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Tales from the “Stena Europe” Bridge Wing Part 4
Readers of our trip reports can be forgiven for assuming that the stretch of water between Fishguard and Rosslare is always thick with cetaceans, ‘porpoise soup’ as it was once described. While it is pretty good and the sightings per hour or per mile will compare very favorably with almost any other sea area in the world, a blank crossing is not unknown.
On one occasion the survey team consisted of Cliff Benson, Rich Crossen and myself, Steve Rosser. Probably the most experienced team in terms of hours spent surveying, that Sea Trust had at the time. Conditions were perfect, sea state 1 (calm), visibility good, and no glare from the sun. We set off with a keen sense of anticipation perhaps the Risso’s would turn up before we got near to the Tusker Light? No doubt we should pick up the odd porpoise in the area
and probably a nice pod of Common Dolphins with maybe a Minke Whale or even a Bottlenose…
On one occasion the survey team consisted of Cliff Benson, Rich Crossen and myself, Steve Rosser. Probably the most experienced team in terms of hours spent surveying, that Sea Trust had at the time. Conditions were perfect, sea state 1 (calm), visibility good, and no glare from the sun. We set off with a keen sense of anticipation perhaps the Risso’s would turn up before we got near to the Tusker Light? No doubt we should pick up the odd porpoise in the area
and probably a nice pod of Common Dolphins with maybe a Minke Whale or even a Bottlenose…
When we were a little over half way across without even a glimpse of a fin, the monotony of an empty sea was getting to us. ‘If there is anything there, we are bound to see it in these conditions’ had almost become the mantra. At such times strange things can happen at sea. Rich noticed a different vapour trail behind a jet aircraft high in the sky.
Now at the moment, our skies are almost as devoid of airliners as the sea was devoid of cetaceans on that morning, but in normal times there is a constant stream of them crossing the Atlantic. So, we both subsequently joined in with Richie’s plane spotting “Oh, there is a good one”, “Yep look at that one, Virgin Airways, British Airways, KLM” etc, Thankfully as we approached Strumble we began to see porpoises in fact they were showing in ones two’s and threes from about five miles out which saved a blank and restored our sanity
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In July 2018 we were 10 -15 miles from Rosslare on the homeward leg when we heard a roar from astern. An Irish Coastguard helicopter was approaching from the west. It hovered over the stern, veered off and approached again. We assumed that there was an emergency on board and that a medical evacuation was in progress but the officers on the Bridge seemed unaware of the helicopter. It turned out that the Coastguard were training but had not informed Stena Europe.
In July 2018 we were 10 -15 miles from Rosslare on the homeward leg when we heard a roar from astern. An Irish Coastguard helicopter was approaching from the west. It hovered over the stern, veered off and approached again. We assumed that there was an emergency on board and that a medical evacuation was in progress but the officers on the Bridge seemed unaware of the helicopter. It turned out that the Coastguard were training but had not informed Stena Europe.
When Hannah Harries joined Sea Trust as an employee fresh from Bangor University with her Degree in Marine Biology she accompanied me on her first Stena Survey. She was good company and we had quite a productive survey on the outward leg.
As was usual on a survey we went ashore for an evening meal in the Harbour View and I had my regular couple of pints of Guinness followed by a drop of wine. Well Hannah decided to keep pace with me because she was a Bangor Uni girl!!
The following morning this vivacious young woman had lost all that glow and was decidedly grey. I tucked in to my bacon and eggs in the Truckers Lounge while she struggled with a slice of toast. We got on to the Bridge and I did wonder whether I would be doing the return survey alone. We left the quay and less than a mile out, still in the buoyed channel, I spotted a couple of Risso’s dolphins quite close by off our port bow! Hannah’s hangover just fell away with her first sightings of a breaching Risso’s. Dolphin, what a tonic!
As was usual on a survey we went ashore for an evening meal in the Harbour View and I had my regular couple of pints of Guinness followed by a drop of wine. Well Hannah decided to keep pace with me because she was a Bangor Uni girl!!
The following morning this vivacious young woman had lost all that glow and was decidedly grey. I tucked in to my bacon and eggs in the Truckers Lounge while she struggled with a slice of toast. We got on to the Bridge and I did wonder whether I would be doing the return survey alone. We left the quay and less than a mile out, still in the buoyed channel, I spotted a couple of Risso’s dolphins quite close by off our port bow! Hannah’s hangover just fell away with her first sightings of a breaching Risso’s. Dolphin, what a tonic!
In the years to come she would often spot things far quicker than me but I console myself with the thought that I trained her!
So that's the end of this little voyage of memories volunteering with the Sea Trust team aboard the "Stena Europe".. Hopefully after Corona we will get on board again and start creating new memories and more useful data!
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| End of the survey L-R Steve, Joel, Cliff, Stevo and Hannah.waiting for ferry to berth at Fishguard. |
Thanks Steve, I loved your anecdotes!, cant wait to get back there with our shipmates who are doing a vital job continuing to keep the flow of goods and essential workers moving across the Irish Sea
Hannah worked with us from 2013 to 2016 before moving on to work with Wise Oceans in the Seychelles! we were both happy and sorry to see her go but we still keep in regular contact and are very proud that we gave her the chance to follow her dreams!
allthingsgood,cliff