WRONG PORT? WHERE ARE WE?
Sorry, wrong region: Brittany Ferries ship sets a course for St Malo – but ends up in Cherbourg
Passengers on an overnight Christmas cruise from Portsmouth to St Malo, had a rude awakening at the weekend when they found themselves 120 miles from their intended destination – and in a separate region of France.
The Brittany Ferries ship, which was due to stop in the picturesque Brittany town on Saturday morning, instead docked at the large ferry port of Cherbourg – in Normandy – just as passengers were stirring from sleep.
Brittany Ferries spokesman blamed the disruption on a technical issue.
‘There was a technical problem with the linkspan bridge facility at St. Malo,’ he explained.
‘Unfortunately, we didn’t know until late at night that the ship wasn’t going to St Malo, so people were alerted when they woke up.’
The regular trip, hosted by the radio station Wave 105 FM, normally features an on-board party and a day out in the historic French town, before a return journey on Sunday morning.
St Malo is famous for its historic old quarter and city walls, which encircle its medieval quarter in dramatic fashion.
Cherbourg is a rather busier port on the north coast of Normandy, home to a major ferry and freight terminal.
Tickets for the trip cost up to £95 per person.
Passengers were unamused at the unexpected diversion.
Emma-Jane Sangster told Portsmouth newspaper The News: ‘It ended up a very tiring long few days.’
‘The second evening was ruined by the fact we could not board until 10.15pm. We ended up spending more money than planned.’
Brittany Ferries and Wave 105 FM, have issued a joint statement.
‘We have successfully run nearly 30 trips of this nature over 13 years together,’ the statement read. ’his is the first time we have been blighted by any problems.’
‘Although these were out of the control of either Wave 105 FM or Brittany Ferries, we do acknowledge that they resulted in a less than satisfactory trip for many, and are therefore contacting all of the passengers concerned.’
John Burns, who has worked on ships for 42 years and was aboard the vessel at the time, was more forthright over the mix-up.
‘You might as well take them to the Moon!’, he said.
