled into the hotel, the ship photography started with several vessels being photographed underway passing the hotel, the highlight of which was the outbound container ship Kota Pelangi. 

On Sunday morning we awoke to heavy rain which was less than ideal conditions for our private Rotterdam and Europoort port cruise on our old friend the Diane. However, shortly after we departed from the landing stage for Europoort the rain stopped and we even had some periods of sunshine! At Europoort, the highlight of the shipping present was the Chinese semi-submersible heavy lift ship Kang Sheng Kou which had arrived with a deck cargo consisting of the SSP Piranema platform, from China for the Keppel Verolme yard. Many ships of all shapes and sizes were photographed during the full day's cruise.

Monday morning saw us departing from the Delta Hotel for the second part of our week long stay, based at the Arion Hotel on the seafront at Vlissingen. After a quick visit to "the hill" at the Hook of Holland to witness any new shipping that had arrived in Europoort overnight, we proceeded to Vlissingen. The Arion Hotel at Vlissingen overlooks one of the channels used by shipping using the ports of  Antwerp, Gent, Terneuzen and Flushing on the River Schelde. You can even photograph the passing shipping from your hotel balcony.

On Tuesday morning we travelled by coach to Terneuzen, which is one of the best places on the Schelde to photograph shipping underway. It is also the point at which the Gent Canal joins the River Schelde, via the Terneuzen Locks. Several ships were photographed underway passing Terneuzen as well as the Chinese An Bao Jiang and the large bulk carrier Medi Taipei arriving at Terneuzen Locks. 

Wednesday saw us travel by coach to Antwerp for our five hour private cruise of the enclosed docks at Antwerp. After a short visit to the Antwerp locks in our coach where we photographed two ships arriving, we boarded our vessel for the day, the Kempenland. Antwerp, as always produced some interesting vessels, including a variety of reefers, bulk carriers and general cargo ships. We were lucky to witness a number of movements of vessels as well, including the tanker Sealing and the bulk carriers Clipper Morning and Amna S (previously seen on the Thames & Medway trip a few weeks ago).

A visit by coach to the port of Gent was arranged for Thursday, with our local member Andre kindly arranging for permission for our coach to visit all the quays in the port. Several vessels were photographed in changeable weather conditions, the highlight of the tour being the Russian general cargo ship Fedor Varaksin which made a great photograph. After our tour of Gent we returned to Terneuzen and photographed some more passing shipping, before returning to our hotel in Vlissingen.

On Friday, the weather was not too good with heavy rain. In spite of the rain we spent the morning in Terneuzen (with many coffees in the Westkant restaurant overlooking the River!). During the afternoon we drove to Antwerp and boarded the public two and a half hour cruise around the docks to see what had changed since Wednesday. Despite intermittent rain we managed to photograph a number of new arrivals in the port including two large bulk carriers, Cape Cathay and Kohyohsan, the Chinese Tong Ji Men and the bulk sugar carrier CHL Progressor.

All too quickly, our week came to an end, and on Saturday morning. we said goodbye to our friends who were making their own way back to the UK via Eurostar. Our coach took us back to the Hook of Holland via "the hill" to witness any new shipping at Europoort. Several large tankers and a nice little general cargo ship, Oluk were photographed. Our coach then took us to the Stena Line terminal at the Hook of Holland where we boarded the Stena Discovery for the journey back to Harwich. 

On arrival at Harwich we were lucky enough to be able to photograph two departing cruise ships, the Athena and Discovery as we made our way into the port.

Alas, it was time to say goodbye to our friends and the end of the Continental Tour for another year. A thoroughly enjoyable experience, despite the changeable weather conditions. A count indicates that about 480 different ships were seen during the week.

With thanks to Paul Mason and Ray Smith for organising what was another very enjoyable week. 

KOTA PELANGI passing our hotel in Rotterdam.

MILTIADIS M departing from the Caland Canal during our Rotterdam port cruise.

SWIFT FLIGHT berthed in Waalhaven, Rotterdam during our port cruise.

Chinese semi-Submersible heavy lift ship KANG SHENG KOU moored in Europoort with the SSP PIRANEMA on board.

AN BAO JIANG arrived in the Gent Canal during our visit to Terneuzen.

Tug 80 gave us a demonstration of her manoeuvrability during the Antwerp port cruise.  

ATLANTIC HOLLYHOCK was in Antwerp during our port cruise.

AMNA S arrived in Antwerp during our port cruise.

FEDOR VARAKSIN was at Gent during our port visit.

SOUTHERN JUICE passing Terneuzen during one of our visits.

MERCHANT catches the evening sunlight as she passes the hotel at Vlissingen.

Photographs by Chris Brooks

THE CALYPSO at 102 berth Western Docks, under repair.

CEC MISTRAL loading yachts in Western Docks, Southampton.

MOL PERFORMANCE was at the container terminal.

KINGSTON LACY outward bound in Southampton Water.

ROBERT MAERSK at Fawley.

MISTRAL inbound in the Solent for Fawley.

D89 EXETER was at Portsmouth Naval Base.

Not just shipping! The Coastguard helicopter off Hythe.

OCEANA departing Southampton at the end of our cruise.

Photographs by Chris Brooks

8th July - Solent Cruise

Sixty members, a "full compliment", enjoyed the popular Solent Cruise on the 8th July. On a bright and sunny, if a little breezy Saturday we departed Ocean Village on Blue Funnel's Ashleigh R for our six hour private cruise.

After casting off at 11:30am we first explored the River Itchen, which does not see much commercial traffic these days, but there are many tugs and smaller vessels moored and laid up.

Once we had covered the Itchen we made our way around Dockhead and were pleasantly surprised by the number of vessels berthed in Southampton Docks. Four cruise ships, Oceana, Legend of the Seas, Aurora and The Calypso (under repair after her engine room fire in the Channel) were keeping the cruise terminals busy.

As well as the cruise ships there was plenty of commercial shipping in the form of vehicle carriers Alioth Leader, Asian Dynasty, Grande Scandinavia, L'Audace and Autoline. General cargo ships were represented by Mike, CEC Mistral (loading yachts for Palma) and Fjord Pearl (which had arrived with marble chips from Marina Di Carrara). Finally the container terminal had one large ship present - the MOL Performance.

On completing the tour of the docks we made our way down Southampton Water for Fawley, overtaking the nice old tug Kingston Lacy towing a barge and some workboats.

At Fawley there were four tankers present including the Ligovsky Prospect and the Robert Maersk.

At this point we headed for Portsmouth Harbour via the North Channel, so, as there was a lull in shipping activity, lunch was served. We passed the gas carrier Mistral, heading for Fawley, in the North Channel in excellent photographic conditions - unfortunately some of our members missed this due to being too interested in their lunch!

Portsmouth Harbour was busy with ferries as usual. We witnessed the arrival of the fast ferry Normandie Express as well as the departure of the conventional ferry Mont St. Michel. The Naval Base at Portsmouth was a little quiet, but the relatively new carrier Ocean was a new sighting for many of our members. We also headed up Fareham Creek as far as the laid up warships there.

Once we have finished our cruise of Portsmouth Harbour we retraced our steps back via the Solent and Southampton Water hoping to see the departure of some of the cruise ships which were due to leave at 5pm. We waited off Hythe for the departure of the cruise ships as the Solent Coastguard Helicopter put on a bit of a display for us (actually they were "on a job" looking for something near Hythe - I think).

Unfortunately the Legend of the Seas departure had been delayed, but we managed to get some good photographs of the Oceana departing from berth 38/39 and the Aurora was making our way out of the harbour as we headed back for Ocean Village at 5:30pm.

Yet again a very enjoyable cruise, with thanks going to the crew of the Ashleigh R for looking after us, as well as the organisers of the trip.

10th August - Thames and Medway Cruise

Over 60 TSS members gathered on a grey and blustery morning at Gravesend for the second Thames and Medway Cruise of the year.

On departure from Gravesend and after a quick call at Tilbury Landing Stage, where Fred Olsen's Black Prince and the vehicle carrier Morning Power, were moored, we made our way up the Thames as far as Dartford. On the way we passed the container carriers Sydney Express and HMS Rotterdam at Tilbury Container Terminal. Several tankers were also noted, including Kihuland, Ellen Knutsen and Prince Henri. Just before we turned downstream we photographed the soon to be replaced ro-ro Maersk Voyager which is on Cobelfret's Purfleet to Rotterdam service.

Just off Tilbury, on our way down the Thames we encountered several ships arriving, which we passed at close quarters. By now, the sun was even shining a little so many photographs were taken during this busy period. The RMS Rahm was closely followed by the Aasnes, which in turn was closely followed by the general cargo ship Go Pride, complete with a deck cargo of wood, bound for Tilbury Docks. The local tugs were busy connecting up to the Go Pride so our tug enthusiasts were well rewarded with some close-up photographs.

Shortly afterwards we also passed the inward bound dredger City of London and the container carrier Cap Vincent.  It was now time for our lunch before the next ships appeared before us.

At Coryton Number 3 Jetty, the tanker Emerald Star was being berthed by two of the new tugs Corringham and Castle Point, and the large tanker Delta Pioneer was also present. Our captain even took us around the back of the jetty in order to photograph the third of the three new tugs - Stanford.

In the anchorage, only the small tanker Clipper Bordeaux was present, so, after photographing her we made our way to the Medway.

Unfortunately the container terminal at Thamesport on the Medway was devoid of shipping, but Sheerness was quite busy, with the classic reefer Snow Crystal, the reefer Jorgen Lauritzen, and vehicle carrier Autoprestige making excellent photographs in a brief period of sunshine

After leaving the Medway we made our way back up the Thames passing several outbound ships including the container carrier Sydney Express, the tanker Kihuland, Union Sun, and SC Baltic.

Our cruise finished at Gravesend just as the Black Prince was departing from Tilbury and the large bulk carrier Heinrich Oldendorff was preparing to sail from Tilbury Power Station, with tugs in attendance.

Although the weather was changeable with periods of sunshine, showers and a brisk wind, the cruise was very enjoyable with many ships photographed underway at close quarters.

With thanks to Mick Axford for organizing the day as well as the crew of the Princess Pocahontas for their usual hospitality.

The vehicle carrier MORNING POWER was at Tilbury Landing Stage...

...as was the BLACK PRINCE.

GO PRIDE arriving for Tilbury assisted by ADSTEAM ANGLIA.

EMERALD STAR at Coryton.

ADSTEAM VICTORY inward bound in the Thames.

The classic reefer SNOW CRYSTAL at Sheerness.

SYDNEY EXPRESS departing from the Thames.

KIHULAND passed us outward bound at the end of our cruise.

Photographs by Chris Brooks

Our vessel for the day - Blue Funnel's ASHLEIGH R

9th September 2006 - Solent Cruise

A re-run of the ever popular Solent Cruise on board Blue Funnel's Ashleigh-R.

The cruise will start at Ocean Village, Southampton at noon and cover Southampton Docks, Fawley, Hamble, the Solent and Portsmouth Harbour.

The cruise vessels Golden Princess, Legend of the Seas and Oriana are expected in Southampton on this day. We will hopefully witness the sailings of these ships before the cruise ends at 18:00.

Lunch will be provided.

Unfortunately this cruise is cancelled due to insufficient bookings received.

11th to 22nd September - Black Sea Cruise

11^th September – An early morning start due to the current extra security measures at Heathrow but all our 22 participants managed to board our BA Boeing 757 on time for our 0750 flight to Milan Malpensa airport. On arrival we were faced with a coach journey through the Italian countryside to Genoa which lasted just over two hours. On arrival in Genoa we boarded mid afternoon our home for the next 11 nights, the MSC Lirica. Delivered in March 2003 from Chantiers D’Atlantique, St Nazaire the vessel is of 58,600 GRT with a service speed of 21 knots and capable of carrying upto 2,065 passengers with approximately 700 crew. The crew on this cruise came from 52 different nationalities.

The port of Genoa contained 25 vessels, including a sister ship MSC Opera berthed at the other side of the quay, with other vessels including ferries, bunker tankers and roro vessels with an occasional container ship and coaster. Sailing was scheduled for 1700 and after clearing the port it was time to finish the unpacking and get ready for our second sitting dinner at 2100

Genoa to Naples – 344 miles

 12^th September – 1030 arrival at Naples after having passed the E enroute. A good selection of 45 vessels in port dominated by Italian coastal, inter island and cross Mediterranean ferries. MSC were also prominent with MSC Selma, MSC Carla and MSC Shirley in port working cargo or under repair, and in the afternoon the MSC Toronto also arrived. Various other types of vessels were also noted at the busy repair yards and the veteran cruise ship Grand Victoria was also in port. Departure 1800

Naples – Piraeus 682 miles

 13^th September – Our first day of leisure ‘’at sea’’ with only one vessel noted, the roro Jolly Amaranto. The first Gala Night dinner in the evening, so a chance for the ladies to wear their best outfits.

 14^th September – Awake around 0600 and a visit to the balcony saw us the passing near sister ship MSC Armonia with all lights blazing also inbound for Piraeus, where we arrived at 0700. There were to be six cruise ships in port on the day, the others being Nautica, Superstar Libra, Costa Marina and Ocean Odyssey. Around ten of our members took the ferry to Aegina, skirting the anchorage enroute, while others visited the Corinth Canal or Athens. The anchorage was quieter than on previous visits, probably due to high freight levels obtainable in today’s strong market. Over 70 vessels noted on the day including the usual large collection of Greek ferries and some of the vessels under repair in the distant shipyards of Perama were identifiable. Departure 1700

Piraeus – Yalta 615 miles

15^th September – At sea again with ships to see this time. At 0700 we were still the Dardanelles so a good chance to see some passing traffic and around 0800 we entered the Sea of Marmara which was very busy, and further on we entered the Bosporos Strait at around 1300. The scenic journey through the Bosporos brought back memories of previous TSS visits and as usual it proved to be busy with vessels on the move. We exited the Bosporus around 1515 heading north to Yalta not knowing what ships we might find there. In total some 76 vessels noted on the day, including 31 in the Bosporus (excluding the local ferries). In addition there were probably 40 unidentified vessels in the SW anchorage and a further dozen or so in the NW anchorage.

16^th September – 0800 arrival in Yalta with not very much to report on the shipping scene. One Russian river cruise vessel, two local tugs and two fast ferries under repair were the only vessels to be seen, with the Saga vessel Spirit of Adventure arriving shortly after us. The only rain of the trip in the afternoon and another Gala Night dinner in the evening after 1800 departure

Yalta – Odessa 205 Miles

 17^th September – Early morning arrival in Odessa revealed some 19 vessels in port, a mixture of bulkers, containerships, vessels under repair including the Russian liner Odessa and local craft. Departure at 1300 gave time to identify a further nine vessels in the anchorage with a further six unidentified.

Odessa – Istanbul 330 miles

18^th September – Pilot onboard for the busy southbound Bosporus transit at 0630 and we arrived at the berth at around 0900, with the cruise ships Grand Princess and AIDAaura already berthed astern of us. Members headed of in various directions or on guided tours, but we took the ferry to Kadikoy on the Asian side in order to photograph the ships at the container terminal and the nearby berths. Departure at 1700 and a few photos still to taken around the SW anchorage where estimates of around 80 vessels of all sizes in view, waiting for their various reasons, but most were unidentifiable in the distant haze. A total of 96 names went into the notebook on the day, again excluding the local ferries. 

Istanbul – Catania 765 miles

19^th September – Another day at sea, passing through the Greek islands with light winds and a very hot day with sunbeds at a premium in the afternoon. Some 15 vessels identified on the day including the OMI tanker Rosetta and Lebanese flagged bulker Alexander K. The final Gala Night of the trip.

20^th September – We arrived at Catania around 1130 and as expected a very small port with only five vessels noted including the cruise ship Hebridean Spirit and the French cable layer Rene Descartes. Another hot day and after a short trip ashore it was time for some more sunbed therapy before departure at 1900

Catania – Capri 213 miles

21^st September – Arrival at our anchorage in Capri Bay was at 0730 with only a few local ferries that cross to Naples on view. Time for a visit to the famous Blue Grotto, and some retail therapy before heading back to the ship to start the packing. The sailing cruise ship Royal Clipper arrived shortly before our departure at 1300.

Capri –Genoa 332 miles

22^nd September – We were supposed to vacate our cabins by 0800 so all on deck for the 0900 arrival in Genoa where some 19 vessels were further noted, a large proportion of them being ferries of the Moby, Tirrenia and Grimaldi Lines with a few container vessels and tankers also on view. We left the ship around 1015 to face the return coach journey to Genoa with a few hours waiting at the airport before our return flight on a full BA Airbus A320 back to Heathrow where goodbyes were made and we headed off in our different directions.

Many thanks to our Society Secretary, John James, ably assisted by his wife Penny, for organising a splendid cruise and I am sure all those who participated brought home some very happy memories. Thanks again John and Penny

FAUNO was one of the many ferries sighted at Naples.

SALERNO EXPRESS in dock at Naples.

KNOSSOS PALACE was at Piraeus.

We passed the MEGA STAR in the Sea of Marmara.

Passing the OVERSEAS LUXMAR in the Bosphorus.

KRYMCHANIN - one of the local tugs at Yalta.

At Yalta was the Saga cruise ship SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE.

The ARIAKE REEFER was one of 19 vessels noted in Odessa.

The SPAR LYRA passed us as we headed down the Bosphorus.

AIDAaura was one of the other cruise ships at Istanbul.

Our home for the cruise, the MSC LIRICA berthed at Istanbul during our call there.

We spotted the RADOMYSHL during our voyage from Istanbul to Catania.

Our group attending the final Gala Night of the cruise. 

A bird's eye view of the MSC LIRICA at Capri.

ROYAL CLIPPER arrived at Capri as we were about to depart.

JOLLY ARANCIONE was at Genoa where our cruise came to an end...

.

....as was the NEW ENDEAVOR.

Photographs and Report by Paul Mason

HALUNDER JET was spotted on 29th September.

The Chinese heavy lift DA FU passed outward on 30th September. 

FRANCOP was one of the many feeder container ships seen.

The geared bulker SPAR GARNET passed inwards on 30th September.

Newbuilding SULTAN HOUMED L BOKO was being towed to Rotterdam on 30th September.

TOR BELLONA arriving on 2nd October.

JUTTA B arriving at Cuxhaven Harbour.

Polsteam's MIELEC inward bound in the Elbe.

All photographs by Roger Hammond

28th September to 2nd October - Relax by the Elbe - Cuxhaven

We undertook a four night trip to Cuxhaven. Flights by British Airways to Hamburg with coach transfers to Cuxhaven.

Hotel accommodation was at the Best Western Donners Hotel for four nights - a stone's throw from the viewing area on the River Elbe. Shipping bound for Hamburg and the Kiel Canal pass close by the viewing area.

Although no formally arranged excursions were arranged for the four days at Cuxhaven, advice was given on the possibility of travelling further afield by public transport to ports such as Bremerhaven, Bremen and Hamburg.

The following report is by TSS Member Roger Hammond :

So what was it like?

The BA scheduled flights to Hamburg were very good and comfortable. The Best Western Donners Hotel was also very good and comfortable. Weather was generally, acceptable. Slightly showery only one day and a ginormous storm one night.

This was my first visit to Cuxhaven. It produced something for everyone – tugs, ro-ros, reefers, container ships, bulkers, tankers, cruise ships, grey funnel etc, etc.

There is an almost perfect viewing platform at the ‘Alte Liebe’ allowing good shots of everything passing, except the very small in the very distance. This was where most of us spent our days. All facilities were within a very short walking distance, Port Control even announcing the names & schedules of the shipping as it passed (Can you imagine that happening in the UK?).

Four intrepid explorers made their own way to Hamburg for the Hamburg harbour tour which I gather was very good indeed. However, at the end of the four days of the trip, we had nearly all seen the same ships – albeit in different locations. 

I am sure that the eleven of us who went thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Would I recommend it? YES. Would I do it again? YES.

Here’s hoping that the 2007 proposed trip to Rendsburg on the Kiel Canal garners sufficient support to enable the trip to go ahead.
Just think, 4 days sitting beside the Kiel Canal, a full stein in one hand, a camera in the other, a pencil in another and a notebook in another!

We were at Table No 27 at this year's Ship Show on 21st October at the Royal National Hotel, Bloomsbury, where members of the committee were on hand to answer questions and have a chat.

For more details about the Ship Show use the following link : Ocean Liner Society