postman paul:
Hi mother trucker, trucker ash has defo got a picture of the schiaffino line ferry i will pester him for it, i know he has it because he gave it to me, i can not post it without his permision.Paul.
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Belated welcome to TN Paul, as far as the picture is concerned - well ask him then.
I for one would like to see it as I used to use them regularly. They sailed from the far end of Eastern docks, where the Speedferries cat came into until recently, down a concrete ramp.
Worth every penny for the food and accommodation alone despite having to reverse on or off and that sometimes with the mirrors pulled in - it was a right sardine can.
Hi Spardo,Thanks for the welcome i have spoken to ash and he will post it when he gets time of work, i hope that is soon.Do you remember the battleship grey ferry with the phillipino crew from the early 1990’s that was on hire to p&o until there new freight ferries arrived(dover -zeebruge run)looked awful but it had cheap ■■■■ and boose oh and really comfortable bunks and it also took longer to get anywhere,hope you can remember its name so i can hopefuly find it on a web site somewhere,Paul.check out this site simplonpc.co.uk/
Do you remember the battleship grey ferry with the phillipino crew from the early 1990’s that was on hire to p&o until there new freight ferries arrived(dover -zeebruge run)looked awful but it had cheap ■■■■ and boose oh and really comfortable bunks and it also took longer to get anywhere,hope you can remember its name so i can hopefuly find it on a web site somewhere.
Paul i seem to remember that it was the Argo. Came back on it once probably late eighties,it was when i was pulling for Frigoscandia and finnished on frigos in1992,so would have been about the time you said.
Mothertrucker:
Truckerash - Do you rmember or have any pictures of the old Schifino (if thats how it is spelled) line. The ferry that used to haul trucks from Dover to Calais.
A real rusting hulk with more holes in the side than a collander.
Ladders instead of stairs to get from one deck to the next and a hoist to haul the trucks up to the top - Scary!
is this what you want to see?
this photo courtey of Neil Jarrold
ill post some more of the “old” ferreis at the weekend. More time then
who remembers (or still has the medal ) Kent Line - I remember using it during the strikes in 86 and what a tub, the cuisine that night was a lukewarm chicken escalope and an apple, that’s was it
mind you it beat sitting in Zeebrugge spending money on the lash - I think
Hi All
I had my reservations about posting this pic, but here it is.
R.I.P. to all of those who perished in her. I am glad that I missed this Ferry.
GS
On a lighter note, who remembers the Dover-Oostend ferries. When the drivers bunks were below the water-line and all you could smell was deisel.
Luxury…Food was ok though.
GS
Hi Bobw, I remember now ,it was called the Argo it was a deep sea ferry so you always had a good crossing, i am sure it was early 90’s though. Thanks for info i’ll start looking for it,Paul
Thanks for the Schiaffino pic Ash, one was the Rose but can’t remember the other.
My memories are not the same as Mothertruckers though. I don’t remember them being in such bad shape nor lifting of trucks. My memory tells me there was only one deck. I was travelling with them before 1985, perhaps they had others later.
We used to race down to the dock because she had only accommodation for 12 drivers, the rest were given £20 and told to cross foot passenger on Sealink, a minibus re-uniting them with their trucks at Ostende. However, I never met a driver who willingly took the money, even though they only spent it buying beer for the driver they cadged a lift off, the crack was so good on Schiaffino. Of course, if you didn’t travel with the ship dockers drove your wagon on and off - a big incentive to get there first.
As I said before reversing on or off with mirrors pulled in, too tight, with a docker giving you the left hand down a bit routine - like having your eyes poked out.
Never saw the Argo, Paul, I finished with the European stuff in '85 'till '99, when I came out to live here fulltime and to see the job from the other end of the telescope.
Hi Everybody, found a pic of the Argo look on this site simplonpc.co.uk/ and type in the Argo it was operated by north sea ferries,i don’t know whether they owned it? best of luck Paul.
Thanks Truckerash for posting the old Schiaffino. I had not even got my HGV licence when I sailed on her (or should I say floated!) I was riding shotgun with a friend ast the time and I clearly remember being hauled up to the upper deck on a hoist.
There were four chains on the hoist - one at each corner obviously and no sides on the platform that they used to haul the truck up.
We were halfway up - still sitting in the cab (Health and safety eat your hearts out!) and one chain jammed. We were tilted at a very precarious angle until one of the crew came round to fix the problem - with the obvious too - a sledgehammer.
He clouted it a couple of times and it groaned upright again.
I felt really nervous as I was staring down my side at nothing but water.
Later I used the Enterprise on numerous occasions but thankfully not her last one.
Mothertrucker, you were right about the hoist we used to drive into the lower deck onto the lift / hoist and then reverse off on the top deck. I always liked this ferry there always used to 2 or 3 of us on there Friday nights a couple from Westfields a regular dinner party. It must of been the cheapest crossing because we used to have a supercube stepframe and when the tide was wrong at Dover the rear bumper used to catch on the ramp as you drove onto the boat, when we got back to the yard it was straightened rewelded and back on the Schrifino Sunday night.
Also the first time I sailed on it (1979 ish ) it used to sail from Dover to Dieppe.
bob
postman paul:
Sorry Ash i have hijacked the page for ferries hope you don’t get to angy Paul
No worrys mate How do u think we all got over the water?
The ferrys played an important part…
All cramed on…over to Calais…all cramed into the “holding area”…
Then 10 o clock came and…3…2…1…“GO”!!!
) Kent Line - I remember using it during the strikes in 86 and what a tub, the cuisine that night was a lukewarm chicken 
escalope and an apple, that’s was it
