Tag: Ships

The Queen Elizabeth visits Port Elizabeth

Port Elizabeth is slowly becoming a more and more popular stopover spot for cruise ships.  Today the city was extremely fortunate to have the Queen Elizabeth visit for the day.  The Queen Elizabeth is a Vista-class cruise ship operated by the Cunard Line.  She is the second largest ship constructed for Conurd, exceeded only by its sister ship Queen Mary 2.  The ship was launched in January 2010 and had her maiden voyage in October of that year. 

Although you could get onto the harbour and fairly close, you could not get through the last security gate allowing you to get right by her.  We decided to rather admire her from afar and headed up to Fort Frederick for a look before driving to South End for a slightly different angle from the old St Peter’s Church ruins.
The family having a look at the Queen Elizabeth from Fort Frederick

Framed fishing boat

Last Sunday there was a cold wind blowing and it really wasn’t beach weather.  Saturday afternoon already the Damselfly said that she wanted to go for a walk on the beach Sunday so come the day she wasn’t going to allow the weather to put her off.  The walk was very short though but I still took the opportunity to snap a pic or two.  One of those was this one of a fishing boat at anchor in the bay to shelter from the storm framed by the gap between the rocks in front of Something Good.

Yacht Club yachts

I don’t get to go to the harbor that often.  It doesn’t help that security is tight to get it so when I do its because of something that is on at the Algoa Bay Yacht Club.  This was the case a week or so ago when I was invited to a function at the Yacht Club by Raggy Charters.  I would still love to go out with them one day, but this was a more special occasion to celebrate a couple of awards that they have won lately.  Waiting for all the guests to arrive I snapped one or two pics, amongst them this one showing some of the members’ yachts moored along the club’s walkway.

Ships in Algoa Bay

Port Elizabeth is the only city in South Africa with two commercial harbours that can accommodate big ships.  The Port Elizabeth Harbour has been around since the 1930’s while the Coega deep water harbour has been in operation for about a decade now.  Although the two isn’t as busy as Durban Harbour which is the busiest in Africa and the 10th busiest in the world (or something like that), we have a fair amount of ship traffic in the bay.  This shot was taken from the top of the Donkin Lighthouse showing a ship sailing towards the PE Harbour.

Fishing boats in the harbour

Standing at the top of the Campanile one tends to wonder how many have never seen the views from up here.  I can understand somebody who is unable to climb for whatever reason not to go to the top, but most others who have never been there is probably to some degree just too lazy to take the 204 steps to the top.  So kick those lazy bones in under the bed and be adventurous.  The climb won’t kill you and the view is well worth the effort.  This view is looking out the south window down onto the harbor.