When travelling by ship always expect the unexpected - be prepared for potential delays; ship breakdown, strikes and of course, the weather!
I like nothing more than sitting on deck with a cold beer or coffee, as you know if you read these blogs. But, sometimes I travel just to experience the force of the wind and the power of the sea during a storm.....
In due course I will post blogs on actual storm chasing adventures I have had but this blog post is to show you how I undertake my storm chasing trips; how I decide what ship to go on, what to do when aboard and when.
FYI I am on the ship pictured above........we made the local press!
Enjoy.
The technical bit...(just takes a sec....)
The nautical term for wind force at sea is BEAUFORT SCALE.
Generally the scale is between:
Force Zero; 0-1 knots, 0-2km/h (calm, sea like mirror) to
Force Twelve; 64+ knots, 118+km/h (hurricane, air filled with foam and spray; sea completely white with driving spray; visibility very seriously affected).
When I do a storm chasing trip to get my adrenaline fix I don't go out in anything less than a Force 9; 41-47 knots, 76-87km/h (severe gale, high waves with tumbling crests; dense streaks of foam; spray may affect visibility).
Booking.....
Ships these days are so big and powerful they pretty much go to sea in all weathers. Therefore, I do my absolute upmost to go to sea on the smallest, oldest, underpowered ship I can get on.
Some companies have offers such as P&O's Car Park Shopper (Dover/Calais); France and back on the same ship without disembarking. This type of ticket is perfect for storm chasing as it allows more time at sea and less time on land.
Timing and route.....
What's the point going storm chasing when the weather gets so bad the ship is cancelled and you end up sitting in your car in the vehicle lanes of the port for hours on end?
I tend to travel Dover/Calais when storm chasing owing to the frequency of ferries; if one gets cancelled you won't have long to wait for the next one.
When you hear of an impending storm, watch the weather forecast for a few days before hand and track the storm; you will find the time of its arrival/the time the wind is at its greatest, will change.
Taking Dover/Calais/Dover as an example, make sure you are aboard the ship in Dover as the wind starts to pick up. Ensure the ship you are on arrives in Calais and departs again before the full force of the storm hits. That way it is very likely the Port of Dover will close prior to your arrival and with no possibility the ship will return to France, you end up aboard the ship riding the waves for HOURS on end. RESULT!
If 'stuck' off Dover you will find yourself sailing in circles between the South Goodwin lightship and Langdon Bay with other ships; the area is more sheltered compared to being in the open sea but beware, you will take on some hefty rolls now and again!
If you are lucky, when the Port of Dover reopens this will coincide with high water meaning the waves rounding the 'knuckle' of the Southern Breakwater as you enter the harbour will be huge! As the ships' stabilisers are stowed away as you enter the port you WILL feel the movement of the ship. BRACE YOURSELF!
As I said earlier, I like to be aboard the smallest, oldest, underpowered ship operating at the time the storm is due to hit to enjoy the full storm chasing experience. But if you cannot actually see the sea you are missing out on the best experience.
If travelling Dover/Calais I do my UPMOST to get aboard P&O's Pride of Kent / Pride of Canterbury. Both of these ships have the most outstanding forward facing views of any ship presently in operation. The Family Lounge on the lower deck is OK, though can get crowded especially if previous cancellations mean additional passengers are carried.
I prefer the Club Class Lounge on the deck above as I have never seen it crowded, the views of the sea are exceptional, there are comfortable seats right by the windows and more power sockets if you need to give your camera an emergency charge.
Also, you get free hot and cold beverages so if you are 'stuck' for any length of time you can get your monies worth as the money you save will pay for the entrance ticket which is around £15 per journey. On one journey my three and half hour Dover/Calais/Dover trip took 14hrs!
On the same Dover/Calais route, if storm chasing avoid the Spirit of Britain/France as they are large powerful ships and the movement is not as bad in poor weather, though I have had some fun on these in a hurricane!
The Pride of Burgundy is a smaller, older ship though views can only be obtained through limited windows as the lifeboats on her port/starboard sides obscure these side views and the only windows with forward facing views are in the self service restaurant which gets noisy, crowded and you are likely to get thrown out if not eating.
The DFDS ships to Calais and Dunkerque, other than Calais Seaways, are also very good as they literally have walls of glass giving outstanding views of the sea.
Upon boarding the ship in Dover you want to grab the best seat, in the best location and stay there! Therefore, if undertaking a Dover/Calais Carpark Shopper with P&O, go to the ship reception IMMEDIATELY upon boarding in Dover and check-in for the return voyage. Otherwise there will be a shipboard announcement whilst on passage to France asking you to exchange your ticket and it's sods law that is when the roughest sea conditions are (as you will be mid channel at that point) and you will miss the big waves. Plus, its possible someone will sit in your spot!
The onboard shop closes around 20min before your arrival in Calais. Therefore, if you want to purchase any items get to the shop around 30min before your arrival (just before the ship turns to port and heads down the approach channel). The sea will be at its least rough as you will be protected by the French coastline so you will not miss much.
Depending on how rough the journey was you may well find the shop a bit of a disaster zone so watch your step......
Working your way through the ship down to the shop you may find some other hazards; passengers throwing up, corridors flooded, ceiling panels hanging down....
If undertaking a P&O Car Park Shopper aboard Pride of Burgundy/Kent/Canterbury you will need to return to your car in Calais and move it to a position at the other end of the car deck before new vehicles board so upon arrival back in Dover, your car is facing the right way for disembarkation. This new location for your car is extremely exposed to the elements so be prepared for your vehicle to be absolutely caked in sea salt from the spray!
Over the years I have had some remarkable experiences such as returning to Dover and entering the harbour, storm force winds picked up considerably and we headed back out to sea and remained there for the next 11 hours plus on another trip, one mile off Dover the wind picked up to hurricane force 12. The ship had to abort the approach, make a severe turn to port taking on some hefty rolls and huge waves and head back out to sea.
In all cases however, the crew were magnificent; giving complimentary drinks and snacks and keeping passengers updated. They put passengers at ease and reassured us that we were not in danger.
When i work out how to upload videos on this blog I will post some footage.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me via my blog or Facebook page.
In the meantime here are some miscellaneous pictures for you to enjoy.
