Last Thursday 13th October, I was honoured to be in the company of Spike for what turned into a mammoth day on the water, thanks Spike.

The trip, usually on the Snowdrop, but last week it was the Royal Daffodil, was a real eye opener with a lot of isights along the way and nformation provided by our blue badge guide/commentator.

The day started as usual for me, dropping a couple of daughters and workmates off to work and getting to St Anthony's on Scottie Rd to pick up Tony at 9.15am then it was through the Kingsway tunnel to pick up our ferry at Seacombe which was boarding at 9.50.

I took nearly 200 pics during the day and a small selection of them will be here. Here are the first 15.


I had to drag Tony off this screaming at 9.45. I said come on they're all getting on and he bawled 'Nooooo, I wanna nudda go'. It's captaining your own ferry across the Mersey and really should be for kids I think. Only kidding. I mean, yes it is for kids, just kidding about Tony - oh never mind.



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And so it was down the gangway to the landing stage, Yippee!!!



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A misty and murky Waterfront. Well it is October so we were just glad it wasn't raining. The boat was only half full so we got good specks throughout. It did clear up a lot in the afternoon.



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Stena Lines 'Stena Lagan' RORO Ferry, built in Belfast and loading up in Birkenhead in the shadow of the Queensway Tunnel ventilation shaft.



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The Mersey dredger which takes silt from the riverbed and later we'd see points along the canal where pipes are attached to its tanks to take the muck which is processed as sand and used in the building industry.



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Cammell Laird overseeing an oil rig construction and the refit of a Naval vessel. A photo very similar to this (but clearer and from the air) features in the new Liverpool Echo 'Cammell Laird' publication.





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The PetroAtlantic crude oil tanker discharging its load at Tranmere. It then goes by underground pipelines to Shell at Stanlow which in August was bought out by an Indian Company.



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The Daf bar. Too early for Magners so we settled for a nice cuppa and a sarnie.



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Approaching the ship canal entrance just past Eastham.



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The on board local artist who was painting a scene which you could buy raffle tickets for with all the proceds going to Claire House.



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Whilst in the entrance lock, a Ryanair rumbled over, destined for Speke, just across the River from us. It was also an opportunity to capture a shed for Kev, an idea of Tony's.



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We were alongside 'Frank' in the dual lock. As all vessels are she, this one must have been under the knife. She had just come down the canal and was awaiting clearance to leave into the Mersey.



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The swell from the rear (no, not haemorrhoids or however you smell it, sorry, spell it)



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The Clyde discharging imported coal which will then make its way to Fiddlers Ferry power station which we will see later. It's mad that it's deemed cheaper to import coal when we have so much still underground.



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There were stretches of nothing and then pockets of light industry and some heavy industry. Here is a vessel with that good old British name of 'Wappen Von Flensburg' which is registered in London discharging its cargo on the Riverside of the canal.



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