Lol that's me driving the coach from ship to shore....I did not drive the coach that nearly crashed looking for the hotel! 😂
That was a really rough day down at the port. Took us ages to get the ship alongside and Nordica was berthed in irish ferries linkspan which never happens. So the settings on the linkspan had to be changed and dropped to the correct height and we couldn't use the upper ramp either. Was just a disaster of a night.

I think I would have had more than a few pints of Guinness on that trip. Well done, and thank you for bringing that crazy day to us.

nordicas bow design means she has to open the clam shell before docking so that obstructs views from the bridge for safer manuvering in harsher conditions also, when raised it can act like a big sail, hidering manouverability of the ship whilst docking in higher winds.

Thanks for taking us on that rather epic journey, Mark😮. You must have been shattered. Still laughing at the person in the shower story😂

Oh wow, you poor thing. I thought a ferry ride would be a possibility but I'm starting to reconsider.  I know they're not all like that but,  wow. Respect mother nature. You displayed alot of patience.  Thanks for sharing your experience and this video. From the U. S , btw... considering a trip to Ireland next year.  I like you channel and narration.

Oldskool Ferries were indeed tiny!  almost half the size of modern ones. The infamous Princess Maud plying from Eire to Wales was infamous. Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire. A Whippet compared to an XL Bully!

Well done Mark! Not even a hint of feigning an injury to get airlifted off.

Nordica is apparently a bit of a bugger to berth in high wind conditions, while Ulysses is pretty much the opposite.  While she's bigger, she's literally designed to tread that one specific route, including having an unusually large suite of thrusters (3 bow, 1 stern) making her much easier to dock in hairy conditions, and rarely reliant on tugs for assistance.  I've also seen claims that Irish ferries are a bit more gung ho than Stena about marginal conditions, although I'm not sure how accurate that may be.

Thanks for another entertaining film, once again suggested to me by my sister-in-law in Florida. Having lived in or near to Holyhead since 1970, this sort of disruption is often encountered in stormy conditions. The Irish Sea is affected by the prevailing south westerly winds coming from the Atlantic Ocean and can change in dramatic fashion in a short time. I was travelling on the Irish Ferries fast ferry (the Jonathan Swift) one afternoon, and if I described the scenario in detail it would put people off crossing the Irish Sea. All I will say is that all of the cabin crew were instructed by the Captain to abandon their usual duties and just tend to the passengers.  I worked in the Port of Holyhead (not for Stena Line or Irish Ferries) and one afternoon I watched a large Irish Ferries vessel make 14 attempts to dock before getting in to Terminal 3. Even with good bow thrusters, the Force 11 to 12 wind kept blowing the ship away from the mooring before they could tie her up. With each docking attempt taking around 20-25 minutes owing to the ship having to go out in to the harbour, do a half turn, and come back in again, the car and foot passengers had to wait around five hours more than usual to go on board.  It can get really hazardous when the wind is in the opposite direction because if the thrusters cannot stop a ship from colliding sideways with the jetty, then this is when the port's infrastructure can suffer serious damage, not to mention any damage caused to the ship itself. I retired in 2012, and even back then, a collision of this nature would cost a minimum of six figures to repair.  There is one thing in the film that resonates with my own experiences and that is the usual issue of poor or inadequate communication. As so many passengers used to say to me when I was on duty, delays are understandable in bad weather but they just wished that someone would tell them what was going on and keep them in the picture so they knew what to expect. Lastly, I really enjoyed the earlier travelogue on the Ffestiniog Railway. I know it well and it was nice to travel the line again after quite a few years.

My wife did a duty free run on New Years eve. Could  not dock back in Holyhead due to wind and captain worried about damage, as per previous damage. Returned back to Dublin and transferred to James Joyce, given a free cabin and 50% off our next trip!
James Joyce is built for the weather here!!!!

Love watching the Dublin live webcams and it is noticeable that whilst the Irish Ferries berth is parallel to Liffey/harbour mouth, the Stena ferries all have to turn at right angles to head into their berth with some vessels even needing tug assistance. Perhaps this, as well as the design issues mentioned on the clam shell docking, mean that it is not safe in certain high wind conditions. Great video by the way, glad all ended safely.

Ulysses is a beast, rarely weather affected and very stable.

That was some adventure!!!

SO sorry about the waves and weather Mark matey . Glad you made it safely. ❤❤

Great vid! Man, me and friend were just days behind you coming back from the Welsh Open Snooker final and our sailing was perfect 🙂

Certainly an adventure there Mark. Given how often it’s windy outside Dublin something is not adding up. You made the best of the delays but frustrating if you were in a rush.

Such a wonderful way to travel

Great Video As Always mark

What an adventure, Mark. Those cold drinks were well deserved after spending 12 hours on that crossing.

This was fantastic thank you sharing this with us rather you than me on this occasion