# Portsmouth to Santander Ferry



## Jamsieboy (Jan 14, 2011)

Hi folks
We have booked our ferry - Portsmouth to Santander. Leaves the UK at 11.45am arrives in Spain the following day at 12.45pm.

Two queries I hope you guys can help with!

The crossing is on 06 January. Now I know every trip is different and every sailing unique but of those of you who have crossed at this time of year just how bad can it get??

Second query is assuming the ship berths on time how long does disembarkation take? We are travelling down to Burgos for an overnight stop and would like to get there before dark.

As you may have guessed - a novice at this type of trip

Thanks in advance


----------



## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Well it CAN get REALLY bad, and then it can be very pleasant, there is simply no way of knowing in advance. At that time of year it would be very sensible to buy some anti motion sickness medication (Stugeron I think it's called) and USE IT, once/if you start feeling ill is far to late!!

If the sea is rough then it's makes little difference what size ship you are on or whether they have stabilisers or not, they ALL pitch and roll in heavy seas. I had a mate who was ex navy, got caught in a typhoon in the Indian Ocean whilst on the Eagle (aircraft carrier so BIG) the front of the flight deck which was 60 feet ABOVE the water line got bent back!! (2" thick steel plate ) 

If you get a choice go for a cabin as low down as possible, that way any rolling is much less than if you are higher up (basic physics, the near the point of rotation the less the overall movement) 

As for travel times have a look at AA route planner or similar, that will give you a rough idea of how long it's likely to take you. As for disembarkation time they "locals" are usually pretty keen to get everyone off and away so they can get the ship cleaned and re-loaded. There is not an issue with immigrants going IN, only out!

Last September when we got back to the UK from Santander EVERYTHING was stopped AND searched. They had found seven illegals on the previous sailing!!

Have a great trip, just be prepared for rough seas (it may of course be flat calm!) 

Andy


----------



## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

If it is going to be that bad they have a habit of cancelling the sailings up to 48 hours in advance and they are not good at telling everyone about it.......

I would agree Stugeron is the best - take 1 at least 2 hours before embarking and then one every 8 hours - it is important to keep that going.......

Low cabins yes, but you get no choice generally. A sea view can be helpful as you can see the horizon - but to others that can be even worse.

Avoid fatty foods but do eat as sea sickness in an empty stomach is even worse - avoid alcohol as it dehydrates you as does beig sick - if that happens FLAT coca cola is ideal (even if it tastes horrible).

As regards getting off - we were stuck for 4 hours as some bright spark with a brand new top of the range Range Rover (literally 72 hours old) had been parked across the exit ramp under instruction......

They lost the keys....... and they could not be found even after all the laundry was searched by the crew....

Eventually a crane lifted the vehicle ff and dumped it on the quay - where we saw it as we got off with the disconsolate driver and his rather unhappy wife (?) and children standing beside it looking very aggrieved with Dad (?).....

but that does not happen on every trip (of that I am sure), but such things can totally throw schedules (we were low down, VERY hot and very dry - but after 2 1/2 hours they brought bottles of water around for everyone..... ).

Enjoy the trip, you may well have a really smooth, flat calm crossing - watch the forecasts for a week or so before so you can work out what it will be like - the shipping forecasts (R4) will give you a good idea of what it is like - sea areas Plymouth and Biscay are the most appropriate;

current shipping forecast

you can of course, pick it up on the radio or you can get them on line......

Dave


----------



## wug (May 19, 2011)

Sorry to disagree, Penguin, but they text you if there is a problem, so make sure they have your mobile number and keep your mobile on, and all the updates are on the website. Sometimes the decision to cancel is made as late as possible - maybe only a few hours - sometimes a day or two before. If they can they reschedule the sailings, but if that's not possible they will book you on a different ferry, e.g. a sailing to France. You may be entitled to compensation.

In the run up to your journey keep an eye on the BF website where they have all the latest sailing info - it's under the menu item Routes and Timetables. Sailing Updates  Also their Twitter site is useful and the guys will answer your questions very quickly if you need more information.

There's a surf chart for the North Atlantic that's worth a look and you can see how storms (or calm seas) are likely to develop a few days ahead. Chart

As others have said it can be flat calm or a ferocious storm. So far, we've had calm and choppy mid December, though our first trip late November was diverted to St Malo. I see you are on the Cap Finistere, which the BF Enthusiasts Forum BF Forum reckon is the best boat in stormy weather. Lots of info on their website.

The CF has a good restaurant if you fancy a decent meal.

The ferry turnaround is tight, so disembarkation shouldn't take much more than an hour - idiots excepted.

I've read that ginger, either in ginger biscuits or real ginger works for sea-sickness and doesn't have any side effects. We carry some.

Enjoy.

PS if you are a member of the Caravan Club you can get a discount on the M6 Toll which avoids the busiest section of the M6 round Birmingham.


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

It's a lovely trip

If you have not got a a dog in the cages
Although they are better 
Than some

You have a deck

And dog cabins if you are lucky 

You need to be really lucky though they are booked up in advance

We spent our trip on a windswept deck
Slept about five hours
To be met by a wide eyed anxious dog

If you haven't a dog

I think it would be a fantastic trip

We booked a special cabin

Double bed, TV etc

But stood on deck with a very anxious hound for most of the night

Freezing cold

But then we do have the hound from hell

Aldra


----------



## Jamsieboy (Jan 14, 2011)

What a great site this is.
Thanks so much for all the comments, advice and links to charts etc
You guys are something else.
THANKS


----------



## caulkhead (Jul 25, 2007)

As others have said, there is simply no way of knowing what any particular crossing is going to be like. Suffice to say that BF will not compromise on safety so if the boat sails you need not worry on that score. We have come back from Santander in severe Gale Force 9 practically all the way, and apart from some pitching in the BoB it wasn't an uncomfortable journey. On the Pompey-Caen route we have been in Force 6-7 with the ship moving all over the place. Fortunately I am one of those jammy sods that just don't get mal de mer! Get a cabin towards the rear of the ship and as low down as possible for reasons outlined by Mr Plodd (Andy). I have found BF to be very helpful in the past when changing my cabin from the one allocated on booking, to one that I would prefer. If you go on the BF Enthusiasts Forum someone will be able to advise you on the actual cabin numbers to ask for. Disembarcation is usually quite speedy and getting out of Santander needn't take long if you follow the directions that BF hand out on a card.

My advice would be not to worry about the weather. It is easy to scare yourself half to death by constantly checking the weather/shipping forecast when really you want to be able to enjoy the 24 hrs that it takes to get down to Spain - after all, it is part of your well earned holiday!!!

Enjoy yourself..........

Andy


----------



## lordRobbie (Sep 17, 2015)

Jamsieboy said:


> Hi folks
> We have booked our ferry - Portsmouth to Santander. Leaves the UK at 11.45am arrives in Spain the following day at 12.45pm.
> 
> Two queries I hope you guys can help with!
> ...


Heya, we came back on the 5th Jan this year and the crossing was fine. We had a dog friendly cabin (you can have your dog with you) and had no probs.
Disembarkation can take 1 to 1.5 hours to get through - it really does depend where you are on the ferry.
Tally Ho! and all that - maybe meet up later : )


----------



## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Not much to add to good advice already given except to endorse good dinner on Cap Finister.

Our disembarkation took 1 hour but slow because an artic had to be reversed down a ramp for some reason.

BF changed our cabin very easily by phone. Ovrall good experience of first use of BF.

There is a good Aire by a lake at Cabarceno - used and recommended by several on MHF. It is about 25km south from the port. think we found it on

Campingcars-info.com

Geoff


----------



## robbosps (Mar 10, 2014)

I used to work for a ferry company and we NEVER cancelled a sailing to Spain. The only time it was cancelled was after a minor accident. 

Both P&O and BF have sailed in conditions that were stupid. P&O did £100k of damage on board when sailing through a force 10 gale.

BF made the papers last year ( i think ) when they had to take refuge on the west coast of France as the weather was up around the force 10 mark. 

The easiest way of working out what it will be like is the shipping forecast, but also bear in mind it takes a few days after heavy weather for the Biscay to calm down.

As for dealing with sea sickness, i was always a fan of fresh air. Always seemed to settle me. 

Personally i wouldn't worry about the weather. Its never guaranteed, and worrying will spoil the trip.


----------

