The Cook Strait Rollercoaster Ride
Shot by an ex-workmate of Wellingtonistas Tom and Noizy, presumably spread by the magic of email, and now shared to the world thanks to someone in the UK, here's some footage to rival that of our previous YouTube hit 'Classic Landings at Wellington Airport'.
This time it's some serious weather doing its thing in Cook Strait, with the captain of the ferry Suilven deciding no gigantic swells were going to stop him from getting his freight and passengers to the South Island. Much, one thinks, to the horror of his passengers, who probably spent most of the trip in white-knuckled terror as the ship pitched and yawed its way across this particularly hostile stretch of ocean water.
Details on just how horrific the weather conditions (and a few stills of the Suilven making its way over some mountainous waves) can be found at the MetService site.
[hat-tip: spare room]
It's the Suilven, one of Strait Shipping's ferries that has subsequently been sold off. More info here.
we sailed the Cook Strait Rollercoaster Ride in a 16 foot ply trailer sailer for 7 hours in that stuff,
ferrys canceled, and on our own, sunk the dingy "lasted 3 or 5 minutes after the wind struck ",
radio in the cabin that we never dared trying to get open, cellphones in a plastic bag the only hope if we went over, surf smashing on the west coast, maybe if we hit the beach at makara we would have had a chance,
shame we didn't have the video camera strapped on the mast or something (with diving case), not that i really would need to see the film as their is one etched in my brain that i will never forget ( Alzheimer's excepted ),
every single wave was like a ever changing road that took your total attention to get over , then surfing them into plimmerton and only spinning the boat when mostly in the entrance,
the nicest beer and bath i ever had that night ...
Awesome footage but it doesn't look like the Interislander or the Bluebridge ferry.
Do you know which ferry it is?
Adam.