Ferries & low sports cars... difficulties anyone ?

[Stroudy]

Just wondering how many of you had troubles getting on and off the ferries..
We travelled with Brittney there were some quite steep & bumpy ramps on & off.. the Griff I went in was o.k. but other cars like Ferraris etc.. must have had trouble...?
Are other ferry companies any better/worse ??

Was watching some of the cars drive on in Caen, saw a5ton gingerly creeping down the ramp..

[Stig]

No problems as the nice blokes at P&O actually adjusted the height of the ramp for me

[DustyC]

An F40 tried for quite a long time to get on the Portsmouth - Cherbourg Seacat on Friday morning. The ferry operators got some planks out for him to drive on but he still damaged something under the car.

[Buffalo]

As far as i could make out on our ferry, those drivers of the more low slung cars went on the lower decks, which was a more shallow angled on-ramp.

That was seafrance, thought it was a good policy, but i couldn't tell you if the drivers asked for ths, or whteher seafrance used their nouse and initiated it.

[johnny boy]

I struggled a bit in my Esprit on the Dover Calais Seacat - much ramp adjusting / approaching at an angle etc.

But a mate of mine in an F360 drove straight on no trouble at all.

John

[Liszt]

Had no problems in the Discovery.


I'll get me coat


again.

[basil brush]

johnny boy said:

I struggled a bit in my Esprit on the Dover Calais Seacat - much ramp adjusting / approaching at an angle etc. But a mate of mine in an F360 drove straight on no trouble at all. John

Jumping off topic but was that you with the blue Esprit at the 2F2F screening on Saturday? If so it looked very nice, but I didn't get chance to say hello.

[barter]

On the Seacat back to Newhaven from Dieppe we stopped to help a car after it disembarked at Newhaven. Exhaust completely ripped off. Only the manifold left on. We gave them some ear plugs and offered to look after the car overnight but in the end they decided to try and get to London.
Hope they made it.
The Seacat crew just took there name and address. No hire car offered, little indication of compensation or anything else of help.

[knight]

The nice P&O chap at Portsmouth stopped the other cars getting off and told me to take the ramp at an angle, he'd seen my low front bumper and he even called me sir!!

[dicky]

P & O were great (well the British crew were excellant, French crew on the return were bearable)watched us get on and off ok and placed planks on the ramps too. We didn't ground out at all.

[shnozz]

I probably took one of the lowest cars re exhaust height on the ferry (a TVR S series). Had no problem on the way out and had a tiny scrape on the way back (2 cases of lager may have been something to do with it )

Not sure whether it was pure coincidence or the planning of P & O that I seemed to be on the lower decks and resulted in no severe ramps at any stage...

[johnny boy]

basil brush said:

johnny boy said: I struggled a bit in my Esprit on the Dover Calais Seacat - much ramp adjusting / approaching at an angle etc. But a mate of mine in an F360 drove straight on no trouble at all. John Jumping off topic but was that you with the blue Esprit at the 2F2F screening on Saturday? If so it looked very nice, but I didn't get chance to say hello.

Yes, that was me.

Not a bad day out really - I even thought the film was OK!

John

[raceboy]

I think the ferry companies have got their act together for transporting low slung sports cars over the Le MAns weekend, but I'd be interested to see whats it's like the rest of the year
Our 1st trip to Le Mans some years ago in an Alpina 3 series resulted in a front spoiler to deck ramp coming together, I heard the bang but didn't think anything more of it, after parking up a P&O bod came up to me with my fog light in his hand and a claim form, paid up in full for all damages

[rob.e]

Taken the esprit to france many times before with no problems, but this time there was considerable messing around with ramps to get us on. That was with Hoverspeed newhaven/dieppe. After the faffing with the ramp we did get on with out a problem.

Johnnyboy - should we expect some neon washer jets on the v8 soon then..

Rob

[alunr]

dicky said:

P & O were great (well the British crew were excellant, French crew on the return were bearable)watched us get on and off ok and placed planks on the ramps too. We didn't ground out at all.

And as I was following you I found it easy too! Pity about the exit from the Petrol Station outside Rouen that removed my reg plate!

[Don]

Both my Chimarea and the Boxster S (standard suspension) have had no trouble at all getting on and off a range of ferries around Ireland and Scotland...

[gfreeman]

I was at the head of the queue that the operators sent us to, which we assumed were for bladdy low jobs, that included the F40 for the Portsmouth - Cherbourg Seacat on Friday morning. They were really helpful and no probs. Coming back on a standard ferry on Monday evening was a different story. They again segregated us but I still ground the front on my aerokitted 996 C4 getting on and off. It wasn't beer or wine - we had a car full of Chateauneuf de Mobil 1.

[johnny boy]

rob.e said:

Johnnyboy - should we expect some neon washer jets on the v8 soon then.. Rob

Absoloutely - and some go faster stripes as well!

[rob.e]

johnny boy said:

rob.e said: Johnnyboy - should we expect some neon washer jets on the v8 soon then.. Rob Absoloutely - and some go faster stripes as well!

John - have you seen MY go-faster stripes? Adds at least 50hp i reckon!

[Thumper]

Going back to ferries, I recall the look on my (now wife, then) girlfriend's face when the guy on the ramp suggested she got out of the car! Two of them then got hold of the rear wheelarches and lifted the car bodily over the edge of the ramp.