17.4.2025 at Ouistreham, NORMANDIE arriving from Portsmouth, soon after these photos were taken, the ship would start her very last sailing from Ouistreham back to Portsmouth with Brittany Ferries passengers. NORMANDIE was built by Kvaemer Masa-Yards in Finland and completed in 1992. the ship embarked on her maiden voyage on the 18th of May of that year. NORMANDIE has had a remarkable career with Brittany Ferries that spanned for one month short of 33 years. Throughout her career, she was cherished by millions of people, she soon became a favourite amongst passengers and crews. I remember when she was introduced she was seen as a huge ship at just over 27.000 GT. To me she was a friend, countless times I boarded the NORMANDIE from or to the UK on my business trips to Continental Europe. So many times my mood changed just to know she would be waiting for me as a means of transport. My favourite way of transport to be at sea, my greatest passion in life, passenger ships and the sea. NORMANDIE has been recently sold to "La Meridionale" and she is due to start commercial service between Marseille and Morocco in less than two months. Strongly built, with good maintenance, MASSALIA, as she will be known from now on, will still have many years in service. So, Merci my dear friend and until we meet again.

Here we see the NORMANDIE departing Ouistreham to Portsmouth, her last departure from France and the route she served with such hard work and loyalty. Photos Vitor Francisco 17.4.2025.

SAINT-MALO at her namesake

The brand new SAINT-MALO seen docking at her namesake, Saint-Malo. The new ship entered service back on the 12th of February 2025 to replace the legendary BRETAGNE.

The Bell of the BRETAGNE

 I have decided to re-activate this blog after no activity since 2017, quite incredible to think that. All these years, I have continued to be a frequent passenger on board Brittany Ferries ships. Just experienced the brand new GUILLAUME DE NORMANDIE on her maiden voyage yesterday from Ouistreham to Portsmouth. The ship that replaced the Legendary NORMANDIE. Six months earlier another iconic ship, the BRETAGNE also replaced by the SAINT-MALO, near sister of the GUILLAUME DE NORMANDIE.

CAP FINISTERE arriving Portsmouth

Bought in 2009 from the Greek operator SUPERFAST, "CAP FINISTERE" is the most recent cruise ferry to enter service with BRITTANY FERRIES, she has been since 2010 a reliable partner to PONT-AVEN on the Spanish service, the ship is seen here arriving Portsmouth from Bilbao, photos taken from NORMANDIE, Vitor Francisco 5.4.2017

PONT-AVEN at Saint-Malo

It's been a while since my last "post" here, recently I have been spending more time on my sister Blog, A LIFE SAILING CRUISE FERRIES, not to say of course this one has been forgotten, to the contrary, Blog and its cruise ferries very much always on my mind. Seen here at Saint-Malo, is the brilliant cruise ferry PONT-AVEN, flagship of BF, close-up photos taken during a beautiful sunny winter's day, the ship was at the time replacing the BRETAGNE, undergoing an important refit at Gdansk. Photos 23.1.2017

Cruising on "MONT ST MICHEL"

         MONT ST MICHEL new funnel design to accommodate new scrubbers

      "BLUE NOTE BAR" located on deck 9, is the venue for the main entertainment

                            Acrylic on canvas by Michel Four

                Sculture on the embarkation hall of the ship by Matthieu Millot

"MONT ST MICHEL" is a cruise ferry operated by BRITTANY FERRIES on their busiest route, Ouistreham ( Caen ) to Portsmouth, the ship named after one of best known French landmarks, the island of the MONT ST MICHEL, was built by Dutch shipyard VAN DER GIESSEN DE NOORD near Rotterdam. Construction started in June of 2001 and the ship was delivered to BF in December of 2002 with five months of delay. "MONT ST MICHEL" has capacity for 2100 passengers and 830 cars, the internal layout of this magnificent ship is an evolution of her fleet mate, the NORMANDIE of 1992. Passengers on board the ship have two restaurants, bars, boutique, a Kiosk, two cinemas, a choice of cabins, some similar to modern cruise ships and reclining-seats. Also linking art with navigation, BRITTANY FERRIES cruise ferries offer a wonderful variety of paintings, scultures, frescoes and bas-reliefs by renowned mainly French artists. MONT ST MICHEL has just spent three months in a Spanish shipyard at Santander, for what has been so far her biggest refit. During the process, new scrubbers, or exhaust gas cleaning filters were installed as part of an investment program of 60 million pounds to cut funnel emissions to protect the environment, six cruise ferries are now equipped with the new system making the fleet one of the cleanest in service. Photos above were taken on the 26th of April 2016

NORMANDIE mid channel from Ouistreham to Portsmouth

 The magnificent NORMANDIE at sea, photos taken from MONT ST MICHEL, 26.4.2016