Plan of the ferry Princess Anastasia. Ferry Finnstar - how it works from the inside
As a passenger, you will only be able to see, respectively, the passenger side. But it still has a lot of interesting things hidden inside, and I will show it to you now.
Finnlines has been carrying out regular shipping on the Baltic Sea for many years. One of the routes is from Helsinki to the German port of Travemünde.
I took some photos from ammo1 .
1. Star ferries built in Italy run on the Finnlines line. These ferries are cargo-passenger type ROPAX (roll-on / roll-off passenger), that is, for the transportation of cars along with the accommodation of passengers of these cars. Ice class IA Super allows you to go to sea with ice thickness up to 1.0 m, and move in the channel behind the icebreaker at a speed of at least 5 knots with ice thickness up to 1.0 m.
The lower part of the ferry is the cargo decks and the engine room. Superstructure - passengers, crew, bridge and support services. The length of the ferry is 219 meters, width - 30, height - 50. Draft - 7.1. Max Speed about 26 knots, which corresponds to about 48 kilometers per hour.
(c) https://sites.google.com/site/unterwegsaufschiffen/home/finnmaid
2. At the invitation of the captain, we visited the navigation bridge. Actually, the captain is on the left, and the watchman is on the right. All control is computerized and automatic. In the foreground is a spare analog control panel.
3. The bridge is huge. There was even room for a sofa.
4. Main navigation screen. All travel parameters and navigation points. Like in your car navigator, only harder.
5. The ferry is equipped with four Wärtsilä 9L46D diesel engines with a capacity of 10,400 kW each. In addition, there are three more auxiliary diesel engines with a capacity of 1300 kW each. The main diesel engines are combined in pairs and the propeller is rotated through the gearbox. Accordingly, there are also two screws. At a ferry speed of 23 knots, the propellers make 150 revolutions per minute. Near each gearbox you see the inscription "PORT" and "STBD" - this is the left and right side. The starboard side is usually called the starboard side (starboard side), and the left side is called the port side (port side). The origin of the words starboard and port is interesting. Once upon a time, ships were always moored on the left side and had a special portico on the left side (doors in the bulwark) for installing a gangway and carrying out cargo operations through the gangway. Initially, the port side was called larboard, from lodeboard, that is, a loading board. On the starboard side at the stern there was a steering oar (oar for steering = steor). Then steorbord was paraphrased into starboard, only the stars have nothing to do with it (star is a star). Power is taken from the gearbox to drive two generators.
6. 1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour. 1 nautical mile = 1,852 meters. The prevalence of the knot as a unit of measurement is associated with the significant convenience of its use in navigational calculations: a ship moving at a speed of 1 knot along the meridian passes one arc minute of geographic latitude in one hour. The origin of the name is connected with the principle of using a sector lag. The speed of the vessel was determined as the number of knots on the line (thin cable) that passed through the hand of the measuring certain time(usually 15 seconds or 1 minute). At the same time, the distance between adjacent nodes on the line and the measurement time were selected in such a way that this number was numerically equal to the speed of the vessel, expressed in nautical miles per hour
7. Two GPS navigators in which the route is set (I'm not sure what is set only there) and an echo sounder that shows the depth and profile of the seabed.
8. If there is a TCAS system in aviation, then at sea there is a similar system for the interaction of ships. The photo shows the screen of this system, which shows who is nearby. (Besides the classic radar, of course). You can select a ship and view its type, destination port and current parameters. For example, the TIMCA freighter is heading 239 at 16.6 knots to Antwerp. His journey took five days and now is just his last day of travel.
9. Captain. Despite computers, eyes and binoculars remain an important element of sea observation.
10. Side control panel, which is used when mooring. There is a window in the floor through which you can see the side of the ferry.
11. Some kind of goniometric device. Who knows what it is?
12. Shelf with flags.
13. By current rules there should be pennants on board that show what is happening with the ferry. This pennant means that diving operations are being carried out on the ferry.
14. Together with the cockpit - the best workplace in the world.
15. Ro-Ro class (Roll-on / roll-off) - a ship for the carriage of goods on a wheelbase: cars, freight transport, railway cars. The fundamental difference between this type of vessel is the horizontal loading (as a rule, from the stern of the vessel) through a reclining bow or stern, which is called a "ramp". Ferries of the Star class are of the ROPAX type (roll-on/roll-off passenger), i.e. adapted to carry a large number of passengers. The photo shows the control panel for Ro-Ro equipment - ramps, hatches, doors for loading and unloading cars. I was surprised to learn that this ferry turns out to have a bow ramp, which is called a visor.
16. Ship's clock with intervals of radio silence on the calling and distress frequencies of radiotelephone communication.
17. View from the cabin to the ferry.
18. In addition to two rudders, the ferry is equipped with two thrusters with a capacity of 2000 kW each. This device is designed for active control of the vessel; the working body (screw) in a through channel passing from one side of the vessel to another side, perpendicular to its diametrical plane, improves the controllability of the vessel at low speeds or when the main engine is stopped. For a long time at sea, the command "right aboard" meant turning the steering tiller, not the rudder blade. That is, in order to turn the Titanic to the left of the iceberg, Ulyam Merdek gave the command "right to board." And just at the beginning of the last century, the transition to a direct indication of the turn began. But, as usual in the transitional period, there were several catastrophes that happened due to a misunderstanding by the helmsman of the commands of the pilot or watchman.
19. Another ferry is equipped with two stabilizers to calm the pitching of the ferry.
20. Talisman in the wheelhouse.
21. And now let's go to the galley. As I said earlier, there can be up to 500 passengers and up to 40 crew members on board. And the ship itself is certified for the presence of 550 people.
22. There are only 4 cooks on the ferry. Two are engaged in cold dishes, and two, respectively, are hot.
23. Most products are purchased in Germany, as it is much cheaper there than in Finland.
24. And now let's go through the cargo decks. The ferry has the term "Roro lanes" - this is the total length of the cars that the oo can take. For this ferry, it is 4200 meters.
25. 276 trailer slots and 670 meters of private cars.
26. Some trucks drive in and out on their own. During the course, drivers travel as passengers. According to the old tradition, on the first evening, most of them get drunk black. Then they have a night and a whole day to get back to normal and get behind the wheel already sober and drive on.
27. The deck is empty in just a few minutes.
28. Trucks with tractors are mostly on this deck.
29. After her release, I lower the ramp up and unlock private cars. But more often than not, in order for them to leave, they still have to wait until the space on the upper deck is cleared of trailers.
30. Football field. Only floats.
31. aft ramp. The ferry allows simultaneous loading operations from two decks. And the width of the ramp is such that four trucks can easily leave at the same time.
32. But it is much more profitable to transport only trailers, and not tractors with drivers. Therefore, the trailer is left in the port and then it is transported by a special port tractor
33. Finally, private cars also went.
34. Jewelry and very fast work.
35. That's it. The unloading is completed and the ferry will soon set off on a new voyage.
36. Thanks to Ruslan
If you travel around the islands, you want to see norwegian fjords or if you prefer to go on vacation with your own transport, be it a bicycle / motorcycle / car, then the ferry is the right way. We tell you how to fit it into your route and not screw it up different countries- from Croatia to Norway.
How it works?
Traveling in your own vehicle makes booking a ferry a lot like a regular flight. The rules already familiar to you apply: the earlier you book, the cheaper; during the season, prices rise sharply, and tickets run out instantly; the larger the transport, the more you pay for it, and so on.
It is much easier for backpackers - almost always there is a place on board for you and your backpack.
The price is also formed differently: for a “pedestrian” it is the cost of a place on the deck, and this is quite budgetary compared to flights to the same island.
For the rest, the fare includes the price for a parking space for vehicles (directly related to the dimensions, a car will cost at least € 30 for short crossings and at least € 50 for long ones), and places on deck are reserved according to the number of passengers - depending on the number of hours spent on board. Often, a certain number of passengers are already included in the price of the car. Pay attention to this so as not to buy too much!
With the purchased ticket or its number, go to the port. Pedestrians should arrive at least half an hour before departure. Motorists - an hour or two, depending on the size of the port. Loading hundreds of cars onto a ship is a jewelry logistics process. Don't worry if the next line moves faster. The best thing you can do is to patiently stand in your line, cultivate humility and follow the directions of the staff.
Once parked, immediately take all the things you need on board. It is better to pack a separate small bag. It is strictly forbidden to go down to the parking lot during the crossing.
Catamarans and dolphins
The ships that we call "ferries" indiscriminately fall into at least three categories:
Ferry
a large and slow vessel, transporting both people and cars. Due to its massiveness, it will survive the bad weather quite calmly, the probability of flight cancellation is minimal, but it will spend a lot of time. Found everywhere from international routes to the crossing to the Estonian Saaremaa.
Catamaran
a lighter version of the ferry that only carries passengers. Catamarans are more common on routes within the country, in Greece and Croatia, where they are more public transport, a kind of water trolleybuses. Average in all respects - speed, stability on the waves, the length of the route.
Dolphin (Flying Dolphins (Hydrofoils))
a boat that picks up speed and almost flies over the waves. This is the so-called "dolphin". It has a capacity of 150-1000 people and is very susceptible to flight cancellations due to weather. The forecast worsens a little - and the flight on such a ferry is canceled for security reasons. Found exclusively on short crossings no longer than 90 minutes.
How to buy a ticket?
Again, for pedestrians there is always the opportunity to buy a ticket on the spot. If not at the port itself before departure, then at many small operators whose offices are scattered around the port. This is how it works, for example, in Greece. Above each office hangs a sign with a list of all operators for whose flights you can buy a ticket there.
And if you already know that you are driving a car and want to plan everything in advance, then you should start with this interactive map, which will help you figure out which port is closer to your destination.
Information about international flights can be easily found on the following websites:
aferry.co.uk
ferrylines.com
directferries.co.uk
Again, act on the principle of buying plane tickets: find a flight in the aggregator, buy it on the carrier's website.
Now booking online for ferries is becoming more and more adequate, but the listed aggregators show much less information about domestic flights. At crossings within the country, not everyone can still be loaded. It is better to look for them on the aggregators of the country where you are going to depart from (read below).
How to save?
Helps save money on travel early booking. If you like to take risks, then the last tickets right before departure can also be grabbed at a serious discount. Prices for the crossing in the off-season and weekdays also differ in price.
Help you save:
ferrysavers.com- search engine for cheap tickets;
aferry.co.uk - Special offers from the most popular ferry ticket aggregator.
For example, you can catch discounts on car transportation, find out about the start of sales on the Dover-France route, which is popular for Europeans (at the start of 39 pounds), or get a free breakfast on board.
A similar tab is often found on the websites of carriers, so before you buy a ticket, check if there is anything tasty in the “Company News” section.
How to travel by ferry in different countries?
Greece
greekferries.gr
ferriesingreece.com
ferries.gr
letsferry.gr
greeceferries.com
ferryconnection.com
greeka.com
Yes, they are all agencies. And all of them have one advantage over booking on the company's website. In the event of a flight cancellation, they offer you a choice of flights from all the operators represented by the agency, while the carrier will only offer options from their own flights.
When booking, pay attention to the information about where exactly you can get your ticket. If you feel completely insecure, here you are extremely.
Don't forget that water transport strongly depends on the weather at sea, and in Greece crossings in bad weather are prohibited by law. Plan to return to the continent a couple of days before your flight so you don't have to worry about canceled flights.
A map will help you figure out the numerous ports of Greece, but we will leave here only information about departure from. There are three ports at your disposal:
Piraeus is the main port, departure on almost all main routes, and the only one to which public transport leads (the green metro line (station of the same name), commuter trains and buses).
Rafina is the northeast of Athens, the second busiest port. Located close to the airport. Ideal for departures to the Cyclades (Andros, Tinos, Mykonos).
Lavrion - an hour drive from Athens, suitable for departures to Kea, Kythnos, Lemnos, Ai Stratis.
How to navigate the places on the ferry?
Most a budget option- open deck and economy seats. Places on the deck where you can easily set up a tent or sleeping bag and fall apart at your pleasure, or inside, at the bar tables. You can’t camp there, but you can comfortably triple at the tables. It is not necessary to buy something at the bar. Seats are not assigned to passengers. If you paid for one of these places, but when you got up on deck everything was already taken, - sorry, but you have to settle on the floor. This is the cost of saving.
There is the option of seating, as in an airplane. There, the seats are fixed for the passenger, they will not be occupied by someone more nimble. Seats in business class, as usual, are more spacious, but cost 50% more. Well, no one canceled the cabins.
Croatia
In addition to Greece, ferries are taken for granted in Croatia. Let's make it clear right away: there are no direct flights from Greece to Croatia. But if you like complicated routes, you can sail from Greece to Italy and go to Croatia from there (although this will cost a pretty penny).
In Croatia, dealing with ferries is much easier. For a long time, the Jadrolinija company was the monopoly of ferry traffic. Now it is a national, but far from the only ferry carrier. Competitors cover smaller service areas but offer a healthy alternative in terms of scheduling.
Mia Tours: Zadar - Premuda, Silba and Olib;
G&V Line: catamarans from Dubrovnik to Sipan and Mljet, Korcula and Lastovo, as well as from Zadar to nearby islands;
Kapetan Luka: catamarans from Split to Vis via Hvar and from Split to Brac, Hvar, Korčulj, Mljet, Dubrovnik and Rijeka).
Everything related to ferries in Croatia you will find on the main thematic site www.croatiaferries.com. There you will also see a convenient tab with price tags, but booking on this portal does not work well, so use the websites of carrier companies. Here, too, it is possible that not all flights have tickets online. Therefore, if nothing you need came up, you can still try your luck before departure or at the offices of companies.
Please note that having a ticket does not guarantee that your car will get on the ferry in high season(July-August), because there are sorely lacking places. We'll have to wait for the next flight. It makes sense to arrive and get in line early or call the Jadrolinija office and ask how things are going with the queue. Passengers will be able to get on board in any case, but they need to come to the landing at least half an hour before departure.
Italy
The only country with which Croatia has a maritime connection is Italy. You can plan your trip from the continent to the peninsula through many ports that will take you to (from the ports of Piran, Pula, Porec, Rovinj, Umag in the north of the country, the crossing will cost approximately € 60-80 per foot passenger), the port of Ancona (from Split, Old Town, and Zadar for € 50), to Trieste (from Pula and Rovinj), Pescara (Hvar), to Bari (Dubrovnik ).
Probably, few people think of Italy as a place where you need to drive to the islands. Meanwhile, the proud inhabitants of Sardinia will gladly tell and show their homeland. There you can find monuments to many eras (necropolises of the Phoenicians, amphitheaters and baths of the Romans, towers and fortresses of the Pisans and Genoese), the most fashionable resorts in Italy, the most beautiful wild and clean city beaches. The cheapest way to get to all this beauty is from Palermo and Naples (about € 45 for a “walking” passenger, € 120 for a car). Local carriers will take cheaper - up to € 70 with a car).
And of course, Sicily. Crossings 16 times a day at € 7-16 per foot passenger. And if you are not too lazy and look for local carriers, then you can get there for € 3.50 per person.
To search for local carriers in Italy, use the sites:
Ferry Princess Anastasia: description, photos
Princess Anastasia is a modern cruise ferry, ready to take on board 2353 passengers. There are 834 comfortable cabins of various classes organized on board. Developed infrastructure includes buffet and a'la carte restaurants, bars, discos, children's playgrounds, SPA, gym, casino, cinemas, shop duty free duty free. The cruise ferry Princess Anastasia has a car deck with a capacity of 580 seats.
Ferry chart Princess Anastasia
Schemes and photos of cabins:
Suite
1 - 2 people / 6 deck
Luxurious two-room apartment with a sea view. Breakfast at the a'la carte Room№ restaurant and sauna access are included in the price of the cabin. Flowers and champagne in the room as a gift to each guest.
Suite photos:
(gallery)/paromy/anastasia/suite(/gallery)
Deluxe (Deluxe)
1-2 persons/ Deck 5
Spacious cabin where you can feel at home. The double bed guarantees a pleasant sleep. The bathroom has a hairdryer. The air conditioner will take care of the fresh air in the cabin. The relaxation area has an LCD TV, comfortable armchairs, and a wide selection of drinks in the mini-bar. Breakfast at the a’la carte Room№ restaurant is included in the price of the cabin.
Delux Cabin Photos:
(gallery)/paromy/anastasia/delux(/gallery)
Commodore (Commodore)
2 persons/ Deck 5, 6
The walls of the cabin are decorated with paintings, it will be convenient to watch TV directly from your double bed. The cabin has everything you could wish for a comfortable trip: minibar, LCD TV, bathroom, hair dryer and air conditioning, easy chairs and a coffee table. The cost of the cabin includes breakfast in the a’la carte restaurant Room№.
Photos of the Commodore cabin:
(gallery)/paromy/anastasia/commodore(/gallery)
Cabins class HC, A, D, E
HC Class: 1 - 3 people / 4 deck
Cabin with a window for passengers with handicapped equipped with special railings and handrails. The floor covering is made of anti-allergic material.
A Class: 2-4 people / 4, 5, 6 decks
Great cabin with a window. A convenient wardrobe for storing clothes, air conditioning and a great bathroom - everything you need to relax and meet the new day with fresh energy!
B Class: 1-4 people / 4, 5, 6 decks
We take the Finnlines cruise ferry from Helsinki to Germany. Today we will find out how this ferry works and why it is so good for comfortable travel.
Why ferry?
Let's imagine that you live somewhere in the north-west of Russia and you want to take your family on a road trip around Europe by car.
There are three options:
- buy air tickets for the whole family and rent a car upon arrival. In this case, you will have to spend money on tickets and car rental. If you have a family of 3-4 people, then air tickets will cost a pretty penny + car rental, depending on the number of days;
- drive your own car. If you live in St. Petersburg, then the distance, for example, from St. Petersburg to Hamburg is about 2000 km. The route will pass along not the best roads of the Baltic States and Poland. Of course, those who drive will have a hard time. You will have to pay for gasoline, overnight stays in hotels, food, etc .;
- use the Finnlines Helsinki-Travemünde ferry. The distance from St. Petersburg to Helsinki is about 400 km. This is the only segment that you will have to drive. Next, you will board the ferry and go up to your cabin to enjoy a mini-cruise on the Baltic Sea. In this case, you will get to Germany in complete comfort with your own car for relatively little money.
The last option will be discussed today.
Finnlines Helsinki-Germany cruise ferry route
Finnlines' ferries leave Helsinki at 17:00 local time and arrive in the German port of Travemünde at 21:30 local time the next day. Thus, the length of the entire route in time will be a little more than a day. On the way back from Travemünde to Helsinki, the ferry departs at 3 am and arrives at 9 am the next day:
Ferry ticket prices from Helsinki to Germany
Finnlines offers several options for this route. The most popular and demanded is the car package, which includes the transportation of a car + a family cabin. The price of such an auto package now starts from 348 euros and depends on the season. Most low prices in winter, most expensive in summer. The cabin can accommodate up to 4 people. It is worth considering that the cabins offered are different. Their cost depends on the degree of comfort and area.
For those who do not want to overpay for a cabin, there is the option of buying seats in the women's or men's cabins, or seated accommodation (like on an airplane). In this case, the price per seat will start from approximately 70 euros. Another important point: when buying a return ferry ticket on the same route, you get a 20% discount.
How the ferry Helsinki - Travemünde works
So, after buying a ticket on the company's website, you need to arrive at the port of departure of the ferry in advance. The port in Helsinki where Finnlines is based is called Vuosaaren Satama Hansaterminaali and is located at Provianttikatu 5, 00980 Helsinki.
If you arrived by car, there is no need to enter the terminal building, you need to immediately go by car to the checkpoint, where, without leaving the car, you will be given electronic keys to the cabin, food stamps (you need to choose food separately on the website, more on that later). In case you are traveling without a car, you need to check in at the terminal, from where you will be taken to the shuttle bus ferry.
2. Since we arrived by car, we immediately went to the ferry for loading:
3. If you look at the layout of the ferry, then most of it is occupied by cargo decks for cars. The upper part is residential and entertainment decks. They start from decks 7 to 12.
On the 7th deck there is a reception desk and residential cabins, including for accommodation with pets (yes, yes), decks 8 and 9 are residential with cabins, deck 10 - cabins for staff, deck 11 - entertainment recreation areas and restaurants, deck 12 - access to the sun deck, as well as to the seating area:
4. When loading onto the ferry, staff will accompany you and show you the place of your parking. Loading is well organized, everything happens very quickly. There is even space for motorcycles. By the way, when buying an auto package, the size of the vehicle plays a key role in the cost:
Accommodation on the ferry. Cabins
5. Taking things, we head to our cabin on the same deck. Cabins are opened with an electronic key, which was given to us at check-in. My cabin is designed for 4 people. Two double beds, a sofa that can also be folded out into a bed, and an upper bunk bed like in a compartment. Be sure to have a bathroom (latrine), a small table with a chair and a WINDOW!
6. At sunset:
7. Cabins, as I said, are different on the ferry. Here is one of the most budget options without a window:
8. And this is the most spacious and expensive cabin with several windows. These cabins are located in the bow of the ferry and the view from the windows is very impressive:
9. Since we are talking about cabins, it will not be superfluous to look at the most budget accommodation option. These are seating areas. Of course, you won’t be able to sleep well in such chairs, but if you decide to save money by abandoning the cabin, then this option is quite possible. For these places there are special lockers for personal belongings, which are locked.
10. The entire 11th deck is completely reserved for entertainment. This is where cruise ferry passengers spend most of their free time. For active rest The gym has two rooms. Two large treadmills overlooking the sea:
11. Well, what is a Finnish ferry without a real sauna? After the gym, you can plunge into the Jacuzzi overlooking the sea and warm up well in the Finnish sauna. Access to the gym and sauna is free for all passengers:
12. Massage Room:
13. On the same floor there is a conference room for small presentations:
14. A play area is provided for the smallest passengers. Previously, it was located indoors, now the children have two huge portholes:
16. On deck 11 there is a very comfortable seating area with two bars and tables by the portholes. There is live music throughout the day and evening. You can sit at any table overlooking the open sea and, listening to live music, realize that the choice of traveling by ferry was made correctly:
17. The ferry has several bars and a large dining room.
18. One of the bars where you can have a bite to eat during breaks between the main brunch dinners. Looking ahead, I’ll say that the main food is so varied that there is simply no room for such bars in the stomach:
Walk on the decks of the Finnlines ferry
19. Let's start the walk from the lowest deck 7 accessible to passengers. Here are located lifeboats and a deck for walking with pets. Yes. Another big plus when traveling by ferry is that you can take your beloved dog or cat on board with you:
20. Toilets are specially equipped for them, and the cabins differ only in that they do not have carpet on the floor:
21. On the 11th deck there is an area with tables where you can comfortably relax in the fresh air in any weather. The fact is that on all open decks in the open sea one can feel strong wind. It is good if the weather is clear and there is no rain. If the storm, then be on open places quite uncomfortable. There are also special glass partitions that protect you from the wind. Rain is also not terrible, because. from above the overlap of the 12th deck:
22. If you leave the shelter of the partitions, then you will have a gorgeous view of the stern of the ferry:
23. Here you can enjoy the views of the open sea:
25. If you climb the stairs to the deck above, then you will find yourself on the open deck 12, equipped helipad. It can be windy here, but this compensates for the magnificent view that opens on all four sides:
26. You can sunbathe. There are special chairs. Many people do this while traveling:
27. If you look at the bow of the cruise ferry Helsinki - Travemünde, we will see part of the captain's cabin. Are you curious about how a ship is run?
28. Meet our captain. He is Swedish. He has operated this ferry for many years and is very satisfied with his work. When I asked if there were cases of severe storms in which the ferry felt insecure, he answered no. The fact is that Finnlines ferries have a very large margin of stability and reliability, and storms in the Baltic Sea are not as powerful as they are in other seas and oceans. Feel free to plan your Finnlines ferry trip:
29. The captain's cabin occupies the full width of the bow of the ferry and has a large panoramic view:
30. Most of the time, the ferry is controlled by an autopilot, and the captain and his assistants only monitor the readings of the instruments and the course. The locator shows ships going in opposite and parallel courses. For example, the Sheksna ship is heading to the port of St. Petersburg:
31. We leave the captain's cabin and return to the passenger realities. This is how the halls of the floors of the decks look like. There are three passenger elevators in the middle:
In our country there are a lot of rivers and reservoirs across which bridges are built. But sometimes the road runs into the water, but there is no bridge, then a ferry crossing comes to the rescue. Today I will tell you why you need a ferry, how it works and how it earns.
The crossing is located in the village of Voznesenye, on the Svir River. This is part of the backup route St. Petersburg - Petrozavodsk - Murmansk (P19).
Voznesenye village - the farthest point Leningrad region. It is located on both banks of the Svir, at its source from Lake Onega. There has never been a bridge here, and throughout the history of the village, both banks were connected by a ferry crossing.
There are approximately 2.5 thousand inhabitants in Ascension, and many of them have to visit the left and right banks several times a day. Some need to go to work, others need to go to the post office or a store, others need to take their children to school or kindergarten ... Therefore, the ferry operates all year round, from early morning until nine in the evening, making at least 14 trips per day. Why “at least”, because in addition to the schedule, the ferry operates special-purpose flights: for ambulances, police and firefighters. Previously, flights of a commercial nature were possible. If, for example, you are unable to last flight ferry, then for 5000 rubles you could be transported to the other side. Now there is no such thing - it is forbidden!
Now the situation with the ferry to Ascension is close to critical. Very old, rather worn-out ships work here. In winter, this is the self-propelled ferry SP-28, in the summer - the non-self-propelled Svir-1 paired with a pusher RT-328. But there is good news for the residents of the village: in 2015 navigation will be opened by a new ferry being built at the shipyard in St. Petersburg.
1. Since summer is in the yard, I will talk about the non-self-propelled ferry "Svir-1" and the pusher RT-328. It looks like this from the side:
2. This whole strange non-self-propelled structure, similar to a catamaran, is set in motion by a real, self-propelled pusher RT-328. It was built in 1980, it is already 34 years old, but it is maintained in more or less good condition.
3. It is attached very firmly to the non-self-propelled part, with steel cables and duplicating ropes. Definitely won't come off...
4-5. Captain's cabin, GKP (Main Command Deck), Bridge - many names, but the essence is the same: from here the captain controls the ferry, monitors everything and performs the main role of the navigator.
6. Between flights, the captain and crew rest in the room. There they can watch TV, lie down, drink tea and much more.
7. Okay, let's forget about RT for a while, let's go to the ferry itself. It is called SVIR-1, it is not difficult to guess why. It resembles a catamaran, the deck of which is placed on two pontoons.
8. Main deck. Cars that want to get into Karelia or leave it, depending on the direction of movement, stop here.
9. At the same time, the ferry can accommodate, for example, 10 cars + 1 bus, or 2 trucks + 5 cars. Scheme of arrangement of cars before the entrance to Svir-1. It is old, instead of two cars 11-12 now there is a zone for passengers.
10. Passenger area. Here sit people who move to the other side. It is forbidden to sit in cars, so everyone is driven here like goats and sheep in a barn at sunset.
11. Okay, stop being smart, it's time for a flight. At 12:40 pm, the ferry is waiting for loading.
12. There is already a queue before the crossing. Everyone wants to go to the other side
13-14. Loading starts. Two sailors, they are also arrangers of cars on the ferry. The cost of transportation is 170 rubles for a passenger car, a loaded truck - 1500 rubles. The ferry runs every hour, 14 times a day. First ferry at 6am, last one at 9pm.
15. Everything is strictly according to the scheme. Apparently, many years of practice has shown that more cars fit in this way, because you need to transport as many vehicles as possible at a time.
16. The bus is the last to arrive. The sailor controls everything from the land. Pay attention to a bunch of signs in front of the ferry.
17-18. Issues with cars have been resolved. Now there are passengers. But there is a place for them too... With a commanding voice, the sailor drives them onto the ferry, having previously given the direction where to go. People rushed:
19. All in places. Or out of place. In short, everyone is on the ferry, the time is 13:00, it's time to move out ... The locals are sitting on the benches, they have already seen enough, unlike tourists who take pictures against the backdrop of everything that comes across them along the way. This time they got a ferry:
20-21. Everything is in place, it's time to go. A small bridge rises, which is needed for the convenience of driving a car onto a ferry. Drivers of wheelbarrows with low ground clearance need not worry! You will worry on the way to Karelia, haha:
22. The captain monitors everything from the bridge so that no accidents happen. He's in charge, he's in charge of everything...
23. As soon as he makes sure that everything is fine, everyone is loaded, sitting firmly and standing, mooring lines are given:
24-26. The ferry starts moving, the sailors can smoke for 10 minutes. Now the captain begins his work:
27-28. All ships following the river are required to let the ferry pass, as it runs on a schedule, from which it is highly undesirable to deviate. People arrive at a certain time:
29-31. The captain of the ferry Sergey Zakharov has been working there for 3 years, he used to work on other ships, he is a real captain. There are three shifts on the ferry, all daily shifts. The ferry captain must always be ready, because if an emergency call for firefighters or an ambulance must be immediately delivered to the other side:
32. The width of the river is 400 meters, the ferry overcomes it in about 10 minutes. People manage to fill the flash drive with unnecessary photos and make a new avatar in classmates:
33. There is already a queue on the other side. Everyone is waiting for the crossing, but unfortunately it will not be possible to take everyone away at once:
34. Landing. It's not the focus of Auchan parking, it takes a lot of experience to do it perfectly. Our captain coped with this ... At the controller, even tea did not spill out of a cup filled to the brim:
35. There is a dog on the ferry. He is always the first to jump to land. No matter how many times I moved, I always saw him. Also back, jumps the last one:
36-38. While the cars are unloaded and loaded, you can smoke and chat with the captain. Unloading and loading on the other side takes about 15-20 minutes:
39-40. You have already seen the loading process, so I will not show it, so there are too many photos ...
So, check again, everything is in place, the mooring lines are given and we are going back:
41. The way back is exactly the same and the same as going there. Everything is the same, it makes no sense to show. We moored. Cars are unloaded:
42-44. At that time, the captain made two flights at once. But I stayed on the shore ... Thank you very much to Pavel Zakharov for the excursion and the kind welcome on the ship! I think we will use the services of the ferry more than once.