Classic Fast Ferries · Alstom Leroux Naval, France in 1999 and operated by Destination Gotland between the mainland and the Swedish Baltic island of Gotland. Originally delivered

classicf a s tferries

J U N E 2 0 0 2 n 444

22 classic fast ferries 4 – 2002

J U N E 2 0 0 2 n 4

c o v e r :

The first of three new Voskhod-2Ms for Dutch

operatorConnexxion Fast

Flying Ferries on builder's

trials off Crimeain The Ukraine

last month( FAST FLYING

FERRIES)

As reported in our April issue,Dutch operator Connexxion FastFlying Ferries has embarked upon arenewal program for its Velsen/IJmuiden–Amsterdam service,operated since May 1998, andordered three new Voskhod-2Mhydrofoils built in Ukraine by theFeodosiya Morye shipyard. The first of these arrived in TheNetherlands as deck cargo on May31st. The new vessels feature aredesigned bridge and new safetyreal-glass windows fitted inaluminum frames througout; gone isthe plexi. All three will be painted inthe distinctive Connexxion colors ofdark green and lime, the finishing

work of which will be carried out inThe Netherlands, at least as far asthe first unit is concerned.

8 M O R E O N P A G E 1 4 - 1 5

B e l o w :Fleet line-up at the Fast Flying Ferriesbase at IJmuiden last month, prior to thearrival of the new Voskhod. The vessel inthe shed at left is the recently acquiredPolesye hydrofoil Meteoor II. FFF alsoowns a Meteor hydrofoil, not to be confusedwith the former (PIETER INPIJN)

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Voskhod-2M arrives in The Netherlands

The newVoskhod being

prepared forshipment from

The Ukraine inthe middle of last

month(FAST FLYING

FERRIES)

classic fast ferries 4 – 2002 33

Incat Tasmania 91m wavepiercer Max Molshas been transferred to the Baltic andentered service between Riga, Latvia andNynäshamn, Sweden on April 25th. Thevessel, which carries 800 passengers and amaximum of 220 cars, has been leased forfive months by Riga Sea Line (Rigas JurasLinija) from Danish cross-Kattegat operatorMols-Linien. Prior to the charter agreementMax Mols had been unemployed for almost ayear. Riga Sea Line expects to introduce aconventional ferry of its own on the route inSeptember when the wavepiercer leaseexpires. In April and May Max Mols made onesingle journey between Latvia and Swedenwith departures every two days from eitherend (on odd days from Riga and even daysfrom Nynäshamn). Although not equippedwith overnight accomodation of any kind,the wavepiercer would leave Riga andNynäshamn in the evening, at 21:00 and20:00 respectively, arriving in the other portthe next morning at 08:00.

From June 1st the timetable was convertedto daylight crossings, departing either port at09:00 and arriving in Nynäshamn at 16:00 andRiga at 18:00. Latvia is two hours ahead ofSwedish time. There is a connecting busservice at the Swedish end to/from downtownStockholm which takes about fifty minutes.This is included in the wavepiercer ticket. Three types of accomodation are beingoffered; Business, First and Second class. InApril and May a one way adult was LS 89/SEK1460, LS 59/SEK 970 and LS 39/SEK 640respectively. Corresponding rates for a roundtrip were LS 169/SEK 2780, LS 99/SEK 1625and LS 69/SEK 1135. As of June 1st pricesduring the high season in Business and Firstdropped by as much as 41%. Children underthe age of five travel free and there arediscounts for seniors, students, disabled andgroups. The business ticket includes at-seat service,alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages,breakfast, magazines and newspapers.

8 M O R E O V E R L E A F . . .

Latvian operator leases Danish wavepiercerfor cross-Baltic summer service

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In first class breakfast iscomplimentary. Nynäshamn is also served byanother large passenger/vehiclefast ferry, Corsaire 11500 112mmonohull Gotland built byAlstom Leroux Naval, France in1999 and operated byDestination Gotland betweenthe mainland and the SwedishBaltic island of Gotland. Originally delivered in 1998 asCat-Link IV, the leasedwavepiercer entered service,also in the Kattegat, withcompetitor Scandlines Cat-Linkbetween Århus and Kalundborg.Following its acquisition andrenaming by Mols-Linien in April1999, the two companiessubsequently decided to mergeas a result of the opening, also in1998, of the fixed link across theGreat Belt between Jutland andFunen, after which it becameclear that the town was not bigenough for both of them. Two years ago, from Junethrough August 2000, Max Molswas chartered to Marine Atlanticin Canada and last summer itwas briefly operated onScandlines' Rønne– Sassnitzroute. Earlier this spring Mols-Linienrevealed plans of introducing thesurplus Max Mols on a domesticroute linking the island ofBornholm and Køge, a town justsouth of Copenhagen withexcellent access by road as wellas public transport. At present a fast ferryconnection with Bornholm existsfrom Ystad, Sweden, operatedby BornholmsTrafikken whichuses a sole Austal Ships AutoExpress 86 passenger/vehiclecatamaran delivered in 2000.However, BornholmsTrafikken'scontract on the route expires inearly 2003 and Mols-Linienhopes to win it next time.

P h o t o on previous page : IncatTasmania 91m wavepiercing catamaranMax Mols berthed at Nynäshamn lastmonth (PATRIK NYLIN)

___________________________

The 284-passenger 55-knot vessel isto enter service on the Tallinn–Helsinki route later this month andwill cut travel time to 60 minutesfrom the timetabled 85 minutespresently used by the company'spair of Olympia hydrofoils .

Do fast ferries become 'classic' faster (!) these days? For example, this vessel, a 28m catamaran delivered only twelve yearsago, was disposed of by Norwegian operator Møre og RomsdalFylkesbåtar and sold south of the border, in Croatia, in April. But it hadswitched hands already once before this as well as been leased to anotherNorwegian operator and, more recently, been part of a pooling operationbetween MRF and Fosen Trafikklag. Built by Harding Verft, Norway in 1990, the twin deck 250-passengercatamaran was originally delivered to Dutch operator Rederij Doeksen asStuifdijk and sold to MRF and renamed Lauparen less than two years lateras Doeksen took delivery of a larger Harding design. Once again sold and renamed Nona Ana the catamaran sailed fromKristiansund for Croatia under its own power at the end of April. It shouldhave now entered service between Dubrovnik and the island of Mljet.

A b o v e : Harding Verft 28m catamaran Nona Ana at Calais en route fromNorway to Croatia in April (BERT POLLEGROM)

The new Superfoil 40 foil assistedcatamaran for Estonian operatorLinda Line Express was launched byAlmaz Marine Yard, St. Petersburgon April 21st. A completely newdesign, construction of the vesselcommenced in April last year.

Almaz launches Estonian FAC


The last two remaining catama-rans in the Scandlines Flyve-bådene/Flygbåtarna fleet,Fjellstrand 38.8m Svalan andKværner Fjellstrand Flying Cat40m Sjöbjörnen, were sold duringthe first half of May, only twoweeks after the closure of thecross-Øresund service on April30th . Fast ferries between Denmarkand Sweden had been operatingsince 1960, continously so since1963. Acquired by SNAV in Napoliand renamed SNAV Aurora andSNAV Orion, the catamarans leftCopenhagen for Italy under theirown power on May 18th,traveling south via the Kiel Canal,the English Channel, the Biscayand the Straits of Gibraltar. With thirty-seven years ofexperience in fast ferryoperation, Scandlines'involvement in this field now isrestricted to a 50% holding in

Mols-Linien which operates apair of Danish built DanyardSeajet 250 passenger/vehiclecatamarans and one IncatTasmania 91m wavepiercer ontwo routes across the Kattegat.A second Incat 91m wave-piercing catamaran is presentlyleased by Mols-Linien to aLatvian company and operatedin the Baltic. Please consult the April 2002cff and earlier issues for furtherdetails.

B e l o w : SNAV Aurora andSNAV Orion berthed at Oostende,Belgium last month on their positioningtrip from North Europe tothe Mediterranean (KEVIN MOLLET, both)

End of story

Also read this monththe much improved and e x t e n d e d reissue of our September 2000

see: http://classicfastferries.go.to


he answer is initiative, belief, going with thetimes and – tourists. The lake is Titicaca (Lago Titicaca) in theAndes Mountains in South America and theoperator of the hydrofoils is Crillon Toursbased in La Paz, capital of Bolivia. Lake Titicaca, the Sacred Lake of theIncas, is an international inland sea in that itextends into both Peru to the west andBolivia to the east. In reality it is made up oftwo lakes, both of which lying partly inBolivia partly in Peru, divided by a narrowstrait in the south-east portion of the lake.In Bolivia the smaller lake is known asChuquito and the main lake as HuiñayMarca and in Peru as Pequño and Granderespectively. Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lakefor larger vessels in the world and covering8,300 square km is South America's secondlargest lake after Maracaibo (Lago deMaracaibo) in Venezuela, on whichhydrofoils also used to operate (see May/June2001 CFF). It is 190 km long in a north-west to south-east direction and 80 kmacross at its widest point. At the deep end,in the lake's north-east, it is 280 m. The water is fresh with a small percentageof salt and minerals and has an averagesurface temperature of 12 degrees C.

How can a hydrofoilservice on a remote lake

situated more than3,800 m above sea level

be a success story?

T


The CompanyCrillon Tours was founded in 1958, byDarius Morgan Sr., as a ground operatordedicated to incoming tourism. Pioneers inits field in Bolivia, the company continues tobe family owned and run to this day.Company president Darius Morgan Sr. nowresides in the U.S. and manages the CrillonTours Miami, Florida office, with his son,vice president Darius Morgan Jr., beingbased on location in Bolivia. Over the years the company has built upits own infrastructure on the lake which,apart from the hydrofoils and hydro ports tomatch, presently comprises sixteen buses ofvarious sizes, restaurants, a five-star hotel atHuatajata and a lodge, the so-called AndeanEco Village, on the top of the Sun Island,the largest of Titicaca's forty-plus islands. By November 1989 200,000 passengershad been carried on the hydrofoils and lastyear No. 300,000 was passed. After years ofunbroken service the company has receivedawards for safe and on-time operation. All Crillon hydrofoil services are part ofpre-booked tours for tourists, which comefrom all over the world; on-impulse rides arenot available. Packaged half- and full day aswell as 2-day tours, some including overlandconnection by the company's buses, are beingoffered. These are either international –

from/to Puno in Peru – or within Bolivia.Points served by the hydrofoils includeCopacabana, the Sun Island and MoonIsland, Tiquina, Huatajata and Guaqui inBolivia and Puno and the Ursus FloatingIslands in Peru. At an average hydrofoilservices are interrupted or suspended onlytwice a year due to strong storms.

Getting them there is half the funThe first hydrofoil was acquired in 1966. Asmall 20-seat craft of the Albatross type, thishad been developed by another pioneer,Helmut Kock, who, originating from Chile,had come to the United States in 1955 torealize his dream of constructing hydrofoils. The vessel was one of fourteen originallydelivered to New York City for operationbetween Manhattan and the World's Fair in1964. It was shipped from the U.S. to

A l l p h o t o s i n a r t i c l e : C

r i l l o n T o u r s


Mollendo, Peru and from here by narrowgauge railroad up to Lake Titicaca. While certainly an exciting twelve-dayoverland journey, it may have beenconsidered a picnic by those who morethan one hundred years earlier, in 1862,had participated in the transportation, onmuleback, of the first steamer for the lake– indeed, as a kit – brought to SouthAmerica from Britain. Having had its original forwardmounted General Motors engine replacedby a more powerful Cummins VT8 370 Mdiesel, the 30-knot, 10.6 m surfacepiercing hydrofoil entered service on thelake as Inca Arrow.

Kock himself also went to Bolivia to trainthe crew and assist in the building ofdocking facilities. Apart from the struggle with getting itthere at all, you cannot take a hydrofoil toLake Titicaca and put it into service justlike that. At this altitude an approximately30% power loss is experienced. Also,modifications to the surface of the foilshad to be done in order to obtain betterlift in the pure fresh water of the lake. During the following ten years Crillonacquired three more hydrofoils of theAlbatross type; Andes Arrow, TiticacaArrow and Copacabana Arrow. The namesof the craft, tells Morgan, originated

when the natives in their reed boats(salsas) called the company's hydrofoilsthe 'Devil Arrows'. Titicaca Arrow has since been stretchedby almost 2m to accomodate 32passengers and has had a second engineinstalled. The original vessel, Inca Arrow,was re-engined with a 450 hp Cumminsdiesel two years ago. As tourism increased, in 1975 it wasdecided to move up one step and order alarger, 15 m hydrofoil with a passengercapacity of forty, twice that of the earliercraft. Based on the Albatross and likewisedesigned by Helmut Kock, this waspowered by two Cummins VT8 370

The 40-seatBolivia Arrow wasbuilt locally in1976. It has sincebeen repoweredwith twoCummins VT8903 A diesels


diesels and to be built locally in Bolivia,with all parts being supplied by LudwigHonold Manufacturing Company inPennsylvania, U.S.A., which had also builtthe production Albatrosses. Construction commenced in late 1975and was completed by late fall the followingyear. Named Bolivia Arrow it entered servicein February 1977. The vessel was re-engined with more powerful Cummins VT8903s in 1990 by which its speed increasedto 34 knots. The new kid on the block proved asuccess, performance- as well aspassengerwise, and while a second unit wasplanned this never eventuated. Instead, a greater still capacity hydrofoilwas acquired in Italy; a 60-seat H.57 builtby Seaflight of Messina, Sicily. Named SunArrow this was added to the Kock/Honoldfleet in 1978. The H.57 is powered by a pairof German MTU diesels, each delivering900hp. In 1990 Crillon acquired a unique, small 8-seat deluxe version Volga hydrofoil,originally given as a gift by SovietCommunist Party Secretary LeonidBrezhnev to U.S. President Richard Nixon.Now named Glasnost Arrow this is beingused for shorter excursions on the lake.

All seven hydrofoils remain in service.Utilization varies though; decision onwhich vessel is to be used on a certain dayor service is dictated by passenger demand,the number of which can be from just afew to large groups. Any further addition to the Crillonhydrofoil fleet will depend on thedevelopment of tourism on the lake, saysDarius Morgan Sr. A Ukrainian secondhand Voskhod was almost acquired somtime ago. While being offered at a bargainprice the purchase fell through as Crillonwanted two MTU engines to be installed(the standard Voskhod is a single-enginevessel) to make up for the aforementionedpower loss. Something which would havepractically required the building of a newhull to accomodate the extra engine. While after more than thirty-five years ofcontinuous and successful operationcertainly one of the world's oldest hydrofoilstrongholds, a hovercraft, however, doesnot seem to be out of the question forCrillon either. n

Seaflight H.57 SunArrow is so farthe latest new

hydrofoil to joinCrillon Tours on

Lake Titicaca,although one ofthe original craft

was stretchedand re-powered

only last year.Inset picture

shows the H.57 asdelivered and

large picture in itspresent attractive

livery, underdramatic skies


Bird's view of the Crillon Tours hydrofoil fleet, minus H.57 Sun Arrow . The vessel closest to the camera is the small 8-seat Volga previously owned by former U.S. President Richard Nixon.


sydney is betterthe second time around

Parallel to the present regular June classic fastferries, this month we're also publishing a specialtheme issue on the hydrofoil operation onSydney Harbour, Australia. Originally published to coincide with theSydney Olympics in September 2000, the originalSydney Special issue (CFF 5/2000) is no longeravailable. The new 24-page SPECIALSPECIAL is a much improvedand extended version of the older one, includingthe original article, by Martin Grimm, on thehistory of the Sydney foils but with more andlarger photos, plus a new article on the buildingof a 1:72 scale static model of one of thehydrofoils, PT.50 Fairlight, written by IanWrenford.

h t t p : / / c l a s s i c f a s t f e r r i e s . g o . t o

40 pages of great summ

er reading !


W86N O R W A Y ' S L A S T

C A T A M A R A N

A third followed in 1974. Before this the only other fastferry operated by Fosen was a Supramar PT.20B, likewisebuilt by Westermoen, previously operated in Sweden andDenmark and acquired by the company in 1969. The first of the W86 trio, Kongsbussen, entered service inApril 1973 between Trondheim and the off-lying island ofSula and remains with the company to this day. The othertwo W86s, Olavsbussen and Hertugbussen, were sold off in1991 and 1996. Not only did Kongsbussen outlive these, it isalso the last surviving of the type in regular passengerservice in Norway. Another W86 is being used on touristtrips along the country's scenic coastline and magnificentfiords, but this is run at a maximum of 24 knots and thusis not considered a fast ferry anymore. In 1994 Kongsbussen was transferred to PartrederietKystekspressen, a joint venture formed by Fosen and Møreog Romsdal Fylkesbåtar, another establishedferry/fast ferry company, to operate the three-and-a-halfhour journey between Trondheim and Kristiansund furtherdown the coast.

973... Doesn't it somehow feel like only yesterday onthe one hand and a long time ago on the other? However,if you pronounce it as in twenty-nine years ago you realize itdefinitely was not yesterday. Or maybe it's exactly that! It isof course basically a question of your frame of reference. 1973 was the year in which Fosen Trafikklag, anestablished Norwegian ferry operator dating back to 1885and based in Trondheim, took delivery of two 140-seatWestamaran 86 catamarans built by WestermoenHydrofoil.

1

Here today, gonetomorrow. The last

surviving Westamaran86 in regular servicein Norway has been

put on the market andmay follow in the

footsteps of its mates– given a new lease of

life abroad


down the coast. More recently the vessel'sduties have been reduced to just atimetabled service once a week and asback-up on two other routes in theTrondheim Fiord. With the introductionlater this month by Kystekspressen of twonew Fjellstrand Flying Cat 40 catamaransthe W86 will be withdrawn. It was put onthe market already a while ago however. In addition to Kongsbussen the presentFosen fast ferry fleet comprises threecatamarans delivered by Norwegian yardsin 1991.

W e s t a m a r a n 8 6The 26.7m Westamaran 86 was developedby Harald Henriksen of WestermoenHydrofoil as a result of the yard's decisionto give up hydrofoil production, which ithad embarked upon in 1961. Theprototype W86 was delievered to adomestic operator on June 1st 1971. The asymmentrical hulled catamaranbecame an almost instant success and,together with the enlarged W95, the firstof which appeared in 1974, revolutionizedpassenger transportation on theNorwegian coast and fiords during the70s. So much so that it is safe to say that itkilled the hydrofoil, in spite of the latteroffering a service speed of around 34-36knots as opposed to the 25-28 knots ofthe Westamaran. In its standard version the W86 wouldbe powered by a pair of MTU 12V 493diesels and laid out for 142 passengers. A total of 23 W86 catamarans weredelivered during 1971–79, all but fourintially entering service with domesticoperators. Over the years some changedhands within the country and with timethe majority was sold abroad as theNorwegian operators renewed their fleets.

Most of the W86s still exist, although anumber have been rebuilt (some beyondrecognition) and/or are being operated asmedium-speed vessels (i.e. less than 25knots), and some may not be operational. But Henriksen knew what he wasdoing... all those many years ago. n

O p p o s i t e : W86 Kongsbussen underway sporting the simpleyet very becoming - and classic - Fosen Trafikklag paint scheme, and. . .A b o v e : . . . berthed at Trondheim. In the background anothercatamaran in the Kystekspressen joint operation, Fjellstrand 38.8mTernen (FOSEN TRAFIKKLAG, both )

The catamaranhas been put upfor sale and may

leaveNorwegian

waters in thenear future

(SØRENSTRUNTZE)


P h o t o s (except where noted ) &

P r o f i l e D r a w

i n g : M

a r k v a n R i j z e n

The first of three, Hull No. 605 arrived from the Black Sea onboard the carrier Eilsum atIJmuiden at noon on May 31st. The new vessel is expected to enter service later this month

classic fast ferries 4 – 2002 1515 classic sh tso

Touchdown.Hull No. 605

being loweredinto the waterat IJmuiden inthe afternoon

on May 31st

The vessel will receive the special Connexxion lime paint and company logos before entering service

The bridge onthe FFFVoskhod-2M(PETER VENEMA)


Apioneering

Condorin theBritishIsles

Condor, the Channel Islands fast ferry operator, recently sold itslast passenger-only vessel. Which is a good excuse for us to showthis classic shot of the company's f i r s t fast ferry. Condor Ltd. was formed in early 1964 by Peter Dorey and J. F.Norman to operate a fast ferry service between the Islands and theBrittany and Normandy, France coast. A visit to the Rodriquez yard in Sicily resulted in the purchase of aPT.50 which was named Condor I and put into service on variousroutes between Jersey, Guernsey, St. Malo, Cherbourg andGranville in May 1964. A service across the English Channelbetween Guernsey and the south-west coast of England was alsobeing considered and a few trial return crossings to Torquay wereindeed carried out. But the idea was put to rest and did noteventuate until several years later. During its first season Condor I carried 31,000 passengers. In1965 the route pattern was revised by which Sark was included andSt. Malo became the exclusive French port served. Five more hydrofoils were delivered to Condor 1971–85, andanother was leased in 1969/70 and again in 1981, and from 1988onwards a number of catamarans and large wavepiercingcatamarans were introduced. Condor I remained with the company for twelve years; it was soldto Aliscafi SNAV, Italy in 1976 and renamed Freccia di Sicilia.

(POSTCARD, collection of T. Timoleon)

Documents

Classic Fast Ferries · Alstom Leroux Naval, France in 1999 and operated by Destination Gotland between the mainland and the Swedish Baltic island of Gotland. Originally delivered