GREEK HOLIDAY
I'm a member of the Ferries of Southern Europe group at eGroups. One of the members of the group, Mr. Geoff Hamer has posted a very interesting report on his trip round Greece. You can find many former Japanese ferries in it. His report is as follows.
Greek Holiday - October
2001
By Geoff Hamer
FRIDAY 5 OCTOBER 2001
I sailed overnight from Portsmouth to Le Havre in the PRIDE
OF PORTSMOUTH, my first trip with P&O from
Portsmouth for several years, and my first on one of the former
Olau ships since they ran from Sheerness. My cabin was below the
car deck but spacious. P&O does not share cabins on this
route so anyone travelling alone has to pay for a 4-berth cabin,
and on this crossing, there were few cabins left even though the
ship was only about half full. The watertight doors were closed
before we sailed, as they should be (it is a scandal that many
ferries sail with open doors in their watertight bulkheads); this
meant however, that most of the cabins below the car deck could
only be reached by stairs, though mine was close to the lift.
These were amongst the last ferries to be built with passenger
accommodation below the car deck.
I had a quick meal in the cafeteria and there was a good choice
of hot dishes, but the wines were limited to draught red or white
which seemed astonishing on a ship running to France (Brittany
Ferries' cafeterias have a selection of bottled wines). The red
ran out as I was filling my little carafe and I had to wait
several minutes for a new box of wine to be fetched and
connected. The food, when I eventually got to eat it, was fine.
SATURDAY 6 OCTOBER 2001
Arrival in Le Havre is at 0645 and the first announcements are
made an hour earlier, at 0445 British time. There is a connecting
bus to the station where I got a train to Paris. I had time for a
walk alongside the Seine before lunch, then a TGV took me to Nice
where I had dinner.
Nice is a big city and I caught a bus to the harbour, then walked
around to the commercial port only to find that Corsica Ferries
berth on the other (Western) side of the harbour. Eventually I
got to their ticket office and was able to watch the MEGA
EXPRESS TWO arriving at 2215 from Calvi. A good number
of passengers and cars swiftly disembarked and we sailed on time
at 2300 for Ajaccio.
The MEGA EXPRESS TWO has rather unusual public
rooms and the restaurant is in the middle of the main lounge,
with a raised floor and no partitions - it must feel like eating
on a stage watched by spectators. There is also a large
self-service restaurant and a spaghettaria (pasta bar). The lido
deck aft is surrounded by glass and is above the restaurants
which have large windows looking astern; there is a lot of
vibration here, though the night crossing is not made at full
speed (In Corsica Ferries' timetables, the MEGA EXPRESSes
are confusingly listed as "express" ships on daytime
crossings but as "cruise" ferries at night).
SUNDAY 7 OCTOBER 2001
The MEGA EXPRESS TWO arrived in Ajaccio on time
at 0700 and was followed by SNCM's DANIELLE CASANOVA
from Marseille. The local paper had pictures of the NORWAY
which had anchored off Ajaccio the day before. I got the train
through spectacular mountain scenery to Bastia where I had lunch.
I bought a ticket for the HAPPY DOLPHIN's last
sailing of the season to La Spezia. She was due at 1315 but was
nearly an hour late. She took about five minutes to unload and
load before leaving almost on time, sounding her siren to mark
her last trip. I remember seeing the ship at Swansea when she was
the brand-new INNISFALLEN, but this was my first
time aboard her. She is now registered in Madeira, but the crew
all seemed to be Italian. She has good open deck space, including
a deck overlooking the bow. The interior had probably changed
little, though carpets and furnishings had been renewed. Two bars
were open and both ran out of beer (it wasn't my fault - I think
the remaining stocks were shared amongst the crew). The
self-service restaurant opened for dinner, but I didn't see
anyone eating anything. The trip, scheduled for five hours,
actually took six hours and it was dark well before we arrived.
There was a very heavy shower as I made my way into the town.
MONDAY 8 OCTOBER 2001
After a night in La Spezia, I travelled by train to Ancona where
I booked a berth in ANEK Lines' OLYMPIC CHAMPION
to Patra.
The OLYMPIC CHAMPION is very impressive on
board. The public rooms are labelled for "economic
class" and "distinguished class" so that she can
run between Pireas and Crete, but there is no class distinction
on international services. She is smooth, with no vibration.
There were very few passengers and plenty of empty space on the
vehicle decks - there are plainly too many ships running from
Ancona this year and services will be reduced next year.
TUESDAY 9 OCTOBER 2001
The OLYMPIC CHAMPION called at Igoumenitsa in
the morning and reached Patra at 1430, just 19.5 hours after
leaving Ancona. The weather was warm and sunny, and it was to
stay like that during my ten days in Greece. I decided to stop a
night in Patra and went to nearby Rion in the afternoon to sample
one of the busiest ferry crossings in Greece. The service to
Antirion is worked by around 25 ferries, mostly bow-loading
though the latest are double-ended. Each ship works a few hours a
day, and idle off-duty vessels lie in both ports. The service is
now free to passengers, and only vehicles are charged. As well as
cars and lorries, the route is used by many long-distance buses
on routes such as Igoumenitsa-Athina or Thessaloniki-Patra, and
the ferries have well-stocked buffets. The replacement bridge is
due to open in 2005 and the construction work can be clearly
seen.
OLYMPIC CHAMPION (Anek Lines)
WEDNESDAY 10 OCTOBER
2001
I caught an early train from Patra to Pireas where I booked a
berth to Mitilini in the FEDRA. I went over to
Aiyina for lunch, out in the NEFELI and back in
the AG NEKTARIOS AIGINAS.
The FEDRA was lightly loaded - her route via
Siros, Samos and Hios means she takes 18 hours to get to Mitilini
while NEL Lines' TAXIARCHIS went directly to
Hios and Mitilini. The remarkable thing about the FEDRA
is that her interior changed little in 12 years with Minoan
Lines, and signs everywhere are in Swedish and German. I ate in
the self-service restaurant and, though the meal was fine, the
choice of dishes is much more limited than on an international
voyage. The FEDRA makes a comfortable domestic
ferry, but did not compare so well with the better ships on the
Adriatic.
THURSDAY 11 OCTOBER 2001
The TAXIARCHIS and MYTILINI
were both at Mitilini, the latter going overnight to Kavalla on a
service originally scheduled for the SAPPHO, now
laid-up at Pireas. I had lunch and a wander around Mitilini
before sailing to Hios in the TAXIARCHIS. She is
a quite unpleasant ship, very obviously converted from a freight
ferry, and it was astonishing to think that she had once been
thought suitable to run from Sheerness to Vlissingen. The trip to
Hios takes only three hours, so I didn't need to eat in the TAXIARCHIS.
I found a hotel, then tried to work out my next move. Miniotis' CHIONI
was due to sail to Samos, but I was told the weather was doubtful
and, since departure was due at 0700, I decided not to bother.
FRIDAY 12 OCTOBER 2001
The CHIONI was still in port, so obviously
hadn't been able to go to Samos. The Turkish ERTÜRK
II called in the afternoon. The trip to the Turkish port
of Çesme takes just one hour and the closeness of Turkey
explains the military bases on Hios.
I sailed overnight to Pireas in the THEOFILOS,
getting a cabin in the after accommodation block which was added
when she was the ABEL TASMAN. The cabin was
spacious and had a window. Most of her public rooms are similar
to the FEDRA's, though signs are in English
rather than Swedish and German.
SATURDAY 13 OCTOBER 2001
The THEOFILOS arrived in Pireas at 0800, just
too late for the scheduled sailings to Tinos or Mikonos, but all
the ships were staying in port after gale warnings. I decided to
go to Aiyina and got on the SARONIKOS. After
finding a hotel, I returned to Pireas in the GEORGIOS 2,
then did trips to Salamis and Perama. These ferries cater for
commuters rather than tourists, but give good views of laid-up
ships and shipyards so are very interesting for a shipping
enthusiast. The DAEDALUS,
EUROPA I, IONIAN SUN and KING MINOS were at
Perama. I returned to Aiyina in the AIAS.
SUNDAY 14 OCTOBER 2001
I did a return trip to Idra in the GEORGIOS 2.
She has stern and side ramps to suit her ports of call and sleek
lines with a well-shaped bow; she is fast, though rather noisy.
Idra town is beautiful and has no cars or motor scooters, unlike
other island towns where the peace is ruined by their buzzing
(Vespa is Italian for wasp). The HERMES called
on her day cruises to the islands of Aiyina, Poros and Idra. She
was built for Jadrolinija in 1956 and can sail on as the Greek
government's 35-year age limit does not apply to excursion or
cruise ships.
MONDAY 15 OCTOBER 2001
The weather was still warm and sunny, but high winds were
forecast, so I decided to abandon trying to go to the Cyclades. I
went from Aiyina to Spetses and the GEORGIOS 2
was doing the run again - the barman remembered how I liked my
coffee but probably thought I was mad for going on the ship three
days in succession. From Spetses, I got the small bow-loading
ferry ALEXANDROS M to Kosta in the Peloponnese.
She is remarkable only for having on display a safety certificate
and her passenger capacity (263 in summer or 75 in winter). A
connecting bus took me to Kranidi, then Nafplio where I got a
train to Korinthos.
TUESDAY 16 OCTOBER 2001
I got an early train from Korinthos to Patra, and sailed to Sami,
Kefalonia, at 1230 in Strintzis' KEFALONIA.
She has a pleasant open-plan interior, but the bars offer only
sandwiches, cheese pies, etc. Her rival is GA Ferries JETFERRY
1 and it's sad that Strintzis' bigger ship offers
catering no better than a fast ferry. From Sami, there is a bus
across the mountains to Argostoli on the other side of the
island. I had a trip on the local car ferry which runs across the
bay from Argostoli to Lixouri.
WEDNESDAY 17 OCTOBER 2001
The ships of the Zakinthos cooperative now run from Killini to
Kefalonia, replacing Strintzis' services run until recently by
the IONIAN SUN. The IONIS was
on the afternoon trip to Argostoli. She once ran to Brindisi and
has a self-service restaurant (now closed) and cabins. She has an
attractive lounge and good open deck space, though was in a
fairly scruffy state. We got to Killini just in time for me to
get the DIONISIOS SOLOMOS
to Zakinthos. She is a rather ugly Japanese ferry and has been
little altered, with many signs in Japanese visible aboard. The IONIS
followed us across to Zakinthos without passengers as she had
loaded petrol tankers and other dangerous vehicles.
THURSDAY 18 OCTOBER 2001
In the morning, I watched the excursion ships setting off for the
cruise around Zakinthos; even in October, four vessels sailed
with bus loads of passengers brought in from the package tour
resorts in the south of the island. I sailed to Killini in the IONIS
and made another visit to the Rion-Antirion ferry in the
afternoon.
I'd hoped to return to Italy in Minoan Lines' ARETOUSA
but her Thursday night sailing was fully booked with only deck
passage available (this was probably because passengers had
transferred from the Friday sailing which was originally
scheduled for the DAEDALUS). So instead, for the
second year running, I returned to Venezia in the BLUE HORIZON. She left
around midnight just before the ARETOUSA and
ANEK's LEFKA ORI which was bound for
Trieste.
FRIDAY 19 OCTOBER 2001
We called at Igoumenitsa early in the morning. Minoan Lines' IKARUS
berthed near us en route from Ancona to Patra; her upper vehicle
deck looked empty apart from a couple of campers. The BLUE HORIZON's swimming
pool was filled, but few passengers used it; the weather was
distinctly cooler as we headed north up the Adriatic, but I
didn't mind as I'd enjoyed warm, sunny weather throughout my time
in Greece.
SATURDAY 20 OCTOBER 2001
The BLUE HORIZON
arrived in a rather misty Venezia at 0800, before the ARETOUSA.
I spent a morning in Venezia, and saw the Libyan TOLETELA
under repair, then went to Bologna to meet Daniele Miglio before
getting the sleeper to Paris. I'd hoped to return via Dieppe but
the night train was over an hour late and missed the connection,
so I went via Calais and the SEAFRANCE CEZANNE.
G P Hamer, 28 October 2001
Posted with permission from Geoffrey Hamer
"OLD FRIENDS (Japanese Ferries)"
13 OCTOBER
DAEDALUS(10,417G/T)/Minoan
Lines/Orion(1973)/Taiyo
Ferry
KING MINOS(10,164G/T)/Minoan
Lines/Erimo Maru(1972)/Nihon
Enkai Ferry
16 OCTOBER
KEFALONIA(3,473G/T)/Strintzis
Lines/Venus(1975)/Higashi
Nihon Ferry
17 OCTOBER
DIONISIOS SOLOMOS(4,309G/T)/Anmez/Loyal Kawanoe(1990)/Shikoku
Chuo Ferry
18 OCTOBER
BLUE HORIZON(27,230G/T)/Strintzis
Lines/Varuna(1989)/Higashi
Nihon Ferry
LEFKA ORI(29,429G/T)/Anek
Lines/Hercules(1992)/Higashi
Nihon Ferry
Varuna in Nagasaki (Higashi Nihon Ferry)
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02/05/23