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ThunderGuts
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PostPosted: 14:22 - 18 Jan 2021    Post subject: Small ferry crossings Reply with quote
So I know on "proper" ferries on big boats, there are all sorts of arrangements for tying down bikes during the crossing. How does it work on the small short-distance crossings that are quite common in Scotland? E.g. the McInroy's Point - Hunter's Quay crossing and the like? Just hope the bike won't topple over or is still a full "strap on experience" (ooh err)?

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Freddyfruitba...
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PostPosted: 15:23 - 18 Jan 2021    Post subject: Re: Small ferry crossings Reply with quote
ThunderGuts wrote:
So I know on "proper" ferries on big boats, there are all sorts of arrangements for tying down bikes during the crossing. How does it work on the small short-distance crossings that are quite common in Scotland? E.g. the McInroy's Point - Hunter's Quay crossing and the like? Just hope the bike won't topple over or is still a full "strap on experience" (ooh err)?

Varies. Eg, I recently sailed from Dunoon to Gourock, just up from Hunters's Quay and a full half-hour trip across the Firth of Clyde, and was pretty surprised that there was no provision at all for tying our bikes down. All was OK, but I must admit I didn't stray far from my bike!
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stinkwheel
Bovine Proctologist



Joined: 12 Jul 2004
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PostPosted: 15:33 - 18 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
Park it in gear on the stand. If it's rough, stay with it. You tend to stay next to the bike on the Hunters Quay one anyway.

By the time you've taken your lid and gloves off and paid for the ticket, it's time to put them back on again anyway.

It's quite impressive how much they can bounce about on the suspension/stand without going over. I remember sitting on the upper deck of the Fishnish ferry to Mull back in the 90's with the University bike club "smoking" and watching the bikes bounce up and down. None of them went over.

When we went to Westray they jammed all the bikes into one of the sheep pens and put a long rope round the back of them all.

One time back from shetland they put 4 ratchet straps on each bike down to chains across the deck AND chained the wagons down and I was still concerned they might have gone over. I've never got over that crossing, I was still seasick for about a fortnight after and can get seasick on a millpond now (but oddly, not in a canoe).
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ThunderGuts
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PostPosted: 15:57 - 18 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
Interesting - sounds like taking something to fasten the brake lever down with would be a good move then (I've got some velcro "cable ties" that would be ideal)! That combined with being in gear and on the side stand should prove pretty solid. Thumbs Up
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Freddyfruitba...
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PostPosted: 16:37 - 18 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have to say I was particularly anxious at the time, as my bike had been blown over by the wind while parked at the top of Bealach na Bà the previous day... Crying or Very sad
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MCN
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PostPosted: 16:50 - 18 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
You're over-thinking it.

They usually don't sail if the weather is so bad that a bike will fall over.
Even though the ferries are more than capable of navigating heavy seas the insurance liabilities and risk of injury is not worth leaving the slip.

We use the West coast ferries regularly and the only issue we've had was one time we rode 50 miles down to the pier only to be told that if the boat is full of cars then no bikes will be boarded unless pre-booked.
We always got to shove our bikes into spaces even when rammed with cars and trucks.
But the Nazi Scottish Gov hit that on its heid. Dick-ends.
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Lone-Wolf
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PostPosted: 23:09 - 18 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
stinkwheel wrote:


One time back from shetland they put 4 ratchet straps on each bike down to chains across the deck AND chained the wagons down and I was still concerned they might have gone over. I've never got over that crossing, I was still seasick for about a fortnight after and can get seasick on a millpond now (but oddly, not in a canoe).


Wotcha.

1987 Simmer Dim rally - storm force 10 going . . . . flat as a millpond coming back. They put mattresses between and over the bikes, then tied them down. Sadly they did not tie the one row correctly, and the whole lot went over. The bike at the bottom of the pile ended up with a squashed petrol tank, whilst most of the others suffered some kind of damage.

Seeing as it was the ferry company's employees who had loaded the bikes, they put their hand up and said "We can't do anything here on the Shetlands, but we will sort it back at Aberdeen" True to their word, back at Aberdeen they had a couple of Portacabin offices set up and any damaged bikes were assessed by the insurance folks who were phoning the relevant dealers from phones in the Portacabins ( pre - mobile phone days ) to get prices for the damaged parts . . . .then once you were happy with the amount offered . . . they gave you a cheque. At the time, it was P&O who were operating the ferries.

My Gold Wing happened to be in the row that went over - luckily it was at the "top" of the pile.

https://live.staticflickr.com/5062/5615782965_209cbd7d32_c.jpgsdim061 by Lone Wolf, on Flickr
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stinkwheel
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Joined: 12 Jul 2004
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PostPosted: 23:43 - 18 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lone-Wolf wrote:
stinkwheel wrote:


One time back from shetland they put 4 ratchet straps on each bike down to chains across the deck AND chained the wagons down and I was still concerned they might have gone over. I've never got over that crossing, I was still seasick for about a fortnight after and can get seasick on a millpond now (but oddly, not in a canoe).


Wotcha.

1987 Simmer Dim rally - storm force 10 going . . . . flat as a millpond coming back. They put mattresses between and over the bikes, then tied them down. Sadly they did not tie the one row correctly, and the whole lot went over. The bike at the bottom of the pile ended up with a squashed petrol tank, whilst most of the others suffered some kind of damage.

Seeing as it was the ferry company's employees who had loaded the bikes, they put their hand up and said "We can't do anything here on the Shetlands, but we will sort it back at Aberdeen" True to their word, back at Aberdeen they had a couple of Portacabin offices set up and any damaged bikes were assessed by the insurance folks who were phoning the relevant dealers from phones in the Portacabins ( pre - mobile phone days ) to get prices for the damaged parts . . . .then once you were happy with the amount offered . . . they gave you a cheque. At the time, it was P&O who were operating the ferries.

My Gold Wing happened to be in the row that went over - luckily it was at the "top" of the pile.

https://live.staticflickr.com/5062/5615782965_209cbd7d32_c.jpgsdim061 by Lone Wolf, on Flickr


They must have learned their lesson, there was a 30ft ground swell on the crossing I did. You know how the chairs are tied down? They were going up on two legs, coming back down then going up on the other two legs. Bikes were all fine.
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ThunderGuts
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Joined: 13 Nov 2018
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PostPosted: 10:44 - 20 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
stinkwheel wrote:

They must have learned their lesson, there was a 30ft ground swell on the crossing I did. You know how the chairs are tied down? They were going up on two legs, coming back down then going up on the other two legs. Bikes were all fine.


That sounds like fun. Shocked

The "worst" crossing I did was Dover-Calais 23 years ago; it was difficult to walk anywhere without falling over, most people didn't attempt to. Despite this, I don't remember the weather being THAT extreme. By comparison, did the crossing from the North to South islands of NZ a few years ago in wind so strong when outside you literally had to hang on to railings to stop yourself being blown over, yet the waves weren't very big and the boat was serene once inside.
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Freddyfruitba...
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PostPosted: 10:49 - 20 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
ThunderGuts wrote:
The "worst" crossing I did was Dover-Calais 23 years ago; it was difficult to walk anywhere without falling over, most people didn't attempt to.

Think I may have been on that ferry! Laughing
We were all sitting in the lounge area and the worst bit was this woman screaming incessantly "OH GOD WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!" at the top of her voice, all the way across..
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A100man
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PostPosted: 11:44 - 20 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
It's usually OK..

..until the puking starts.
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ThunderGuts
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PostPosted: 12:15 - 20 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
A100man wrote:
It's usually OK..

..until the puking starts.


Indeed, adding a slip hazard into the mix. Friction co-efficient of lumps of carrot is surprisingly low . . .
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MCN
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PostPosted: 18:12 - 20 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
https://youtu.be/jcdZ4cbNPkA

It never get too bad when at sea.
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bobnlesley
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Joined: 08 Dec 2020
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PostPosted: 17:12 - 24 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
A100man wrote:
It's usually OK.. ..until the puking starts.


I recall once going in search of a mate whom we'd 'lost' on a Zeebrugge-Felixstowe ferry - maybe coming home from a St Nik's Rally? - and finding him sat on a toilet floor that was awash with puke, piss and presumably tap water; with the bulkhead door containing the mess, it was a good 3" deep, slopping from side to side with each roll of the ferry.
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Tierbirdy
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Joined: 25 Jun 2014
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PostPosted: 17:50 - 29 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
Shitelink going over the the Isle Of Wight, didnt strap the bikes down or chock them or anything. Was a bit of a choppy crossing and mid-way heard a massive clang whilst we were all sitting around "Hah that sounds like the bikes going over!" we laughed. Embarassed

Thankfully Id put engine bars on my Tracer literally the day before going on our little mini tour. Those combined with the hard panniers meant no damage to the bike itself.

The R1200 had a smashed brake reservoir which obviously couldnt be found on the IoW on the weekend so the tour was over for him.

The K1300 snapped its carbon fibre belly pan and a few other cracked panels.


https://i.imgur.com/c94yQwL.jpg
Cheeky bastards didnt even refund our tickets.
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yen_powell
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PostPosted: 20:08 - 29 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lone-Wolf wrote:


Wotcha.

1987 Simmer Dim rally - storm force 10 going . . . . flat as a millpond coming back.
Do you know Phil the Spill? He has loads of pictures of the Simmer Dim on FB.
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Lone-Wolf
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PostPosted: 03:09 - 30 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
yen_powell wrote:
Do you know Phil the Spill? He has loads of pictures of the Simmer Dim on FB.


Wotcha.

I think I've got a photograph of him from one of the Simmer Dim rallies.
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yen_powell
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PostPosted: 10:55 - 30 Jan 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lone-Wolf wrote:
yen_powell wrote:
Do you know Phil the Spill? He has loads of pictures of the Simmer Dim on FB.


Wotcha.

I think I've got a photograph of him from one of the Simmer Dim rallies.
I used to see him at what seemed like all rallies, like he lived there and never went home, usually with some weird head gear and his camera.

I think I last saw him at a Tail End or a GPO some years ago now.

Looking through his old rally photos is amazing, you can date them by tent shape, tent colour and bike gear worn without even looking at the bikes.
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