100 Days of Happiness - Day 17

[dizzojay]

This is a (fairly) regular sight that makes me happy:

The Isle of Wight Ferry.  because getting on it means I'm going to see my lovely Mum and Dad!

Comments

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

Ferries are so much fun. I have been on the one up in Seattle a couple of times. How cool that you go on one to visit your parents.

Is the 3-tiered structure we see in front the actual ferry or is that the control center.

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

That's the actual ferry you can see. There's three ferry crossings to the Island where my Mum and Dad live and we take the shortest one where, believe it not, the boats are smaller than the other two!


Id the Seattle one very big?

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

That is a big ferry. The Seattle ferries are big, but if my memory serves me correctly, they are that tall.

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

The Isle of Wight is a very popular holiday destination her in the UK, particularly in the Summer, so this ferry has to be able to carry a lot of cars. It's got three layers of car decks.

The one that goes to the other side of the island has five layers of car decks!

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

WOW! That's a lot of cars. I think the Seattle ferries only have 2 levels of cars, but I don't think the need is a strong to use the ferry as it is for you.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Ah the Isle of Wight ferry. The only time I went on it was because I had to bail on a sailing trip because I was sooooooo sea sick I couldn't face the trip back - stayed the night in a B&B and caught the nice big stable ferry back to Southampton. So not a totally happy memory for me!

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

I'm not a great sailor - not a fan of small boats at all!
If it's any consolation, the Solent can be surprisingly rough :)

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

We were really unlucky - it was quick a large sailing ship, a crew of about 20 and EVERYone apart from the Skipper and my boss who was a real sailor was sick. But my claim to fame was that I was the first, and sick for the longest - fecking HOURS. We nearly ran out of buckets for people to chuck up into, I was clinging onto mine like grim death, and I was frozen to the bone too, so when we finally reached land I was off that boat like a shot as soon as I could walk.

Apparently the conditions that most induce sickness are when the ship moves from side to side AND tips front to back which creates a corkscrew motion that few people can stand. I've only ever come across that once before and never since, thank goodness!!

[auntmo9.livejournal.com]

I've only been on a ferry once. Where I grew up we have bridges for everything. My first trip out to the east coast with a friend, we were traveling the country side by car and I was the map reader and I did not know the map abbreviation for ferry...and we ended up at a ferry crossing because of it. Lesson learned! We didn't take the ferry that day because it was very small(one car only) and weather was very choppy. But I did take the one is Seattle myself when I visited.

Also, yay for seeing family!

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Oh, I travel on this ferry about once a month and have done so for the last 18 years!

They can't build a bridge across to the Island because the stretch of sea between it and the mainland (the Solent) is a very busy stretch of sea connecting the English channel and the Atlantic and you get all sorts of vessels including massive cruise liners and supertankers going through it; the bridge would have to be taller than the Empire State!

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, that's a sight for sore eyes, going home and getting some Mama and Papa bear hugs :D

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Yep, going to spoil my Mum for Mothers Day :)

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

Hope you and she have a great weekend hun :D

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Thanks x

[tifaching.livejournal.com]

Aw, it's great that visiting your folks makes you happy.

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

They live about sixty miles from me, on the other side of two miles of water, so I don't get to see them that often - once a month usually, so it's great to be able to go and spend quality time with them :)

[woostersgirl.livejournal.com]

oh how wondeful, its nice to have a great place to visit family, I hope you have a great time with mum! I was on a ferry a couple of times when we went to Vancouver and than hopped a ferry to Vancouver Island, what lovely experiences those were, such a gorgeous place. I envy you living in England, i have always had a major thing for the Brits. :)

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

I hope that you get the opportunity to come over and see us Brits for real one Day!
You'll be very welcome :)
x

[woostersgirl.livejournal.com]

I would love to visit you Brits one day, thanks!