January 16 2007
Swell Ferry Crossing
posted by Ana Samways at 1:49 pmA tourist (possibly an expat) uploaded this footage of our very own InterIslander ferry the “Suilven” a frieghter, shot in February 2002 as it exits the Wellington heads into Cooks Strait.
See comments for a link to the Met Service report for the day.
Shot by WELLBRAN
January 16th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
that’s weird. I remember seeing the video of this when I was working at MetService. It was shot by an ex-workmate of mine, who also added some stills to this MetService page that goes into the details about the storm the ferry was passing through (scroll to the bottom for the pix). I assume the video has done the rounds, and someone has decided to share with all via YouTube…
January 16th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
[...] Repost from SpareRoom because this is so good. Looks like the BlueBridge. [...]
January 16th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Makes me feel sick just watching it
January 17th, 2007 at 11:22 am
I have lived in Wellington 5 years and I would never, ever, in a million years take the ferry. They “sail” in all kinds of weather and what is supposed to take 3 hours, can take up to 8 on a day like this. You think they would have some sort of sense in their head to risk peoples lives like this!
January 25th, 2007 at 3:00 am
Wooohoooo, jest lerv a decent rock n roll.
I wish I was onboard.
February 1st, 2007 at 8:04 am
jebus, that looks scary…
February 1st, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Now add a vodka and Lime and see how the trip would go.Was always good fun on the Arahura and Aratika…:-) Wellingtonians enjoy the thrill of watching mad people do the crossing…note usually not Wellingtonians..hehehhe
February 1st, 2007 at 9:30 pm
That’s not the Interislander and not even the Bluebridge ferry. I am fairly sure it is a small coastal freighter called “Suilven”
February 2nd, 2007 at 7:48 am
I Googled “Suilven” and found this article with a still from the above footage:
18 September 2004: Australian protest group Animal Liberation NSW circulates images of a livestock carrier ship, Strait Shipping’s Suilven, leaving Wellington, New Zealand, in appalling weather conditions.
http://www.naturewatch.org/campaigns/australia/News_Views.asp
February 2nd, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Leanne … how dishonest of them. As post from Lazyboy above indicates, that storm was a full two years earlier. Furthermore, the Suilven was a general purpose RoRo freight carrier, and not a livestock ship. Their livestock ship was the Straitsman.
February 2nd, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Sorry, I meant Noizyboy.
March 11th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
i can say that i’ve seen worse but with the “Vomit comit” i’ve been on and seen very few not to chuckup. i’m not one of those who did. i’d found the piviting point in the inter-islander some years ago and it was i think was the “Aramoana”., the aranui did a rough crossing one day but i’d missed out that one. please don’t forget the “Aratika”., so there must be a few out there that has done the “Rough” crossings in their days.
May 6th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Hi,
This sort of weather is not unusual for Cook Strait. I sailed on the Suilven and she cwas great sea ship. Did rock and roll but hey don’t they all. Someone mentioned the Vomit Comment was this is in relation to the Railways Fast Ferry. There also was a mention about the Suilven not carrying stock when in fact she did in trucks.
Cheers
Gary
May 6th, 2007 at 9:17 am
I think one of the worst crossings was encountered by the Aramoana in the 60’s when she could not get into Wellington so she headed south and went to Lyttleton.
Cheers
Gary