Former and current Inishbofin Island serving ferries have met in Dun Laoghaire Harbour this week, and both have been involved in charter roles to tender passengers of cruise ships anchored in Dublin Bay, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The St. Bridget of Dublin Bay Cruises was routinely berthed at its seasonal homeport; however, during its previous western seaboard career, it served Inishbofin off Cleggan, from where it was observed as the then un-renamed Galway Bay.
Its former name was clearly a giveaway, given its roles serving the Aran Islands, among them running out of Rossaveal also in Connemara. Aside from its present excursion role, St. Bridget has been chartered over the years to cruise companies, seeking larger capacity vessels to assist cruise ships in maintaining schedules, in particular if the weather does not improve, and despite using their own tender craft.
The French-built domestic ferry, Britannia, was sold to Irish interests, initially to serve the Aran archipelago in the Atlantic, and then Inishbofin, from where this week, the Island Adventure repositioned to the east coast to carry out its charter to German operator Aida Cruises.
Island Adventure is the largest of the Inishbofin Ferry Co fleet, with Island Discovery, also a former Aran Islands ferry, maintaining services whilst the charter role took place to bring German customers to and from AidaSol anchored off the historic and graceful Dun Laoghaire Harbour yesterday.
Inishbofin is also served by a cargo-only operation, again by the same company with the Raasay, another name indicating its origins. As the vehicle ferry was the former Scottish CalMac ‘Island’ class, one of several named after small isles they served off the country's west coast (read, the latest related larger newbuilds story).
As for the 2,174-capacity ‘Sphinx’ class, AidaSol caters to its German clientele. Among them, those heard speaking on George’s Street and others returning at a busy DART rail station from Dublin to reembark the tender at St. Michael's Wharf (former Stena HSS ferry terminal for Holyhead) before departure.
Since the AidaSol sailed across the Irish Sea, it has led to today’s anchorage off Fishguard Harbour, where the scenic, secluded ferry port on Sunday commemorated exactly to the day its 120th anniversary of the route to Rosslare, with the services afternoon sailing of Stena Nordica ‘dressed overall’ to celebrate the momentous occasion.
On Tuesday, Island Adventure was also chartered to another cruise company, Holland America Line, whose Nieuw Statendam also occupied the anchorage area offshore of Dun Laoghaire’s East Pier. This larger ‘Signature’ class cruise ship with 3,391 capacity is currently at sea, having called at Cobh, Cork Harbour, and is bound for Dover.
